Lables:
Colao ethnic group, Ethnic Groups, Kadai Group
Proper name:
Colao.
Other names:
Tu Du, Ho Ki and Voa De.
Local groups:
Colao Xanh (or green Colao), Colao Trang (white Colao) and Colao Do (red
Colao).
Population:
1,473 people.(1999 census).
History:
The Colao came to Vietnam about 150-200 years ago.
Language:
Colao language belongs to the Kadai group, which also includes La Ha, La Chi
and Pupeo languages (part of the Tai-Kadai language family). In the past, local
Colao sub-groups spoke different dialects. Nowadays, however, they no longer
use their own mother tongues. Instead, they speak Cantonese, Pupeo and Hmong
languages.
Production activities:
The Colao people who live in high, rocky, mountainous areas practice
slash-and-burn agriculture, cultivating swidden fields and growing maize in
mountain rocky hollows. Corn is the main crop. They also grow beans, wheat,
peas, kohlrabi, etc. The Colao use cattle manure, ashes and fertilizers for
enhancing the soil. Ash is put into the rocky hollows after corn seeds are
inserted. Some Colao who live in lowland areas cultivate terraced rice fields.
Rice is their main crop and food. Traditional handicrafts include basketry
(flat bamboo baskets, winnowing baskets and lattices) and woodwork (desks,
cases, horse saddles, coffins and containers). Many villages have blacksmiths
who produce their farm tools.
Diet:
The Colao eat ground corn, called men men, or rice, and use wooden bowls and
spoons.
Clothing:
Colao women adopted Nung and Giay styles, but they usually wear longer dresses
falling below the knees. Their blouses are decorated with bands of
multi-colored cloth outside hem, on the front, and on the sleeves. Formerly,
the White Colao and Green Colao wore an extra short-sleeved shirt outside to
show the colorful patches on the inside blouses' sleeves.
Housing:
Colao villages are generally comprised of between 15 and 20 families. The house
is divided into three compartments and two lean-tos, with thatched roofs or
roofs made of split bamboo. The Red Colao also make earthen houses, as do their
neighbors, the Pupeo.
Transportation:
The horse is a popular means of transportation among the Colao. They also use
gui (back-baskets) with two shoulder straps to transport goods and produce. The
Colao usually have to carry water to their homes. In low mountainous areas,
people also make ducts or a system of gutters to bring water to their own
homes.
Social organization:
Each Colao sub-group has its own definite family lineages, such as Van, Ho,
Senh and Chao (among White Colao), Min, Cao and Su Li (Red Colao) and Sang
(Green Colao). If a family does not have a son, it is likely they will let
their daughter marry a local boy and allow him to stay with them. The
son-in-law is entitled to inherit the property of his wife's family. He must
set up an altar for both his wife's parents and his own ancestors.
Education:
The Chinese language is commonly used in religious ceremonies. Nowadays, Colao
children learn Vietnamese and the national writing system.
Marriage:
Marriages are different among the Colao sub-groups. According to Green Colao
traditions, the bridegroom wears a long, green vest and a red band of cloth
draped over the shoulder. The bride must wear her hair with a chignon or bun on
the top of her head. When she reaches her husband's home, she stops at the gate
and steps on a bowl and spoon which were intentionally placed on the ground.
She stays at her husband's house the first night. Wife seizing customs also
occur in some Colao areas, similar to customs practiced by the H'mong.
Birth:
The Colao custom is to burn the placenta and put the ash in the rocky hollows.
A baby boy is usually named after three days and three nights, while girls are
usually named after waiting two nights and three days. In some places,
grandmothers give babies their names and present them with gifts when the
babies are one month old. This is particularly the case when a child receives a
name connoting respect for the ancestors or receives the name of Ghi Trenh, a
protective spirit of children.
Funerals:
Sometimes, two ceremonies are held in a Colao funeral-burial and the ceremony
for the repose of the soul-the latter may be celebrated among the Green Colao
at burial or several years later. Through prayers, it is hoped that the dead
person's spirit will return to Chan San, the homeland. According to Red Colao
traditions, rocks are placed in a circle around the tomb, each circle of stones
corresponding to 10 years of the deceased's age. If the stones completely encircle
the tomb, then additional stones will be placed on top as needed according to
the age of the deceased
Beliefs:
The Colao believe that each person has three souls; rice, corn and animals also
have souls. The souls or spirits of rice (mother-rice, father- rice, wife-rice
and husband- rice) are worshiped at the end of the harvest-time and on the
fifth day of the fifth lunar month. Ancestors of three to four generations are
worshiped at home. The spirit of the earth is venerated by each family and also
by the whole village.
Education:
A written form of the Coho language was invented in early 20th century; it is
primarily based on the Latin system. Although it has been revised over the
years and was taught in some of the local schools, Coho script is not
widespread nowadays.
Artistic activities:
Coho folklore is abundantly rich. The verses of lyrical poems evoke romantic
sentiments. The Coho also have many traditional dances, which are performed at
festivals and ceremonies. Their traditional musical instruments include the set
of six-pattern gongs, gourd oboes (kombuat), bam- boo flutes, deer-skin drums,
etc, which are used for ensemble or solo performances.
This
article written by Lanh Nguyen from Vietnam Heritage Travel
For
original article, please visit:
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