Khmu means 'people' in their language and they are a branch of Austro-Asiatic tribes. Khmu is not the same ethnic group as the Khmer in Cambodia although they are related.
Homeland
Most Khmu people live in the mountains of Luang Prabang province in northern Laos and they are the natives of northern Laos and south-eastern Yunnan.
They used to live along the Mekong River basin in northern Laos before the ethnic Lao people came.
Arrival of the ethnic Lao
When the Lao people established the city of Luang Prabang in 698 AD, the Lao people took over the fertile Mekong River basin and banished the Khmu to the mountains.
Migration to the mountains
The Lao made slaves of the Khmu people and they were called 'Kha' meaning slave in Lao language. In the late 19th century when Laos became a French colony, slavery of Khmu was eradicated.
Khmu in Yunnan
One legend said that the Khmu came from a northern area somewhere in China. This legend together with the history of their close ethnic relatives points to southern Yunnan as their original homeland. There are still some Khmu people living in the mountains of Xishuang Banna prefecture in Yunnan bordering Laos.
Some Khmu people in Yunnan live a very primitive life and build their houses on top of trees; therefore, the Chinese call them 'bird people'.
House on top of trees
Culture
The Khmu use animals or plant names as their clan surname. Each clan has its legend as to why they chose that particular animal and would not harm that animal. The boys would follow the surname of the father whereas the girls would follow the surname of the mother.
Khmu with his animal totem
The Khmu people celebrate their new year festival called Boun Krer. A unique culture is that they drink together from a jar of rice wine during their new year. The video below shows how they celebrate their new year.
Khmuic subgroups
The subgroups of the Khmuic people are as follows
Khmu: Cuang aka Uu, Khuen, Rok, Yuan, Lue,
Phay/Prai/Mal/Thin
Mlabri
Pramic: Phong, Iduh/Tai Hat, Kaniang
Ksingmul/Xinh Mun/Puok
Khmuic subgroups in Northern Laos
Closest ethnic relative
The Khmu's closest ethnic relative are the Palaungic people who live in western Yunnan and northern Myanmar. Their detailed origin was narrated on another article.
Palaungic people
Conclusion
The Khmu are the natives of northern Laos and south-eastern Yunnan before the ethnic Lao came from south-eastern China. They are a branch of the Austro-Asiatic people.
Interethnic systems and localized identities: The Khmu subgroups in Laos. By Olivier Eorard
Minority Groups in Thailand. By Joann L. Schrock. American University (Washington, D.C.). Cultural Information Analysis Center, American Institutes for Research.
Khmuic linguistic bibliography. Nathaniel Cheeseman. Payap University, Thailand.
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