| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 25,430 (2015 est.) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Laos | |
| Languages | |
| Alak | |
| Religion | |
| Animism |
The Alak or Hrlak are an Austroasiatic ethnic group of southern Laos, living mainly in Salavan Province. They speak the Alak language. a lot is known of their history, though as an Austroasiatic-speaking group, their origin is presumably in the Central Highlands of Vietnam.
Culture
Nowadays, most Alak live in scattered villages of between ten and sixty houses, traditionally built in a circular pattern around a communal house. Houses are normally built on stilts about a metre high. The main diet and trading staple is rice, farmed with the slash-and-burn method, although small game, fish, and various plants and mushrooms provide additional food.
Religious beliefs involve a range of supernatural beings, including spirits of mountains, forests and other natural features. Most villages have a shaman who helps cure the sick and predict the future for the village. The dead are typically buried in graveyards in the forest.
Notable members
See also
References
- Simons, Gary F. and Charles D. Fennig (eds.) 2017, Ethnologue (twentieth edition, online)
- Schliesinger, Joachim, Ethnic Groups of Laos, vol. 2, White Lotus 2003, ISBN 974-480-036-4
External links
- http://projekt.ht.lu.se/rwaai RWAAI (Repository and Workspace for Austroasiatic Intangible Heritage)
- http://hdl.handle.net/10050/00-0000-0000-0003-903B-B@view Alak in RWAAI Digital Archive
| Ethnic groups in Laos by language family | |
|---|---|
| Lao-Tai | |
| Vietic | |
| Khmeric | |
| Katuic | |
| Bahnaric | |
| Khmu-Palaungic | |
| Hmong–Mien | |
| Tibeto-Burman | |
| Austronesian | |
| Other | |
| General grouping |
|
 Laos portal | |