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How were water buffalo used in early Tai communities?
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Tai languages
Major divisions of the Tai languages and related languages.
In early Tai communities, water buffalo were essential to both agricultural and cultural life. These animals were primarily utilized as draft animals for plowing, a practice that supported the subsistence rice agriculture central to Tai-speaking settlements.1
Beyond their role as "living tractors" in the fields, water buffalo held significance in ritual practices, where they were used for ceremonial purposes. This dual utility highlights the deep integration of the animal into the economic and spiritual framework of early Tai society.21