Lanten have a number of legends about their history and origins, which often differ in respect of various locations. One of which says that originally their ancestors lived in a place called Nam-Sing-Khui Ngan, which was located in the east of Asia, subsisted mainly on shifting cultivation, gardening, hunting and gathering. They had their own headman, honored as Bian Hong or Pang Wang. Like the other ethnic groups, Lanten also have their legend of ethnic origins, “the water flooded the world”. It is said that Lanten and Yao came into being at the same time. This legend is handed down from generation to generation till now. Long, long ago, when Lanten still lived in East Asia, there happened a serious drought, the earth was arid and spilt into large holes, some of them were large enough to hold a buffalo. The whole world was suffering from famine, people became so hungry that they killed each other and ate their peers’ flesh, even the poles of the granaries. Later, ...
