Hor

History of Hor tribe in Oudomxay Province

Hor is one official tribe among the others in Laos, especially in the northern parts. Originally, Hor tribe is from China. They moved to Phongsaly Province in the 19^th century and then 2 families continued moving to Oudomxay Province in 1965 – 1970. They settled down in Ban Houaykhoum, Xay Disrtcit, Oudomxay Province. After 1975, Hor people started moving from other places to Oudomxay more and more. According to the Oudomxay statistic in 2011, the Hor population in the whole province was 2,629 people (1,263 female). Most of them were in Meuang Xay and Meuang Namor District. But the increasing number of Hor people is now getting higher and higher.

Hor people have their own speaking and writing language. The language is identified in the sort of China – Tibet language. Hor New Year Celebration is always held in January. During the New Year, pig and chicken are killed for sacrifice to the spirit of the family ancestor and spirit of the father and mother. Firework is also fired all around during the celebration time.

The location for a Hor house is chosen with great care, as it important that the location be acceptable to their ancestors in order to have a happy life. In the past, the Hor traditional house is attached the ground like the Hmong one. It’s divided into different rooms based on the number of the family members. They have bedrooms, Kitchen and storage, but no specific living and dining room.

To have a correct funeral is of great importance to Hor people, for as a result the soul will prosper in the afterworld. It is preferable to die in one’s own home or, at least in the home of a clansman. When death seems about to happen, close relatives gather around the dying person for mutual comfort, and for sharing the many duties that arise when death occurs. Most of the corpse will be buried in the garden or somewhere appropriate.

Each baby is said to be sent to the family by a god ‘Baby Goddess’. After giving a birth the father calls in a village elder to hold a welcome ceremony. Chickens are sacrificed as an offering of thanks to God, and to invite the soul to take up permanent residence within the child’s body and in the parental household. This serves to adopt the child into the world of human beings, and formally accept it into the parent’s relationship group. The baby is then given a name and introduced to the household sprits to give it protection. The birth takes place in the couple’s bedroom, and no one but the husband can be present to assist in her delivery. The woman sits on two stools on the sleeping platform with her body covered by a blanket, learning on her husband for support. The child drops onto the springy bamboo, which cushions its fall and also, they say, helps the child to start breathing.

The mother will lies near the fire of the main hearth for three - four days after giving birth and it’s depend on the health of the mother, then may return to her bedroom. For 30 days she should eat nothing but chicken, pork and rice, as it is believed that chicken and pork will help her recover her strength quickly, and other food might poison her. After a month she returns to the fields to work and may resume sleeping with her family.