ABSTRACT
Delimiting a discussion of “ ai music” to the peoples living within the borders of the Kingdom of ailand masks the true extent of the “Tai people,” a variety of linguistically related groups found in northern Vietnam, southwestern China, throughout Laos, and in northern Burma. While the majority of people living in present-day ailand are described as “Siamese ai,” to distinguish them from the “Laotian ai” living in the northeastern region, the ai population, and as a result ai culture, is made more complex by the fact that a great many other ethnic groups long ago blended together, including Chinese,
Khmer, and Mon. In addition, there are several non- ai ethnic groups living within ailand including Khmer in the lower northeast, small groups of Mon-Khmer in the upper northeast, Malay in the deep south, and a variety of upland minorities in the north.
