Colao ethnic group

Proper name: Colao.

Other names: Tu Du, Ho Ki and Voa De.

Local groups: Colao Xanh (or green Colao), Colao Trang (white Colao) and Colao Do (red Colao).
Population: 1,473 people.

History: The Colao came to Vietnam about 150-200 years ago.

Language: Colao language belongs to the Kadai group, which also includes La Ha, La Chi and Pupeo languages (part of the Tai-Kadai language family). In the past, local Colao sub-groups spoke different dialects. Nowadays, however, they no longer use their own mother tongues. Instead, they speak Cantonese, Pupeo and Hmong languages.
Production activities: The Colao people who live in high, rocky, mountainous areas practice slash-and-burn agriculture, cultivating swidden fields and growing maize in mountain rocky hollows. Corn is the main crop. They also grow beans, wheat, peas, kohlrabi, etc. The Colao use cattle manure, ashes and fertilizers for enhancing the soil. Ash is put into the rocky hollows after corn seeds are inserted. Some Colao who live in lowland areas cultivate terraced rice fields. Rice is their main crop and food. Traditional handicrafts include basketry (flat bamboo baskets, winnowing baskets and lattices) and woodwork (desks, cases, horse saddles, coffins and containers). Many villages have blacksmiths who produce their farm tools.
Diet: The Colao eat ground corn, called men men, or rice, and use wooden bowls and spoons.

Clothing: Colao women adopted Nung and Giay styles, but they usually wear longer dresses falling below the knees. Their blouses are decorated with bands of multi-colored cloth outside hem, on the front, and on the sleeves. Formerly, the White Colao and Green Colao wore an extra short-sleeved shirt outside to show the colorful patches on the inside blouses' sleeves.

Housing: Colao villages are generally comprised of between 15 and 20 families. The house is divided into three compartments and two lean-tos, with thatched roofs or roofs made of split bamboo. The Red Colao also make earthen houses, as do their neighbors, the Pupeo.

Transportation: The horse is a popular means of transportation among the Colao. They also use gui (back-baskets) with two shoulder straps to transport goods and produce. The Colao usually have to carry water to their homes. In low mountainous areas, people also make ducts or a system of gutters to bring water to their own homes.

Social organization: Each Colao sub-group has its own definite family lineages, such as Van, Ho, Senh and Chao (among White Colao), Min, Cao and Su Li (Red Colao) and Sang (Green Colao). If a family does not have a son, it is likely they will let their daughter marry a local boy and allow him to stay with them. The son-in-law is entitled to inherit the property of his wife's family. He must set up an altar for both his wife's parents and his own ancestors.

Education: The Chinese language is commonly used in religious ceremonies. Nowadays, Colao children learn Vietnamese and the national writing system.