The Kaleun people (also called Laoeng) are an ethnic group of Thailand and Laos.
Other names
Prefixes
- Tai Kaleun
- Lao Kaleun
Variations
- Kaleung
- Kalung
- Kalerng
- Kelung
- Khalong
Ethnicity
The Kaleun are a Tai ethnic group. However, they may have been descended from Bru people who shifted to a Southwestern Tai language resembling Phuthai and Yoy, as the Vietnamese also refer to the Bru as Ka Leung. Chamberlain (2016) conjectures that the Kaleun may have originally been Vietic speakers.
Geographic distribution
- Mukdahan Province of Thailand
- Nakhon Phanom Province of Thailand
- Sakhon Nakhon Province of Thailand
- Borikhamxai Province of Laos
Religions
- Theravada Buddhism
Language
The Kaleun typically speak Northeastern Thai as their primary language.
References
