Kula people (Asia)
| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
| Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar and Laos | |
| Languages | |
| Shan language, Lao language and Tai languages | |
| Religion | |
| Theravada Buddhism, animism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Shan, Bamar people, Mon, Tai peoples and Jingpo people |
Kula (Thai: กุลา; Khmer: កូឡា; also spelt Gula and Kola) are Tai peoples who immigrated from Yunnan, China and the Mon and Shan States in Myanmar to Isan, Thailand during the last few decades of the 19th century. The Kula once lived mainly in Pailin Province as refugees during French Protectorate of Cambodia, where many worked as gem traders. The immigration of the Kula led to economic developments and commercialization in the region. The Kula, still a minority ethnic group, are among the wealthiest ethnic groups in modern Cambodia.
In Burmese, Kula (ကုလား, often transliterated Kala), typically used to refer to Indians, was historically used to describe both Indians and Europeans.Kula is also the Thai word for star-shaped kite.
The history of Toongsoo (တောင်သူ Taungthu in Burmese), another name for the Kula people, is unknown. Although Thai documents from the 1870s and '80s use the two words interchangeably, it is not clear if they refer to the same ethnic group. Wilson, for example, writes that Toongsoo (or Tongsú) was used in the 19th century as a designation for (a) The Karen tribe in general, (b) A Thai trader tribe closely related to Shans known for dealing in elephant and horses and (c) The Shan pronunciation of the Burmese word taungthu "hill man", referring to the Pa'O, an ethnic group within the Karen people.
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