The Lawa or Lawi people are an ethnic group in Laos and northern Thailand where they have lived since before Thai people arrived. Today they mostly still live a traditional way of life, often professing animism. The Lawa are known for extraordinary craft skills. Their language is related to that of Blang in China and Va in China and Burma, and belongs to the Austro-Asiatic language group. Their population is estimated to be about 17,000.