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The article focuses on religious practices of Theravada Buddhists in Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, China. It informs that Buddhism was brought into Dehong from Myanmar and local religious practices and Buddhist practices were similar in Southeast Asia. It also informs that Buddhist rituals in Dehong are performed with the help of Buddhist texts, Buddha images and pagodas.

Palm-leaf manuscripts are important objects in Southeast Asia. Their value often goes beyond the meanings of the written texts. They also have historical, religious, literary, symbolic and ritual importance. This paper investigates textual materiality as it applies to a story about palm-leaf manuscripts owned by the ethnic Heuny (Nha Heun) group in Paksong District, Champasak Province, southern Laos. This story links material texts to oral history, rituals and efforts by the Nha Heun to legitimize their culture. It demonstrates how palm-leaf manuscripts can serve to legitimize claims handed down through oral traditions and ritual practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The nature of upland-lowland relations has been a productive preoccupation for students of Southeast Asia. This paper looks at relations between the Ta'aang and Tay Maaw people of Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, in southwestern China, re-examining the upland-lowland interaction through the lens of Buddhist practice. The role of lay ritual specialists in maintaining daily religious life and the use of upland minority language in ritual practice are central to the analysis. Special attention is given to the Ta'aang, as the changes underway in their society present us with an opportunity to reassess some of the basic assumptions about upland-lowland relations, in both present and past contexts, from the lesser-known upland point of view. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which the author discusses several articles related to Southeast Asia within the issue on topics including the history of northern region of Southeast Asia, political culture of upland people, and the interaction of upland people with lowland people in the region.