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The people of Laos have a rich literary tradition which has evolved over thousands of years. Traditions, migrations, trade and warfare among neighboring peoples in China, Myanmar, Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia shaped the earliest storytelling among the Lao, and continue to influence their culture today. Laos is very ethnically diverse despite its low population density. There are over fifty recognized ethnic groups within Laos, with the Lao Loum comprising the majority group. The Lao trace their linguistic, cultural, and political history to the Kingdom of Lan Xang (1353-1707). The oral traditions and storytelling of its peoples which are uniquely Lao or follow the traditions of Southeast Asian peoples are much older. == Literature in Lao society == Traditionally literature is held high regard in Lao society. Lao thematic elements often combine the religious and secular with folklore, so the written word is generally kept in high regard and stored according to specific cultural taboos (i.e. never on the ground, and must be stored in a way that demonstrates respect). Traditionally texts were kept as palm leaf manuscripts (''bailan''), which were prepared from dried palm leaves which had been cut, incised, covered over with ink or charcoal and subsequently cleaned to reveal the written words. Royal documents or important religious texts may also be written on paper imported from trade with China or locally produced mulberry papers (''saa''). Theravada Buddhist religious texts were generally written in Pali, or transcribed into Lao using Tham script. Animist traditions were generally oral, if they were transcribed a variation of Khmer script was commonly used. Secular texts including histories, royal documents, and trade reports were written in Lao scripts or Tai vernacular which formed the common languages among the Lao. Lan Xang had a highly literate society because of the importance of religion and religious education in Lao society. A temple (''wat'') typically existed in every Lao village and certainly in every town (''muang''). The Lao sangha had a moral and religious authority on par with the monarchy. All Lao males were expected to spend several years in religious education as a novice or to continue on as a Buddhist monk. Monastic education was the typical route to gain literacy and also some degree of social mobility in traditional society. Royal and religious records were stored in ''Ho'' or specifically designed libraries on temple grounds. From 1707-1713 the Kingdom of Lan Xang had split into the kingdoms of Vientiane, Luang Prabang, and Champassak. By the end of the eighteenth century the Lao kingdoms, had become vassal states to Siam. The cultural impact of Siam was greatest in the Isan region of northeast Thailand, an area which was predominantly Lao in terms of history and ethnicity. By the end of the nineteenth century the French had forced Siam to cede the areas on the east bank of the Mekong River, and had roughly established the borders of modern Laos. Colonialism during these periods had a lasting impact on Lao society and literature. The traditional model of monastic education was slowly replaced by a secular one which was dominated by Siamese or French culture. The earlier forms of Lao literature were preserved only the in monasteries, and folk culture and tradition remained one of the few remaining links between the Lao and their ethnic heritage. The twentieth century was period of immense upheaval and conflict, but also a gradual renewal of Lao literature. Both French and Thai nationalist policies aggressively sought to assimilate the Lao during the 1920s-1940s. World War II and the Franco-Thai War had a profound impact on everyday life for the Lao, which gave way to independence movements and the emergence of communism. Politics split Lao society and Lao literature, while the Royal Lao Government struggled to establish itself from 1954-1975. Independence and secular education helped to create a nationalist identity for the Lao, and interest in traditional Lao history and culture slowly reemerged. Revolutionaries in Laos and Vietnam during the early 1950s began to spread communist ideology, which culminated in the Vietnam War era and the ousting of the Lao monarchy in 1975. During this period Laos became the most heavily bombed country in world history.〔 Politics continued to dominate literature in the 1980s, with the communist Pathet Lao struggling to assert their control over Laos. Today Laos has a reawakening interest in literature, as people struggle with national identity, rapid technological and social changes, development and a lagging economy, while maintaining a strong popular interest in the folk culture which has been part of their cultural heritage for millennia. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Literature of Laos」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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