Mon Tribal Village

major tourist attraction in Kanchanaburi is the Mon tribal village. The Mon are an ethnic group originally from Mongolia, who live predominantly in central Myanmar, and along the southern border with Thailand. They are the earliest people to inhabit Southeast Asia, bringing civilization to central and northern Thailand and central Laos more than 1,200 years ago. Over time, they were pushed out of these countries, residing only in northern Thailand and southern Burma. The culture includes many special instruments such as the kyam, which is a xylophone in the shape of a crocodile and the saung. These instruments, and others, are played as background music for traditional dances. Currently, there are only 1 to 5 million people. Only about a third of them speak the Mon language and follow the traditions and culture of the Mon.