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37-607: A large area of the region was previously a part of the Sip Song Chau Tai , Tai-Meo Autonomous Region, which was dissolved in 1954. It was renamed the "Northwest Autonomous Region" (Khu Tự trị Tây Bắc) in 1961, in order to not highlight just two of the many ethnic groups in this zone. The autonomy was rescinded after the Fall of Saigon of 1975. (2023) 21°33′N 104°30′E  /  21.550°N 104.500°E  / 21.550; 104.500 This article about

74-451: A century the center of Srivijaya was shifted from Sumatra to Java. The overlord-tributary relationship was not necessarily exclusive. A state in border areas might pay tribute to two or three stronger powers. The tributary ruler could then play the stronger powers against one another to minimize interference by either one, while for the major powers the tributaries served as a buffer zone to prevent direct conflict between them. For example,

111-516: A location in Vietnam is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Sip Song Chau Tai The Sip Song Chau Tai ("Twelve Tai cantons"; Vietnamese : thập song (12) châu Thái ; Thai : สิบสองจุไท or สิบสองเจ้าไท ; Lao : ສິບສອງຈຸໄຕ or ສິບສອງເຈົ້າໄຕ ; Chinese : 泰族十二州 ; Tai Dam : ꪵꪠ꪿ꪙꪒꪲꪙꪼꪕ "Tai Federation" ) was a confederation of Tai Dam ("Black Tai"), Tai Dón ("White Tai") and Tai Daeng ("Red Tai") chiefdoms in

148-408: A long-term alliance, called Sip Song Chau Tai. Usually one of the lords was considered senior to the others, but each of them maintained the power over his chiefdom. The alliance has been formalized since at least the 17th century, but the chiefdoms never merged into one homogenous state. The number of mueangs belonging to the confederation altered during the course of time, but the number "twelve"

185-529: A special place in that the others often in turn paid tribute to China , although in practice the obligations imposed on the lesser kingdoms were minimal. The most notable tributary states were post-Angkor Cambodia , Lan Xang (succeeded by the Kingdom of Vientiane and Luang Prabang ) and Lanna . Cambodia in the 18th century was described by the Vietnamese emperor Gia Long as "an independent country that

222-525: Is land (similar to sino-Vietnamese 州 and not to be confused with similar sounding Thai chau , lord ) and Tai (ไต๋, Chinese 傣 ). Tai peoples have settled in the northwestern parts of what now is Vietnam since the early first millennium CE or, at the latest, the fifth to eighth century. They mainly settled along the Black River (Sông Đà) . One Black Tai chiefdom—located at the place today known as Điện Biên Phủ —was named Muang Thaeng , just like

259-534: Is slave of two" (Chandler p. 119). The system was eventually ended by the arrival of the Europeans in the mid-19th century. Culturally, they introduced Western geographical practices, which assumed that every area was subject to one sovereign. Practically, the colonisation of French Indochina , Dutch East Indies , British Malaya and Burma brought pressure from the colonisers for fixed boundaries to their possessions. The tributary states were then divided between

296-713: Is the post-Majapahit Islamic kingdoms in Java. Historian Martin Stuart-Fox uses the term "mandala" extensively to describe the history of the Lao kingdom of Lan Xang as a structure of loosely held together mueang that disintegrated after Lan Xang's conquest by Thailand starting in the 18th century. Thai historian Sunait Chutintaranond made an important contribution to study of the mandala in Southeast Asian history by demonstrating that "three assumptions responsible for

333-536: The French Union . It had its own flag, constitution and parliament. Đèo Văn Long was appointed president for life and Lai Châu was chosen as the capital. The Tai Federation was however not only populated by Tai peoples, but also other " hill tribes " (montagnards) , including Hmong , Yao , Yi (Lolo) and Khmu . They were labeled as "sub-minorities" and treated inferior to the Tais. Đèo Văn Long monopolized all

370-481: The feudal system of Europe, states were linked in suzerain – tributary relationships. The term draws a comparison with the mandala of the Hindu and Buddhist worldview ; the comparison emphasises the radiation of power from each power center, as well as the non-physical basis of the system. Other metaphors such as S. J. Tambiah 's original idea of a " galactic polity" describe political patterns similar to

407-498: The "Tai-Meo [i.e. Hmong] Autonomous Region" (Vietnamese: Khu Tự trị Thái-Mèo ), modeled on the national autonomies of communist China . It was renamed the "Northwest Autonomous Region" (Khu Tự trị Tây Bắc) in 1961, in order to not highlight just two of the many ethnic groups in this zone. The autonomy was rescinded after the Vietnamese reunification of 1975. Following Đèo Văn Long's death in 1975, his title and position among

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444-825: The French in the First Indochina War , against both the communist Viet Minh and the nationalist Việt Nam Quốc Dân Đảng (VNQDD), probably motivated by their distrust vis-à-vis the lowland Vietnamese and their wish to retain the autonomy they enjoyed under the French. In 1948, the French colonial administration declared the Tai Federation ( French : Fédération Thaï , native name: Phen Din Tai , Vietnamese : Khu tự trị Thái ; by that time consisting of 19 Tai states in then three Vietnamese provinces of Lai Châu, Sơn La and Phong Thổ) to be an independent component of

481-558: The French overlordship, while the colonial power promised to respect the positions of the Tai lords and their autonomy in internal affairs. At that time the 12 principalities, then 16 ones, were : Following Đèo Văn Trị's death, leadership of the White Tai passed to his third son Đèo Văn Long , passing over the second son. After the Japanese coup of 1945 , Đèo Văn Long fled Lai Chau with retreating French units. On his return, with

518-515: The assistance of a Eurasian agricultural official named Louis Bordier, Đèo Văn Long was reestablished, and the French agreed to honor the terms of Pavie's 1889 agreement with Long's father. Bordier married Long's daughter and as his son-in-law proceeded to direct military operations of the White Tai against the Black Tai at Son La who supported the Viet Minh. Several Tai companies fought alongside

555-441: The chiefdom ( mueang , Vietnamese mường ), each consisting of several villages and ruled by a feudal lord (chao) . Their base of life was wet rice cultivation , which is why the Tai settled in valleys alongside the course of rivers. A number (first 12 - then 16) of these mueang , situated in the modern-day provinces of Điện Biên , Lai Châu , Sơn La as well as western parts of Lào Cai and Yên Bái grouped together and formed

592-438: The colonies and Siam, which exercised much more centralised power but over a smaller area than thitherto. The advent of Islam in the archipelago saw the application of this system which is still continued in the formation of the government, such as the formation of the 18th century Negeri Sembilan coalition which focused on Seri Menanti as a center flanked by four inner luak serambi and four outer districts. Another example

629-474: The exile community of the "Pays Taï" passed to his daughter Deo Nang Toï , who has lived in Paris until her death in 2008. Mandala (Southeast Asian political model) Maṇḍala is a Sanskrit word meaning 'circle'. The mandala is a model for describing the patterns of diffuse political power distributed among Mueang or Kedatuan (principalities) in medieval Southeast Asian history , when local power

666-458: The legendary kingdom of Khun Borom , protagonist of a Tai creation myth and believed to be the progenitor of the Lao, Thai, Shan and other Tai peoples, who later spread to the territories of modern Laos, Thailand, Burma, northeast India and the south of China's Yunnan province. Like in other Tai societies, the core social units of the Tai Dam, Tai Dón and Tai Daeng were the village (ban) and

703-575: The mandala. The historian Victor Lieberman prefers the "solar polity" metaphor, referencing the gravitational pull the sun exerts over the planets. Historically, the main suzerain or overlord states were the Khmer Empire of Cambodia ; Srivijaya of South Sumatra ; the successive kingdoms of Mataram , Kediri , Singhasari and Majapahit of Java ; the Ayutthaya Kingdom of Thailand ; Champa and early Đại Việt . China occupies

740-424: The mountainous north-west of today's Vietnam , dating back at least to the 17th century. It became an autonomous part of the French protectorate of Tonkin , and thereby of French Indochina , in 1889. In 1948, during the period of the First Indochina War , it was transformed into the Tai Federation ( French : Fédération Thaï ) that was recognized as an autonomous component of the French Union . In 1950 it

777-455: The people of a particular area. The tributary owner in turn had power either over tributary states further down the scale, or directly over "his" people, wherever they lived. No ruler had authority over unpopulated areas. The personal relationship between overlord and subordinate rulers also defined the dynamic of relationship within a mandala. The relations between Dharmasetu of Srivijaya and Samaratungga of Sailendra , for instance, defined

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814-415: The prehistoric networks of small settlements and reveals itself in historical records was a patchwork of often overlapping mandalas. It is employed to denote traditional Southeast Asian political formations, such as federation of kingdoms or vassalized polity under a center of domination . It was adopted by 20th century European historians from ancient Indian political discourse as a means of avoiding

851-708: The state power in his person and family, as well as the opium trade (which was tolerated by the French). In 1950, the Tai Federation was made a crown domain of the French-installed Vietnamese emperor Bảo Đại , but not an integrated part of the State of Vietnam. Bảo Đại refrained from delegating a governor to Lai Châu, but rather left the power in the hands of Đèo Văn Long and the Tai lords. The emperor visited his domain only once, in 1952. Many of

888-486: The subjugated groups supported the Viet Minh on their advance to the Northwest starting in 1952. There were also rising tensions between the different Tai groups and their lords. Đèo Văn Long had simply dismissed the Black Tai lord of Muang Thaeng (Dien Bien Phu), Lò Văn Hặc, and replaced him by his own son. The disempowered chief and many members of his tribe joined forces with the Viet Minh to both seek retaliation against

925-486: The succession of this dynastic family. Dharmasetu was the Srivijayan Maharaja overlord, while the house of Sailendra in Java is suggested to be related and was subscribed to Srivijayan mandala domination. After Samaratungga married Princess Tara, the daughter of Dharmasetu, Samaratungga became his successor and the house of Sailendra was promoted to become the dynastic lineage of later Srivijayan kings, and for

962-491: The term " state " in the conventional sense. Not only did Southeast Asian polities , except Vietnam, not conform to Chinese and European views of a territorially defined state with fixed borders and a bureaucratic apparatus , but they diverged considerably in the opposite direction: the polity was defined by its centre rather than its boundaries, and it could be composed of numerous other tributary polities without undergoing administrative integration. In some ways similar to

999-436: The tributary, but in general interference with the tributary's domestic affairs was minimal: he would retain his own army and powers of taxation, for example. In the case of the more tenuous relationships, the "overlord" might regard it as one of tribute, while the "tributary" might consider the exchange of gifts to be purely commercial or as an expression of goodwill (Thongchai p. 87). The emphasis on personal relationships

1036-409: The tributary. However, the tributary also had to provide men and supplies when called on, most often in time of war. The main benefit to the tributary was protection from invasion by other powers, although as South East Asia historian Thongchai Winichakul notes, this was often "mafia-like protection" from the threats of the overlord himself. In some cases, the overlord also controlled the succession in

1073-479: The upland Tai had stronger ethnic and cultural ties to Laos, Sip Song Chau Tai was incorporated into the French protectorate of Tonkin —and therefore French Indochina —after 1888. This was arranged by the French explorer and colonial representative Auguste Pavie who signed a treaty with Đèo Văn Trị , the White Tai lord of Muang Lay ( Lai Châu ) on 7 April 1889. Thereby the Sip Song Chau Tai accepted

1110-622: The view that Ayudhya was a strong centralized state" did not hold and that "in Ayudhya the hegemony of provincial governors was never successfully eliminated." The obligations on each side of the relationship varied according to the strength of the relationship and the circumstances. In general, the tributary was obliged to pay bunga mas , a regular tribute of various valuable goods and slaves, and miniature trees of gold and silver ( bunga mas dan perak ). The overlord ruler reciprocated with presents often of greater value than those supplied by

1147-592: The whole of North Vietnam to the communist-led Democratic Republic (DRV) and dissolved the autonomous Tai Federation, marking the end of the centuries-old rule of the feudal lords. Thousands of Tais left their native land and emigrated to France, Australia and the United States (mainly settling in Iowa ). In order to avoid ethnic tensions, the DRV designated its northwestern provinces of Lai Châu, Sơn La and Nghĩa Lộ as

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1184-678: The Đèo family and to dislodge the dominance of the White Tai. Following the death of Đèo Văn Long's oldest son, his third son Deo Van Un took command of 4,000 White Tai partisans, but was killed at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu of March to May 1954. This was a decisive battle of the First Indochina War and sealed the defeat of the French. Đèo Văn Long was evacuated by helicopter to Hanoi, then departed to Laos and finally went into exile in France. The Geneva Agreements of July 1954 awarded

1221-433: Was kept in the name for symbolic reasons. In premodern Southeast Asia's complex political geography, Sip Song Chau Tai lay at the intersection of several larger mandalas (circles of influence): At different times, it had to pay tribute to China, Vietnam, Lan Xang / Luang Phrabang (in today's Laos) and/or Siam (Thailand). Nevertheless, the Tai chiefdoms always maintained their autonomy in internal affairs. Even though

1258-620: Was made a crown domain of Vietnamese emperor Bảo Đại without being integrated into the State of Vietnam . It was dissolved after the Geneva Agreements of 1954. The number Sip Song is Tai language for twelve, as with Thai "twelve" (12, ๑๒, สิบสอง, sip song, Thai pronunciation: [sìp sɔ̌ːŋ] ). A parallel etymology with the number twelve can also be found in the place name Sip Song Panna ( Xishuangbanna ) in China. Chau

1295-422: Was more important than the central leadership. The concept of the mandala balances modern tendencies to look for unified political power, e.g. the power of large kingdoms and nation states of later history – an inadvertent byproduct of 15th century advances in map-making technologies . In the words of O. W. Wolters who further explored the idea in 1982: The map of earlier Southeast Asia which evolved from

1332-409: Was one of the defining characteristics of the mandala system. The tributary ruler was subordinate to the overlord ruler, rather than to the overlord state in the abstract. This had many important implications. A strong ruler could attract new tributaries, and would have strong relationships over his existing tributaries. A weaker ruler would find it harder to attract and maintain these relationships. This

1369-435: Was put forward as one cause of the sudden rise of Sukhothai under Ramkhamhaeng , for example, and for its almost equally steep decline after his death (Wyatt, 45 and 48). The tributary ruler could repudiate the relationship and seek either a different overlord or complete independence. The system was non-territorial. The overlord was owed allegiance by the tributary ruler, or at most by the tributary's main town, but not by all

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