Giáy people
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| (58,617 (2009)) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Vietnam : Cao Bằng, Lào Cai, Hà Giang | |
| Languages | |
| Giáy, Vietnamese, others | |
| Religion | |
| Animism |
The Giáy people (Vietnamese: người Giáy [ŋɯ̀ɤi zɑ́i]), occasionally called the Nhang, are an ethnic group in Vietnam. Most live in the mountainous northern provinces of Lào Cai, Hà Giang, Lai Châu, and Cao Bằng. In 2009 the population was 58,617.
The Giáy speak the Bouyei language, a member of the Tai language family. Literacy is low in their native language, however, most Giáy can also speak and write Vietnamese, which they learn in primary school.
The Giáy traditionally cultivate rice in paddy fields using simple technology. Water buffalo are raised as draft animals and are used to plow the land. Chickens and pigs are raised for food. Corn and cassava are also grown (sometimes on land too steep to use for rice cultivation) as feed for livestock.
Giáy make their clothing from cotton. Women usually wear a brightly colored five-panel blouse which buttons under the right arm and features a contrasting collar and cuffs. Women also wear colorful plaid headscarves. Men traditionally wear simple tunics and turbans. Both men and women wear loose indigo trousers. Western dress is now common among many Giáy, especially men.
Giáy society is patriarchal. Children carry the last name of their father. The eldest son in a family (or son-in-law if they have no sons) is responsible for caring for his parents; he continues to live in the family home even after he is married.
Traditionally, the Giáy treated farmland as communal property. Although today it is becoming more common for each family to own a separate plot of farmland, planting and harvesting are still done as a community. On the snake day of the first lunar month, the Giáy celebrate Roóng Poọc, a festival to mark the start of the rice season.
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Wikipedia