Northern Thai people
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The Northern Thai people or Tai Yuan, self-designation khon mu(e)ang are a Tai ethnic group, native to nine provinces in Northern Thailand, principally in the area of the former kingdom of Lan Na. As a Tai group, they are closely related to Tai Lü and Tai Khün with regards to common culture, language and history as well as to Thailand's dominant Thai ethnic group. There are approximately 6 million Tai Yuan. Most of them live in Northern Thailand, with a small minority 29,442 living across the border in Bokeo Province of Laos. Their language is called Northern Thai, Lanna or Kham Mueang.
Wat Chiang Man, the first temple constructed in Chiang Mai (in 1297), a typical example of Lanna art
The Tai Tham or Lanna script, featured on a sign of the Chiang Mai University
Nāgas and Makaras in front of a Wihan of the Wat Chet Yot in Chiang Mai (established in the 15th century under King Tilokaraj). Mythological creatures used as decoration for stairs are typical of the classical Lan Na architecture.
Lan Na
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The Lan Na Kingdom or The Kingdom of Lanna, also known as Lannathai, and most commonly called Lanna or Lanna Kingdom, was an Indianized state centered in present-day Northern Thailand from the 13th to 18th centuries.
Central Chedi at Wat Doi Suthep, Chiang Mai