The Palaung (also known as the Ta'ang) are an Austroasiatic ethnic group living primarily in the Shan State of Myanmar, as well as in the Yunnan province of China and northern Thailand.
The "Tea People": Tea is the center of their economic and spiritual life. According to their mythology, the first tea plant was a gift from heaven. They are experts in producing pickled tea (known as leppet in Myanmar), which is consumed as a salad.
Dress and Waist Rings: Women from different sub-tribes (such as the Pale, Shwe, and Rumai) are distinguished by their dress colors. Shwe (Golden Palaung) women are famous for wearing large silver or bamboo hoops around their waists, symbolizing status and protection.
Housing: Historically, they lived in long communal houses sheltering several families, though single-family wooden or bamboo houses on stilts are now more common.
Economy: In addition to tea, they grow rice, poppies (historically), and have recently diversified into crops like coffee and spices to adapt to modern markets.
Buddhism and Animism: They are devout followers of Theravada Buddhism, but their practice is closely tied to the worship of spirits (nats). Each village has a "spirit master" who performs rituals to ensure good harvests.
Language: They speak various languages from the Palaungic branch. Due to geographic fragmentation, many dialects are not mutually intelligible.
Photo Gallery: © Jordi Zaragozà Anglès / Myanmar (Burma) - 1999
Extended info about Palaung People