Phutai is a Tai ethnic group only found in NE-Thailand and in their original habitat of Mid-Laos P.D.R.
Phu-Tai (meaning 'human'-Tai or simply: Tai) is as an ethnonym also used (with a different pronunciation) by several different and distantly related Tai groups in N-Vietnam and S-China.
In this study we only deal with the ''Phutai of the Mekong''.