Kuy people
Kuy male musicians in Chom Penh | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| ~500,000 (est.) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Mainland Southeast Asia | |
| Thailand | 400,000 (2006) |
| Cambodia | 70,302 (2019) |
| Laos | 42,800 (2005) |
| Languages | |
| Kuy, Thai, Isan, Lao, and others | |
| Religion | |
| Animism (or Satsana Phi), Theravada Buddhism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Katuic peoples | |
The Kuy (Khmer: កួយ, Thai: กูย, ส่วย, Lao: ກຸຍ, ສ່ວຍ) are an indigenous ethnic group of mainland Southeast Asia. The native lands of the Kuy range from the southern Khorat Plateau in northeast Thailand east to the banks of the Mekong River in southern Laos and south to north central Cambodia. There are also Kuy groups in Vietnam. The Kuy are an ethnic minority in all four countries. Their language is classified as a Katuic language of the Mon-Khmer language family. The Kuy are thought by some scholars to be the original inhabitants of parts of Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand. The word kuy in the Kuy language means 'people' or 'human being'; alternate English spellings include Kui, Kuoy, and Kuay, while forms similar to suay or suei are derived from the Thai/Lao exonyms meaning 'those who pay tribute' (Thai: ส่วย). The Kuy Ajiang or elephant Kuy in Thailand are known as skilled mahouts, or elephant trainers, and many Kuy Ajiang villages are employed in finding, taming, and selling elephants.