Lamet

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Lamet

The Lamet (Kha Lamet, Le-Met) are an ethnic group numbering about 5,800 in northwest Laos. Along with the Kmhmu, the Lamet claim to be the original inhabitants of the region. Lamet is a Mon-Khmer language related to Palaung and Wa. Most adult males also speak Tai Yuan. The Lamet are in close and regular contact with the Kmhmu, Lü, Yuan, and Lao; the Kmhmu are especially influential. Slash-and-burn agriculture is the main source of food; hunting, gathering and fishing are secondary. Rice is the staple crop. The Lamet engage in trade with the Lao and Thai to obtain tools, clothing, and pottery. Some Lamet also work for wages.

See also Kmhmu

Bibliography

Hickey, Gerald C. (1964). "Lamet." In Ethnic Groups of Mainland Southeast Asia, edited by Frank M. LeBar, Gerald C. Hickey, and John K. Musgrave, 117-119. New Haven: HRAF Press.


Izikowitz, Karl Gustav (1951). Lamet: Hill Peasants in French Indochina. Etnologiska Studier 17. Göteborg: Etnografiska Museet.

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