The Kula people (Thai: กุลา; Khmer: កុឡា, Kŏla [kolaː]; also spelt Gula and Kola) are the descendants of migrants from Burma[1] who settled in the Pailin-Chanthaburi region along the Cambodia–Thailand border during the 19th century.

To which Burmese ethnic group the Kulas belong remains uncertain,[2] with some speculating a Bamar,[3] Shan[4] or multi-ethnic heritage.

[5] The term Kula appears to be referring to a variety of Burmese ethnicities forming a community in regions along the border between Cambodia and Thailand.

The Shan pronunciation of the Burmese word taungthu "hill man", refers to the Pa'O, an ethnic group within the Karen people.

[8] Étienne Lunet de Lajonquière, a French military officer, described Pailin and the nearby town of Bo-Ya-Ka in 1910 as primarily Bamar settlements.

The men stroll around smoking enormous cigars, while the women, tightly wrapped in their multicoloured silk sarongs, walk in lines, carrying large baskets of flowers to the pagoda altars."

The Kula were protected at that time by Britain, therefore Bangkok acted as mediator and returned the 2764 baht owed.

Kula merchants travelled in caravans, some of which consisted of 100 or more people who rode in ox carts and on horses and elephants.

Smaller caravans would consist of only 5 to 50 members and would be heavily armed with knives and swords but also sacred magic charms for protection.

There were five main routes through the plain: from Dong Paya Fai, Nakhon Ratchasima to Pak Phriao, Saraburi; from Dong Paya Klang, Nakhon Ratchasima to Sanam Chang, Lopburi; from Thanko pass in Nakhon Ratchasima into Kabin Buri District, Prachinburi through Panatnikom in Saraburi to Phanom Sarakham District, Chachoengsao; from Mottama, Mawlamyine, Myanmar to Phetchabun to the Rahaeng Subdistrict in Tak; and from the Jorn Pass in Surin to Sisophon, Cambodia.

As travelling merchants, the Kula played a major role in providing communities in Isan with essential goods, skills and information.

As the regional economy advanced and began to prosper, the Kula faced competition from Chinese and Indian merchants as well as individual Thai.

Paved roads and railways were built, linking Bangkok and Nakhon Ratchasima, making goods more easily available to remote regions also contributed to the decline of Kula trading.

Many Kula traditions and customs have disappeared over the generations through assimilation with local Thai and Lao communities.

The wealthier Kula in Bangkok and the Shan royalty also immigrated to Cambodia, due to economic reasons.

Because of the large Kula population being centred in a small area, the residents sought to set up their own state.

The local merchants organized an expedition first to survey the land and then to recruit Shan families from Laikha, Mok Mai and Meng Nai to settle the area.

In the 1960s, Pailin became a tourist destination, jolting the Kula people into the modern-day, forcing their culture to change.

Pailin became a Khmer Rouge stronghold for 30 years, while the Kula people were forced to become soldiers on the border of Lao.

Moreover, Kula merchants ate plain rice and would always carry kitchenware and utensils made from brass along with them on their travels.

Their restraint from these meat products was based upon the fact that the animal provided labour and was also the main part of their trade.