Ta Oi ethnic group

Other names: Ta Oi, Pa Co, Ta Uot, Kan Tua and Pa Hy, etc.

Local groups: Ta Oi, Pa Co and Pa Hy.

Population: 26,044 people.

Language: Ta Oi language belongs to the Mon-Khmer language group (part of the Austroasiatic language family), and is close to Co Tu and Bru- Van Kieu languages. There are small differences in languages spoken by the sub-groups.

History: The Ta Oi are the most permanent inhabitants in the Truong Son Central Highlands region.

Economic activities: Cultivation of terraced paddy fields is the main source for food of the Ta Oi. Their agricultural techniques are similar to those practiced by the Cotu and Bru-Van Kieu. In many places, the growing of wet rice has been popular for quite some time now.

Hunting, fishing and gathering also bring the Ta Oi a substantial amount of food.
Cloth weaving remains only in a few places, but Ta Oi woven cloth is admired by neighboring groups (especially clothing decorated with colorful threads and white beads). Their household crafts include plaited and woven bamboo products which are sufficient to meet local needs. Iron, ceramic and bronze products are obtained by the Ta Oi from barter trade with the Viet and other peoples. Their trading relationship with neighboring Laos plays an important role. The Ta Oi use money nowadays, but bartering remains widespread.

Diet: Rice is the Ta Oi's main food, while corn, manioc, potatoes and yams are supplements consumed when there is a shortage of rice. Common foods are vegetables, bamboo shoots, mushrooms, snails, fish, birds and meat from other forest animals. The Ta Oi like to eat a special dish that is a mixture of meat cooked in congealed animal blood. Their popular drinks are water and alcohol, including a type of wine widely consumed that is distilled from the liquid of one of the trees of the coconut family. The Ta Oi smoke pipes they make themselves out of bamboo, goc le wood, ivory or earthenware.

Clothing: Women wear either a short, cylindrical skirt and vest or a longer version of the skirt which reaches above the chest (a style that is common among Ta Oi living near the border area of A Luoi). In some places, they wear a silk waistband. Men wear a loin cloth and vest and sometimes leave the upper torso naked. In addition to wearing clothing made from cloth they have woven themselves, the Ta Oi, especially men, also buy materials from Laos and wear clothing ,from the Viet. In the past in certain1 regions, people used to wear wear clothes made of tree bark. Ta Oi ornaments include wrist and ankle bracelets made from copper, silver, beads and agate. Women also wear copper wire spiraled into tubes covering the lower legs and arms. Customs of filing teeth, stretching ear-lobes, and skin tattooing are still observed by a small number of Ta Oi elders.

Lifestyle: The Ta Oi live in a region extending from Quang Tri Province (Huong Hoa district) to western Thua Thien Hue Province (A Luoi and Huong Tra districts). They live in concentration in villages; their stilt houses are long - they used to run hundreds of meters long, occupied by many couples and their children (each known as a hep). In each hep of the house, there are separate compartments for private families. Ties between relatives exist between the bep in the village. Ta Oi house roofs have two round ends curved toward the gables, with a carved finial called khau cut at the top.

Transportation: The Ta Oi mainly carry things by gui, or the back-basket. There are different kinds of gui, usually woven of bamboo or rattan. Men use a three-sectioned gui (the bat-wing type), like those used by the Cotu, which they use when they go hunting and gathering or make visits to other villages.

Social organization: The Ta Oi observe their traditional custom of respecting their elders, showing respect and obedience to the patriarchs of the village (gia lang), and showing affection towards children, regardless of gender. Each village is composed of people of different lineages, each lineage being presided over by a lineage head. Each lineage - also has its own particular taboo and name. Although Ta Oi society is differentiated between the rich and the poor and according to social status, the communal character of the community remains strong and deep. The village remains the basic and autonomous social unit.