Preface
When the author first planned to write a book about the ethnic groups of Thailand, the various Tai-speaking peoples should have been visited as well, described and included in that book as a subordinate side-product to the many non-Tai-speaking groups of Thailand (see Joachim Schliesinger, Ethnic Groups of Thailand: Non-Tai-Speaking Peoples, White Lotus Co. Ltd. Bangkok, 2000). Yet it soon turned out that the background of the members of the dif-ferent Tai groups residing in Thailand could not be described solely from their presence inside the country; they had to be looked at in the much more profound and complex context of their past, and in a proper sense within the great Tai race. The journeys to the various non-Tai groups, spread all over the terri-tory of Thailand, constituted the main efforts in the research for the first book. In the research on the Tai peoples, the study of the extensive lit-erature written about them since the middle of the nineteenth century, when more Westerners penetrated into the hinterland of mainland South-east Asia and China, became the most time-consuming affair. Having already visited the officially classified Tai and Kadai groups of Vietnam and described them within a broader framework (see Joachim Schliesinger, Hill Tribes of Vietnam, 2 Vols., White Lotus Co. Ltd. Bangkok, 1997 and 1998) the author was curious to continue the work on the Tai peoples in Thailand. The complexity of Tai ethnicity, however, especially the history, the distinct development of almost every single Tai group and their inter-relationships despite their distribution over a vast area-from India in the west, through mainland Southeast Asia, upto southeastern China in the east-required a deeper, broader and more detailed approach. Accepting the challenge of such a task and trying to avoid missing a historical or ethnic link, examining the substance and nature of Tai ethnicity led the author literally far behind the borders of Thailand, deep into the prehistory of humankind in the region. The deeper the author pursued the details of being Tai, the more difficult it became not to loose sight of the overall picture, representing linkages of existing Tai groups in Thailand in the context of the wider Tai background in Asia. The outcome of this intensive four years research in Thailand, from July 1996 to June 2000 is now presented in two volumes. This first volume introduces: the early events of Southeast Asia and today's territory of Thailand before the coming of the Tai; presents the history after their arrival; informs about the hypothesis of the origin of the Tai race, and shows the development of the ethnic Tai people in the con-text of the many distinct Tai groups and their main kingdoms, states and principalities in Asia in general and in Thailand in particular. Linguistic development and classification of the Tai language, its branches and dia-lects is explained as well as the description of the central Thai language. Finally, Tai agriculture and food, Tai handicrafts, Tai architecture and Tai religion are highlighted. An extensive bibliography is appended for fur-ther reading. The second volume, Tai Groups of Thailand-Profile of the Exist-ing Groups, sketches every single one of the 30 Tai groups in Thailand with their domestic history, costumes and crafts, designs of villages and houses, activities in agriculture and economy, society and religious belief. The various groups are portrayed further by 115 color illustrations. Each volume is published by White Lotus and available separately.
About The Book
Tai Groups of Thailand Introduction and Overview describes the early events of Southeast Asia and today's territory of Thailand before the coming of the Tai, presents the history after their arrival, informs about the hypothesis of the origin of the Tai race and shows the development of the ethnic Tai people in the context of the many distinct Tai groups and their kingdoms, states and principalities in Asia in general and in Thailand in particular. Linguistic development and classification of the Tai language, its branches and dialects, is explained as well as the description of the central Thai language. Finally, Tai agriculture and food, Tai handicrafts, Tai architecture and Tai religion are highlighted. Their way of living is clarified with 163 color illustrations and an extensive bibliography for further reading. The second volume, Tai Groups of Thailand - Profile of the Existing Groups, sketches each of the thirty Tai groups in Thailand with its history, costumes and crafts, design of villages and houses, activities in agriculture and economy, society and religion, supported in addition by 115 color illustrations.
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