Lao Loum

{{Short description|Ethnic group}}

{{For|the small ethnic group of Thailand and Laos|Lao Lom}}

{{merge to|Lao people|date=April 2025}}

{{Ethnic group|

|group=Lao Loum

|image=LuangNamtha ThatLuangNamtha7 tango7174.jpg

|caption=Images of Lao Loum (centre) with the Lao Soung and the Lao Theung

|population=12 million (est.)

|popplace=Laos, Thailand

|rels=Theravada Buddhism and Satsana Phi

|langs=Lao, Thai, other Tai languages

|related=

}}

{{Contains special characters|Lao}}

The Lao Loum ({{langx|lo|ລາວລຸ່ມ}}; {{langx|th|ลาวลุ่ม}}, {{RTGS|Lao Lum}}, {{IPA|th|lāːw lûm|pron}}) is an official Lao People's Democratic Republic designation for lowland dwelling Tai peoples, including the majority Lao people.Martin Stuart-Fox: Historical Dictionary of Laos. 3. Auflage, Scarecrow Press, Lanham (MD)/Plymouth 2008, S. 177, Eintrag Lao Loum.Hayashi, Y. (2003). Practical Buddhism among the thai-lao: religion in the making of a region. Melbourne, Australia: Trans Pacific Press. The Lao Loum, literally meaning 'lowland Lao', are the inhabitants of the river valleys and lowlands along the Mekong River and make up over 68% of the population of Laos, of whom half are of the Lao ethnic group.Jan Ovesen: All Lao? Minorities in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic. In: Christopher R. Duncan: Civilizing the Margins. Southeast Asian Government Policies for the Development of Minorities. NUS Press, Singapur 2008, S. 216. Other members categorised as Lao Loum are the other large Tai groups, such as the Phuan and Phu Thai and other closely related members of Tai ethnic groups. Paul Sidwell. (2005). [https://www.academia.edu/1540083/The_Katuic_Languages_classification_reconstruction_and_comparative_lexicon The Katuic languages: classification, reconstruction and comparative lexicon] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201204214526/https://www.academia.edu/1540083/The_Katuic_Languages_classification_reconstruction_and_comparative_lexicon |date=2020-12-04 }}. LINCOM studies in Asian linguistics, 58. Muenchen: Lincom Europa. {{ISBN |3-89586-802-7}} Martin Stuart-Fox, S. liii. [https://country-studies.com/laos/ethnic-diversity.html Country Studies: Laos Ethnic Diversity] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240415024825/https://country-studies.com/laos/ethnic-diversity.html|date=April 15, 2024}} [http://www.minorityrights.org/4018/laos/lao-theung.html Lao Theung] Minority Rights Group. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110501040042/http://www.minorityrights.org/4018/laos/lao-theung.html|date=May 1, 2011}} [http://www.farang.de/Landinfo/Laos.html FARANG - Das Südostasien-Magazin aus Berlin] Laos {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030505150800/http://www.farang.de/Landinfo/Laos.html|date=May 5, 2003}}