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Thailand The Mon
Perhaps the first Theravada Buddhists in Southeast Asia, and
the founders in the seventh century of the kingdom of Haripunjaya
near present-day Chiang Mai, the Mon greatly influenced the
development of Thai culture. Mon architecture dotted the North,
where a number of temples were still inhabited by Mon monks in
the 1980s. The Mon, also known as Raman or Tailaing, migrated
from Burma during the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries. They
were welcomed by the Chakkri rulers, and their religious
discipline helped inspire the reforms made by King Mongkut (Rama
IV, reigned 1851-68). The Mon who settled chiefly in the North
and the central plain, e.g., at Nonthaburi, Ayutthaya, Lop Buri,
Uthai Thani, and Ratchaburi, generally were wet-rice farmers who
also had specialized skills such as pottery-making. They
maintained a social organization similar to that of the Thai and
other lowland cultures. Their villages were governed by Mon
headmen, who in turn were responsible to district and provincial
officers of Mon ancestry. Although their language was related to
Khmer, the Mon incorporated a large number of Thai words into
their vocabulary. Moreover, language differences became less
important as Mon children, educated in Thai schools, learned
Central Thai. In the 1980s, some Mon still used their own
language in certain contexts, but few did not know Thai. In
general, the Mon were more integrated into Thai society than any
other non-Thai group.
Data as of September 1987
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