The CO LAO Community of 54 Ethnic groups in Vietnam

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     The CO LAO have a population of about 2,034 persons, living in Dong Van¹ and Hoang Su Phi ² Districts (Ha Giang³ Province). They are also called Ke Lao. The CO LAO language belongs to the Kadai ⁴ group.

    In Dong Van, the CO LAO till terraced fields on the mountain slopes where they grow maize. In Hoang Su Phi, they grow rice in flooded fields or milpas on earthen hills. Basketry and woodwork are their popular handicrafts producing bamboo wattles, bamboo mats, broad flat baskets, panniers, tables, chairs and saddles. The CO LAO in Dong Van is famous for brewing maize liquor.

    CO LAO men wear trousers like many other ethnic groups in the northern border regions. CO LAO women wear trousers and a five-panel long dress running below the knees and buttoning along one side. The dress is decorated with pieces of cloth of different colors attacned to the chest from the middle to the right armpit along the fringe slit. Each village has about 15-20 households. Their houses are built on the the ground, commonly with three compartments and two leans-to. Each house is a small family comprising parents and children; married sons rarely live with parents.

    Each CO LAO subgroup has a definite number of family lineages. Children adopt the family name of their father. According to customs, a boy can marry the daughter of one of his maternal uncles but a woman is never permitted to marry the son of her maternal uncles. A CO LAO child is given a name after three days. The first child receives the name given by its maternal grandmother.

   A dead person is burled with a fast rite. At burial, rocks are placed in circles around the tomb; each circle corresponds to ten years of age of the deceased.

   Ancestors of 3-4 generations are worshipped at home; the genie of the earth is venerated by every family and the whole village; the genie of milpa is represented by a queer stone placed in the highest rock hollow on the milpa. The CO LAO adopt many lunar ceremonies and festivals, including the Lunar New Year⁵.

SEE MORE:
◊  The COMMUNITY of 54 ETHNIC GROUPS in Vietnam – Section 1.
◊  The BA NA Community of 54 Ethnic groups in Vietnam.
◊  The BO Y Community of 54 Ethnic groups in Vietnam.
◊  The BRAU Community of 54 Ethnic groups in Vietnam.
◊  The BRU-VAN KIEU Community of 54 Ethnic groups in Vietnam.
◊  The CHO RO Community of 54 Ethnic groups in Vietnam.
◊  The CO HO Community of 54 Ethnic groups in Vietnam.
◊  The CONG Community of 54 Ethnic groups in Vietnam.
◊  The CHUT Community of 54 Ethnic groups in Vietnam.
◊  The CHU RU Community of 54 Ethnic groups in Vietnam.
◊  The CHAM Community of 54 Ethnic groups in Vietnam.
◊  The DAO Community of 54 Ethnic groups in Vietnam.
◊  The GIAY Community of 54 Ethnic groups in Vietnam.
◊  Vietnamese version (vi-VersiGoo): CONG DONG 54 Dan toc Viet Nam – Phan 1.
◊  Vietnamese version (vi-VersiGoo) with Web-Voice (Web-Audio):  Nguoi BA NA  trong Cong dong 54 Dan toc anh em o Viet Nam.
◊  Vietnamese version (vi-VersiGoo) with Web-Voice (Web-Audio):  Nguoi BO Y trong Cong dong 54 Dan toc anh em o Viet Nam.
◊  Vietnamese version (vi-VersiGoo) with Web-Voice (Web-Audio):  Nguoi BRAU trong Cong dong 54 Dan toc anh em o Viet Nam.
◊  Vietnamese version (vi-VersiGoo) with Web-Voice (Web-Audio):  Nguoi BRU-VAN KIEU  trong Cong dong 54 Dan toc anh em o Viet Nam.
◊  Vietnamese version (vi-VersiGoo) with Web-Voice (Web-Audio):  Nguoi CHO RO trong Cong dong 54 Dan toc anh em o Viet Nam.
◊  Vietnamese version (vi-VersiGoo) with Web-Voice (Web-Audio):  Nguoi CHAM trong Cong dong 54 Dan toc anh em o Viet Nam.
◊  Vietnamese version (vi-VersiGoo) with Web-Voice (Web-Audio):  Nguoi CHU RU trong Cong dong 54 Dan toc anh em o Viet Nam.
◊  Vietnamese version (vi-VersiGoo) with Web-Voice (Web-Audio):  Nguoi CHUT trong Cong dong 54 Dan toc anh em o Viet Nam.
◊  Vietnamese version (vi-VersiGoo) with Web-Voice (Web-Audio):  Nguoi CONG trong Cong dong 54 Dan toc anh em o Viet Nam.
◊  Vietnamese version (vi-VersiGoo) with Web-Voice (Web-Audio):  Nguoi DAO trong Cong dong 54 Dan toc anh em o Viet Nam.
◊  Vietnamese version (vi-VersiGoo) with Web-Voice (Web-Audio):  Nguoi GIAY trong Cong dong 54 Dan toc anh em o Viet Nam.
◊  Vietnamese version (vi-VersiGoo) with Web-Voice (Web-Audio):  Nguoi GIA RAI trong Cong dong 54 Dan toc anh em o Viet Nam.
◊  etc.

BAN TU THU
07 /2020

NOTES:
¹ : … updating…

NOTE:
◊  Source & Images:  54 Ethnic Groups in Vietnam, Thong Tan Publishers, 2008.
◊  All citations and italic textes has been set by Ban Tu Thu – thanhdiavietnamhoc.com