Kenna Kozlowski

By kenna.kozlowski1
  • 2000 BCE

    ANTIQUITY

    ANTIQUITY
    During antiquity, Thailand had many *diverse ethnic groups, one main language family, and several religious beliefs. Thailand was inhabited by *indigenous Austro-Asiatic (originated south and southeastern China sometime between 2000- 2500 BC). The people would have spoken *Tai- Kadai language. One religious belief was *Shamanism (a few people that can talk to the spirits). Another religious belief was *Ancestor Worship (the belief that you can communicate with your ancestors that have passed.
  • 900 BCE

    ARABS TRADED

    ARABS TRADED
    *Arab traders introduced *Islam in the 9th century and it impacted its ethnicities and religions. Muslims from the *Coromandel coast (traders with South East Asia) served as eunuchs in the Thai palace. This culture of *Tolerance (belief of respect, acceptance and appreciation of the rich diversity and our world's cultures) in Thailand resulted in great diversity and helped the religion of *Islam grow in Thailand. Now 4% to 5% of Thailand practice *Islam.
  • 300 BCE

    KING ASOKA OF INDIA SPREAD

    KING ASOKA OF INDIA SPREAD
    Around the 3rd century BCE, *King Asoka of India spread *Buddhism to Thailand. Buddhists gained *Lexicon (the vocabulary of a language, person or branch of knowledge) and that made it easier to teach and spread their religion to Thailand. Buddhism had a lot of influence on Thailand such as the *Folk religion. Over time Buddhism became relevant to the lives of the Thai and even the emperor. Now *Buddhism plays a huge role in the Thai society where 90% of the population are Buddhists.
  • 1400

    LAOS AND THAILAND CONNECTIONS

    LAOS AND THAILAND CONNECTIONS
    Laos and Thailand had connections because of their *Ayutthaya kingdoms in the 15th century. This impacted the language there. Both Thai and Lao languages belong to the *Tai-Kadai language family. This all started when Laos was being colonized and the Chinese immigration to Thailand. Laos started their language by using a lot of words from French and Vietnamese, while Thailand used words from Southern Chinese. Now these two countries share and border and express culture similarities.

  • TODAY

    TODAY
    Today in Thailand, there is one ethnic group, one official language, and a couple of different religions. Thai people represent about 85% of the population and the rest come from a variety of other ethnic groups. The official language is *Thai, but some people speak *Laotian (*Isan) as well. Most of Thailand follows *Buddhism (most do not believe in God but they worship Buddha out of respect). In the south of Thailand, people practice *Islam.