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GLOSSARY administrative village In China, unit of administration below township and above hamlet during the period of research. Akha Tibeto-Burman-language-speaking hill ethnic minority found in China, Burma, Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam. See also Lisu, Lahu. Akhapu Pseudonym for the Akha settlement and the research hamlet in Thailand. Akheu Administrative village head of Mengsong, 1992–98. Bulang Hill ethnic minority found in China and Burma. caw phaendin Overlord (in Thai and other Tai languages). Dai O‹cial minority nationality in China that includes Tai-speaking peoples in Xishuangbanna. Both the language and the minority nationality are romanized as Dai in China. See also minority nationality. galactic polity Scholarly conception of rule in premodern Southeast Asia, in which the king’s power radiates outward from the court, with rule involving hierarchical layers of patronage relationships in which the king is the patron controlling the most resources. hamlet Lowest unit of administered community, used here in place of “village” to distinguish it from “administrative village” in China and the Akha settlement (of three hamlets) in Thailand. Hani O‹cial minority nationality under which Akha are subsumed in China. See also minority nationality. hill tribe Used in Thailand for nine o‹cially designated upland ethnic minorities (chao khao in Thai); the term is considered pejorative. Hin Taek Town in Mae Faluang District of Thailand, where Akhapu is located. Purportedly established by Khun Sa, the “drug lord” from the Shan State of Burma, Hin Taek served as headquarters for Khun Sa’s domain in northern Thailand from 1976 to 1982. See Khun Sa. Hmong Hill ethnic minority in China, Burma, Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam, subsumed under the minority nationality called Miao in China. household Unit of social organization used by modernizing states to identify people who share a hearth; a “legible” unit that oversimplifies Akha clan and work relationships in both China and Thailand. Jinuo An o‹cial minority nationality found only in Xishuangbanna, China. Kengtung Tai (Shan) principality, one of the Shan States of Burma. kha Kha (falling tone) refers to slaves, bondsmen, or subjects; kha (low tone) was used in premodern times in Siam and Burma to refer to all hill peoples (Tai and Thai). In the literature in English the two terms are sometimes conflated. Khun Sa Most famous among the “drug lords” in the Shan State of Burma; ruler of an informal drug-producing domain in northern Thailand from 1976 to 1982. See also Hin Taek. Lahu Tibeto-Burman-language-speaking hill ethnic minority found in China, Burma, Laos, and Thailand. See also Akha, Lisu. Lanna States Small Tai principalities north of Siam, now part of northern Thailand. Lawjaw Customary Akha head of Akhapu from about 1965 onward; statedesignated village head (phuyai ban) of Akhapu settlement (including Akhapu hamlet) beginning in 1982. Lisu Tibeto-Burman-language-speaking hill ethnic minority found in China, Burma, and Thailand. See also Akha, Lahu. Lua Austroasiatic-language-speaking ethnic minority in Thailand, thought to be the original inhabitants of the north (also spelled Lawa). Mengsong Administrative village in China where Xianfeng hamlet is located. Mengsong currently includes eleven hamlets. See also administrative village, township, hamlet. minority nationality Socialist term used in China for ethnic minority groups thought to be products of past oppression (shaoshu minzu). mu Chinese unit of area; 15 mu equal 1 hectare. muang Political domain; also the people in a political domain (Thai). rai Thai unit of area; 6.25 rai equal 1 hectare. GLOSSARY 230 RFD Royal Forestry Department in Thailand. saw-bwa Shan prince (Burmese). Shan Term used for Tai-speaking people in Burma, most of whom live in the Shan State. Siam Kingdom for which the name was changed to Thailand in 1939, when a military coup ended the absolute monarchy. Sipsongpanna Tai principality in what is now southwestern Yunnan; earlier a tributary state of both China and Burma. Renamed Xishuangbanna when it was incorporated into China in 1950. See Xishuangbanna. Tai Language group, whose speakers include the Tai Lue of Xishuangbanna, the Shan of Burma, northern Thais in Thailand, and the Lao in Laos; also, Tai-speaking peoples. Thai Citizen of Thailand; national language of Thailand. township Administrative unit in China above the administrative village; commune headquarters during the collective period (1958–82). tusi Local non-Han chiefs appointed by Han rulers to keep order along the southwestern border of the Chinese empire. Udo Akha Subgroup of Akha in China, possibly related to Ulo Akha in Thailand. See Ulo Akha. Ulo Akha Subgroup...

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