Na Hang Nature Reserve, Tat Ke Sector - Frontier-publications.co.uk

Na Hang Nature Reserve, Tat Ke Sector 1997
12.3 Results
12.3.1 The people and place
The results of the study are outlined in section 12.3-12.6 below.
The Tat Ke sector of Na Hang reserve comes mainly under the jurisdiction of the
Khau Tinh subdistrict which contains 15 villages of the ethnic minorities Tay, Dao
and Hmong. The subdistrict contains 286 families and a total population of 1735.
Population growth is estimated at 2.3% (Kiem Lam., unpublished data). Village
populations tend to belong to a single minority, although Tay and Dao sometimes mix.
The villages studied were;
12.3.1.1 TAT KE, a Tay minority village
The Tay village of Tat Ke is situated in the valley floor at an elevation of 500m asl.
The village now consists of 16 families (population 118) with each family averaging
7.3 members. Prior to 1962 the village consisted of 20 families who were employed
by two branches of the commercial forestry service. In 1966, one of these departments
closed and ten of the families moved to a site further north of the original village.
Both parts of the village became reliant on agriculture rather than forestry. Four
families left the area all together. Several families were relocated from the Dao village
of Na Tang in 1971.
The majority of the village houses are built on stilts and are constructed of timber and
bamboo. The ground beneath is used to store equipment and to house livestock. 87.5%
of the families have privately owned hydro-electric generators, the remainder relying
on kerosene lamps.
12.3.1.2 NA TANG; a Dao minority village
The Dao village of Na Tang is situated on a plateau at an elevation of 750m asl.
The village is long established although in 1971 the resident Tay minority were
relocated by the government to Tat Ke to concentrate the Dao. This was done to
preserve the Dao identity and traditions, and to make village management easier.
There are 18 families (population 118) with an average family size of 6.5 people.
The houses are constructed of timber and bamboo on mud floors. 66.7 % of the
families interviewed had hydro-electric power (H.E.P.) with the remainder using
kerosene.
Frontier-Vietnam Environment Research Report 9 45