Mpi people

Mpi
Total population
	1,287
Regions with significant populations
	Thailand
Languages
	Mpi, Thai
Religion
	Theravada Buddhism, animism

The Mpi people, officially called Kaw (Umpi) (Thai: ก่อ (อึมปี้)) are an ethnic group of Thailand. Their population is limited to the villages of Ban Dong in Phrae province and Sakoen in Nan and numbered at 1,287 according to surveys in 2017.^[1]

The groups were first documented by anthropologist Richard Davis in 1967. According to oral histories, they migrated from Sipsongpanna in southern China around the 18th century. They speak a distinctive language, Mpi—a Sino-Tibetan language^[2]—and practise animist religious beliefs alongside Buddhism.^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b ชนเผ่าพื้นเมือง ก่อ อึมปี้ [Kaw Umpi indigenous people] (PDF) (Report). Development of community knowledge-based database system for empowering the most marginalized and vulnerable indigenous groups in Thailand (in Thai). Indigenous Peoples' Foundation for Education and Environment, International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs.
^ พิพัฒน์ กระแจะจันทร์; มูลนิธิชนเผ่าพื้นเมืองเพื่อการศึกษาและสิ่งแวดล้อม. "ก่อ (อึมปี้)". Ethnic Groups in Thailand (in Thai). Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Anthropology Centre. Retrieved 23 February 2025.

External links

Kaw-Umpi – Development of community knowledge-based database system for empowering the most marginalized and vulnerable indigenous groups in Thailand

[IWGIA-1] ชนเผ่าพื้นเมือง ก่อ อึมปี้ [Kaw Umpi indigenous people] (PDF) (Report). Development of community knowledge-based database system for empowering the most marginalized and vulnerable indigenous groups in Thailand (in Thai). Indigenous Peoples' Foundation for Education and Environment, International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs.

[2] พิพัฒน์ กระแจะจันทร์; มูลนิธิชนเผ่าพื้นเมืองเพื่อการศึกษาและสิ่งแวดล้อม. "ก่อ (อึมปี้)". Ethnic Groups in Thailand (in Thai). Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Anthropology Centre. Retrieved 23 February 2025.

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