ABSTRACT
T He. Laotian Character embodies a very strong sense of personal identity. Nowhere is this stronger than in the south, where the people of Champasak, more especially those from the Island of Khong, have a passionate sense of their heritage that separates them from all other Lao. They believe that to have been born a native of Champasak is to have been brought up in a society of the intellectual elite that have preserved the finest customs and artistic traditions of the Lao people. Champasak today may be small and its modern history is only a little more than two hundred years long, but its traditions go back far beyond any history of the region and encompass the great states of Funan, Chenla, and Champa. The definitive account of Champasak history is by Archaimbault, who edited the most important versions of the Annals.
