Mon (ethnic group)
| မွန်, မောန်, မည် | |
|---|---|
| Total population | |
| (8,145,500) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 Burma
|
8 million |
 Thailand
|
114,500 |
| Languages | |
| Mon, Burmese | |
| Religion | |
| Theravada Buddhism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Khmer and other Austroasiatic speakers | |
The Mon (Mon: မောန် or မည်; Burmese: မွန်လူမျိုး, pronounced: [mʊ̀ɴ lù mjó]; Khmer: មន, Thai: , pronounced [mɔ̄ːn]) are an ethnic group from Burma (Myanmar) living mostly in Mon State, Bago Region, the Irrawaddy Delta and along the southern border of Thailand and Burma. One of the earliest peoples to reside in Southeast Asia, the Mon were responsible for the spread of Theravada Buddhism in Indochina. The Mon were a major source of influence on the culture of Burma. They speak the Mon language, an Austroasiatic language, and share a common origin with the Nyah Kur people of Thailand from the Mon mandala (polity) of Dvaravati.
The eastern Mon including the current royal family of Thailand who themselves are of Mon ancestry assimilated to Thai culture long ago, yet the royal women of the Chankri dynasty perform and keep their Mon heritage alive in the Thai court. The western Mon of Burma were largely absorbed by Bamar society but continue fighting to preserve their language and culture and to regain a greater degree of political autonomy. The Mon of Burma are divided into three sub-groups based on their ancestral region in Lower Burma: the Man Nya (မန်ည) from Pathein (the Irrawaddy Delta) in the west, the Man Duin (မန်ဒိုၚ်) in Bago in the central region, and the Man Da (မန်ဒ) at Mottama in the southeast.
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Wikipedia