Mal people

Mal
Total population
	27,893 (est.)
Regions with significant populations
	Laos, Thailand, United States
Languages
	Mal, Lao, Thai, others
Religion
	Theravada Buddhism

The Mal are an ethnic group native to Laos and Thailand. They are one of two sub-groups of the Lua people (the other one being the Phai).[1]

Name Variation

The Mal are also commonly referred to as Madl, Khatin, T'in, Htin, Thin, and Tin.[2]

Language

The Mal speak a language also called Mal, which is a Khmuic language.[2] The Khmuic languages are Austroasiatic.[2] There is some debate as to whether the Khmuic languages are of the Mon–Khmer branch, but the majority opinion is that they are not.

Geographic Distribution

Population in Laos: 23,193 in Xaignabouli Province[2]
Population in Thailand: 4,700
Population in United States: Unknown

Religion

The Mal largely practice traditional folk religion involving ancestor worship.

References

Joachim Schliesinger (2003). Ethnic Groups of Laos, Volume 1: Introduction and Overview. White Lotus. p. 171.
Ethnologue report for Laos

External links

http://projekt.ht.lu.se/rwaai RWAAI (Repository and Workspace for Austroasiatic Intangible Heritage)
http://hdl.handle.net/10050/00-0000-0000-0003-8A2D-F@view T'in in RWAAI Digital Archive

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[1] Joachim Schliesinger (2003). Ethnic Groups of Laos, Volume 1: Introduction and Overview. White Lotus. p. 171.

[Ethnologue_report_for_Laos-2] Ethnologue report for Laos