Laos

LAOS
I visited Laos on a trip to southeast Asia in the 10's.

Throughout the high country of Vietnam, Laos, Thailand and Myanmar, ethnic minorities number as many as a million people while others are feared to have dwindled to as few as 100. The future of hill tribes is an uncertain one: most are in the process of rapid cultural and economic change that will eventually alter them beyond recognition. In general, virtually all hill tribes are now changing greatly through the impact of Christian missionaries, as well as the effects of modernization, secularization, and sometimes industralization. These factors, among others, are tending toward a weakening of tribal languages and tribal identity.

 This caption is from Vietnam -- a Lonely Planet travel guide.

The town is a traditional Tai Lu and Tai Neua cultural nexus, plus a trade centre for Tai Dam, Akha, Hmong, Mien, Lolo and Yunnanese people, all who have villages nearby.*

Lao classical music was originally developed as court music for royal ceremonies and classical dance-drama during the 19th-century reign of Vientiane's Chao Anou.*

The principal instrument in folk, and to a lesser extent in pop, is the khaen.*

The khden is a wind instrument made of a double row of bamboo-like reeds fitted into a hardwood soundbox and made airtight with beeswax.*

Dancing is a big part of the rocket festival.

Lying in the broad river valley of the Nam La, Muang Sing is a flat, dusty grid of mostly unpaved streets with a modest sprinkling of historic buildings.*

Among Lowland Lao, houses are raised on stilts to avoid flooding during the monsoons and allow room to store rice underneath, while the highlanders typically build directly on the ground.*

The practice of classical Lao music and drama has been in decline for some time - 40 years of intermittent war and revolution has simply made this kind of entertainment of low priority among most Lao.*

Generally, the only time you'll hear this type of music is during the occasional public performance of the Pha Lak Pha Lam, a dance-drama based on the Hindu Ramayana epic.*

Not so with Lao folk and pop, which have always stayed close to the people.*

The rows can be as few as four or as many as eight courses, and the instrument can vary in length from around 80cm to about 2m.*

Laos boasts over a dozen weaving styles across for regions. Southern weavers, who often use foot looms rather than frame looms, are known for the best silk weaving and for intricate mat-mii designs.*

Some older village women still wear elements of their traditional costumes, making for colourful people-walking.*

Traditional housing in Laos, whether in the river valleys or in the mountains, consists of simple wooden or bamboo-thatch structures with leaf or grass roofing.

The standard ensemble for Lao classical music is the sep nyai and consists of khawng wong (a set of tuned gongs), the ranyaat (a eylophone-like instrument), the khui (bamboo flute) and the pii (a double-reed wind instrument similar to the oboe.*

An adept player can produce a churning, calliope-like dance music.*

When the khaen is playing, people dance the lam wong (circle performance) is the most popular folk dance in Laos.*

I watched the construction of a bridge by hand.

Lam wong couples dance circles around one another until there are three circles in all: a circle danced by the individual, a circle danced by the couple, and one danced by the whole crowd.*

Family celebrations such as weddings or initiation of young sons into the Order involve the whole village, informal teams handling their own and neighbouring villages.*

*These captions are from Laos -- Lonely Planet's travel guide.