Keoi Lau Mì

Keoi Lau Mi in Cantonese or Jū Lóu Mì in the Han Chinese (Chinese: 拘蒌蜜国/拘蔞蜜国)^[1] is an ancient kingdom of the Kuy people mentioned in the Chinese text Tang Huiyao.^[2] Keoi Lau Mi was mostly inhabited by mountainous people and was rich in elephants, which were raised for use.^[1][2][3]

There are few historical records about this kingdom. Its customs were the same as Chi Tu and Duò Hé Luó (堕和罗; Dvaravati).^[4] Keoi Lau Mì sent tributes to the Chinese court once during the reign of Emperor Gaozong in August 656 CE to offering a five-colored parrot.^[1][4] In addition, it also had a good relationship with neighboring countries such as Pán Pán Zhì Wù, Pó Lì, Bù Shù, and Wen Dan.^[1]

Keoi Lau Mi was located to the west of Champa's Línyì with three months' travel by land, southeast of Pán Pán Zhì Wù (盘盘致物国) with one month's travel by water. It met Wen Dan to the northwest by six days' land travelling, ten days' sailing distance to the south reaching the country of Pó Lì (婆利国), and about five days' sailing to the east meeting the kingdom of Bù Shù (不述国).^[1][2][4][3]

Thai scholar Thongtham Nathchamnong (ทองแถม นาถจำนง) proposed that Keoi Lau Mì was the ancient kingdom of the Kuy people, who settled in the present-day Southern Isan region of Thailand and the northern parts of Cambodia since the prehistoric era. The term 拘, which is pronounced keoi1 or kêu¹ in Cantonese, potentially referred to the Kuy people. Moreover, its location and norms provided in the Chinese source conforms with the area with a significant Kuy population today.^[2]

However, its location remains ambiguous since the Chinese texts say Keoi Lau Mì can travel by water to other nearby polities. If Wen Dan or Land Chenla was located at Sambhupura as stated by Paul Pelliot,^[5] Keoi Lau Mì should be located around the lower Central Highlands in present-day Vietnam. But this contrasts with the fact that the customs of Keoi Lau Mì were roughly similar to Dvaravati.