HILL TRIBE

     

 

 

 

 

 

A hill tribe is any one of around twenty ethnic groups living in Northern Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar. Most of these groups also exist outside Thailand, but the term is most often used to refer to the Thai groups. The hill tribes together number approximately 550,000. Most of them migrated to Thailand from Tibet, China, Burma or Laos in the 19th and 20th centuries. The Thai government has opposed some of the hill tribes’ agricultural practices, specifically the growing of opium and the use of slash and burn agriculture. Its campaigns against both of these have met with some success. Similar programs in Laos have been moderately successful, and these programs are almost non-existent in Myanmar. Many hill tribe people now make all or part of their living from the tourist  industry, either by hosting trekkers or by selling handicrafts. The children in many of the tribes are often dressed in very colourful clothing, and wear valuable bangles and necklaces. Females from some tribes wear headresses, which are bedecked with silver coins and other silver ornaments.

LAHU

Most people in Thailand call this Hill Tribe "Museur", however the group refer to themselves as "Lahu" or "Lahu". This name came about because one day, an animal came out of the forest and attacked some livestock. The owner was able to shoot the animal but could not recognise it. He asked everyone that passed, but there was no-one that knew what it was until one man passed by and said that it was a tiger, La in Lahu language. After that, the man and the rest of his people were referred to as Lahu, hu being the sound of the tiger. In turn, Museur is Thai for the hunter, due to their skill in hunting. Lahu originated in Tibet, migrating to southern China to escape Chinese aggression. The migration continued to Burma, some groups continuing to Northern Thailand and Laos. There are four main groups of Lahu in Thailand, often named after the dominant colour in their traditional costimes. Red Lahu (Lahu Nyi) is the largest group in Thailand. Black Lahu (Lahu Na) is the second largest group. The third largest group is Cheleh Lahu (Lahu Cheleh) and is siimilar in culture to Black Lahu. Yellow Lahu (Lahu Shi) is the fourth main group. Other smaller Lahu groups include Lahu Balan and Lahu Bakio. Amongst the Hill Tribes in Chiang Rai, Lahu is the central language. This is because the Lahu language is easy to say and understand. Lahu also mix easily with other Hill Tribes, and most Hill Tribe villages have Lahu people living there. Lahu villages are usually located high in the mountains at an altitude of approximately 1,000 meters. In the past, Lahu people practised shifting cultivation, planting upland rice and corn as well as small amounts of a range of food plants and vegetables. Until Government restrictions were enforced, opium was an important cashcrop for the people. Profits from the sale of opium were used to be salt, iron and other products which they could not grow themselves. Villages comprise of 10 or more houses, generally built on the mid-slope. Houses are built from bamboo, wood and cogon grass. Each village has a traditional leader (Ka sere), village elders and a spiritual leader (Doo boo), a female spiritual leader (Mee boo maa) and spiritual doctor (Nee de baa). When the villagers have a problem this group is consulted for a fair solution. Lahu food is strong in flavour. Food tends to be very hot and spicy, and/or very salty and/or very sour. Meals are easy, they do not plan for taste, thinking rather of the benefits and having sufficient to eat. However there is never a meal without chillies.

The origins of Lahu

A long time ago when animals and humans were created, Lafvu people were born inside a gourd, with no way out. The Lafvu thought and wondered how they would get out. At this time the animals and humans spoke the same language, so the Lafvu tried shouting for the animals to help. One day a small bird flew past and heard the calls for help. The bird looked to the right and to the left but couldn't find where the noise came from. Suddenly the bird saw the gourd. It flew down and peered at the gourd and said "Oh this is where you are, what are you doing?". The Lafvu replied that they could not get out of the gourd and asked the bird to help them by pecking at the gourd. "If I help you, what will I get out of it?" was the birds reply. The Lafvu promised to plant rice, beans and sesame and let the bird eat from the crop first if they could get out. The bird agreed to help and started pecking a hole in the gourd. The bird kept trying to peck open the gourd, until its beak was short and the bird was tired and had to rest. While the bird was resting, a singing rat passed by. The rat was curious and asked "Lovely bird, what are you doing? Why do you have such a short beak?". The bird replied "oh with all your power, you have come at the right time, come, come and help me get the people out of this gourd. The people who are in the gourd said they would let us eat from their crops first, if we help them out of the gourd". The rat was happy and asked "really?", "really" replied the people " we wouldn't lie". The rat hurried and started grinding at the gourd with its long teeth. Finally the gourd opened at the Lafvu people could get out. The Lafvu did not forget their promise to the bird and rat and to this day, when Lafvu plant corn and rice, they allow the birds and rats to eat before them.

AKHA

Akha is one of the Hill Tribes in Thailand. Most people in Thailand call this Hill Tribe "Ikor", but the people themselves call it "Akha". This Hill Tribe originated in Mon Tong Guay Joaw and Mon Ton, Yunnan China. They migrated to Chiang Dung, Burma. Some groups moved further into Laos and Northern Thailand. The first Akha in Thailand migrated from Burma and established a village in 1903 close to Hin Taek near the Burmese border. By the end of World War II there were 2 500 Akha living in Thailand, increasing to 7 000 people in 1964. However, most Akha migrated to Thailand within the last 20 to 30 years, the Akha population in Thailand now reaching over 30 000 people. Initially, Akha settlements were located in the Mae Kok watershed, Chiang Rai Province, however settlements are now located in three other provinces as well. The Akha lifestyle is based on their agricultural system, which means they work very hard in the fields, spending more time there than with their families. The Akha women often work in the field, while carrying their youngest child on their backs. Akha have the most ceremonies of the Hill Tribes, almost every month, all based on the agricultural system. The costs and time of these extensive ceremonies is one reason for the changes of many Akha from Animism to Christianity. However, some villages retain their strong akha culture. Akha villages are generally large, with 30 or more households comprising of many clans. Akha villages are often located on the top of the mountain in an attempt to avoid the diseases and outbreaks associated with the moister close to the river . An Akha story tells that the Akha was the eldest in the family and followed their younger siblings into the new land. The Akha let the younger siblings, Lisu, Lafvu etc choose where they wanted to live, naturally selecting lower lands. The Akha, the eldest, gave up their choice for their siblings and ended up living on the top of the mountains. The most important leader in an Akha village is the Spiritual Leaders (Djew maa and Djew ya), as the life of Akha revolve around their family, other leaders in the village include, the Traditional Village Leader chosen by the village elders, and the female Spiritual Leader (Nee pah). The Akha house is made from bamboo, wood and the roof from cogon grass. The house is built on stilts and the living section is divided into two rooms - a women's room and a man's room.Akha legend tells that there was a powerful man called "Apermiyeh" - the word Aper translating to "ancestor" or "God". Akha people believe that Apermiyeh created the first human. The elders tell that Apermiyeh called all of the people to assemble in front of him. He gave each tribe a written language, ceremonies and identifying traits, all written down separately for each tribe. The Akha were given their language etc. on the back of a cow hide. Unfortunately, as the Akha were returning home from their meeting with Apermiyeh, they became hungary and ate the cow hide, leaving them with no written language, and only their memories to retain important ceremonies and wisdom. Akha believed that Apermiyeh has a great power over the life of the Akha. It is He who can inspire the rice in the field to produce a good yield, therefore the Akha are careful not to say or do anything which will upset him. Akha will not say that a new born baby is ugly, as Apermiyeh may think that this is ungrateful and take the babu back. Akha's commandment in Akha language hadn't the word for "religion" but the word "Akha's commandment" will be broad meaning because it covers the tradition, custom and all ceremonies in their life proceeding. This commandment determined the method of cultivation, hunting, identify and cure disease. The practical method with same Akha and outside people will be way of life if whoever made unbelief would have to remove out the village. This commandment would clearly acknowledge in the legend, Akha's proverb and tradition, which the practical method would be different in family or village but the significant practice wasn't changed each item would be as one of the loop of large chain involved with past and extended to the future forever.

MIEN (YAO)

The Mien minority tribe is also known as “Yao.” Considering their population in Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, and China, they become one of the largest ethnic groups in Asia. That is excepting the more than 20,000 Mien populations living in the United States. Despite their unique heritage, this people seems locked into their cultural world in the isolated jungle, where, usually, farming on slopes is their main livelihood. In the mountains of Northern Thailand, which are in the provinces of Chiangrai, Nan and Phayao, there are more than a hundred Mien villages. Many estimate that there are more or less 30,000 Mien people in the whole of Thailand. Mien cultures and beliefs are closely tied to Chinese, in which sacred Taoist-origin script-texts, handed down from their ancestors, are written in Chinese. Since there are also Mien in Laos and Vietnam, it is not hard to believe the many stories of their migration from China. Many of my Mien friends have blood-relatives in Laos. But since it dates back several centuries ago, tracing the most reliable stories and the significant years of their exodus from China to Laos, and from Laos to Thailand is impossible to tell. In fact, there are still many old Mien people in Chiangrai and Nan provinces that would tell the stories of their migration. Two possible theories may arise in the evolution of their semi-Taoist scripture. One, they probably carried it with them from China during their migration. Two, their old ancestors may recall what they had learned for a long time in China and then put it into writing. In the second case this sacred written scripture makes their beliefs and practices stronger than any other hill tribe in Asia. The Mien people believe strongly in the spirit world. Their “Ani-Taoist” (combination of Animism and Taoism) religion, worshipping their “zu zong mienv” or their ancestors’ spirits and combining this with the Taoist belief play an important role in the religious life of each Mien family. Since the Mien tribe has their own sacred written scripture adapted from Taoism (all written in Chinese), they have their guide in their rituals and ceremonies. On occasions such as merry-making and house blessing ceremonies, the “sai mienh” or the spirit’s priest will read the “sai nzung sou” or the book to perform the ceremony to bless the house and to invite the “mienv zoux ziouv” or the good spirit to stay in their house. They believe this will help to protect them from illnesses and “mienv morh” or tragedies done by the bad spirits. The owner of the house then will pay the “sai zinh” or the service pay to the ritual priest who officiated. The “mienv baaih” or the spirit’s altar is built in every house, which can be seen easily from the main door. It signifies that the “mienv” or the spirits, which are believed to pass through the main door, are welcome and do not have a hard time going into their altar. The “mienv kuv” or the list of names of their deceased ancestors is placed on the altar. But some well-off Mien families usually put pictures instead of the list of names. When someone dies, the “sai mienh” or the ritual priest will perform the “zoux caeqv” or a ceremony to separate the person’s body from sin, so that the person will have a peaceful rest. Then using the water to do the ceremonial washing, he will perform the “zoux sin” or the taking away of the evil spirit from the person’s dead body. Then he will initiate the “doh dangh caeqv jaiv” or a ceremony to take away the evil spirit from the soul of the dead person. Then the “zoux sin-seix” will be performed by the priest to really make sure that the dead person will have a happy life in the spirit world and in the new generation to come, since they believe in the “hoz seix” or reincarnation. If Western countries have their fortune tellers with their palm reading, horoscope and etc. the Mien also has their “mangc maengc fin saeng” or the fortune teller. He will use the “mangc maengc sou” or the astrological book that can tell the luck of the individual. This book is written in Chinese and contains the date, month and year. However, what is common to the Mien is the “tong sou” or the unique astrological calendar which contains the date, month and year to determine whether lovers are compatible. This has been use by parents to tell whether their children are compatible with whomever they have a relationship. Mien marriages largely depend on it. Unlike other conservative hill tribe, with the Mien girl’s family consents, the girl can invite her boyfriend to stay with her overnight. In fact, having a child before getting marriage is not a big deal in their culture. In the many Mien wedding ceremonies I attended, it would take many days and much money is involved in the process. The many days’ reception is part of it, aside from the agreed amount of dowry which the groom’s side must give to the bride’s parents. Like other tribes, Mien women are bound to household duties such as cooking, washing and cleaning which their men have very little contribution to. In fact, a Mien wife has many and heavy duties compared to her husband. Though they work equally on the farm, the wife will be left alone to do all the cooking and household chores aside from carrying the heavy basket on her back. This basket is usually full of firewood, vegetables and farming tools which she carries back and forth. The Mien men “lui liez” or traditional suit is a simple outfit and is usually dark blue or black. Both jacket and pants are a little bit loose projecting their Chinese origin. Nowadays, the “mouc fang” or the Mien traditional hat for boys, which has colorful stripes on it, is commonly worn by their children. Mien women have their elaborate, distinguishable dress and a little bit loose outfit. In fact, part of their “lui houx” or traditional garment has designated names on it, which is almost impossible for me to memorize. However the obvious part of their outfit is the red part in front that covers the edge and goes through around the neck. Their unique traditional dress, especially the lower which has a heavy sewing-design would take them at least a year to finish. This becomes the refreshing hobby to most Mien women. Their women are also wearing the “muoc zou” or their traditional black turban, on which tiny colorful and unique designs can be seen. The Mien people wear their traditional outfit when attending special occasions such as weddings, Chinese New Year and birthdays. Only few of them can be seen wearing their traditional outfits on ordinary days. The “mienh waac” or the Mien dialect is highly tonal and is closely related to Mandarin Chinese. The Mien dialect has 5 tones, namely, the middle tones, low tones, rising tones, falling tones, and rising-falling tones. Their old people are usually fluent in Chinese and are able to write it legibly. Literacy in Chinese seems to be the qualification of their “sai mienh” or their spirit’s priest since he must be able to know how to chant the semi-Taoist sacred scripts which are all written in Chinese. Nowadays, in Thailand, it would seem a challenge for the “sai mienh” to find his successor since the new generation Mien has a very slim chance to learn Chinese. In fact, adult Mien these days do not even show much appreciation of their own Mien dialect! Though old Mien people are weak in the Thai language, Mien teenagers have started to adopt Thai not only because of the influence of the Thai educational system but because of tribal discrimination in lowland-Thai society, hoping to find equal job opportunities like the Thais. In fact, some change their names to Thai to make themselves more saleable. In Nan and Chiangrai province, the Mien dialect is written in Thai script. But Mien in the West have started to use the newly developed Romanized script to help them learn and appreciate their language better. The Mien people are usually “zuangx lingh mienh” or farmers. They plant corn and (usually dry) rice on the slopes. A little vegetable garden can be seen in their big fields to supply their daily needs. During the planting season, after preparing the land, the owner will request the ritual expert to perform a ritual in the field to pay the “doh deic mienv” or the landlord spirit and the “ndeic mienv” or the spirit which will take care of the field and plants. This is believed to help yield a good harvest. This includes the offering of food to the spirits and the lighting of Chinese candle-like incense sticks, whose smoke is believed to communicate with the spirit world. This is also done in almost every Mien ceremony. Their income is usually obtained through their large amount of corn and rice products which they sell in town. Pig and chicken raising is common in Mien villages and can be seen in almost every family. This helps them avoid buying meat for their own consumption and to have it ready anytime that rituals and ceremonies performed. In their ceremonies the killing of pig or chicken as sacrificial offering is part of their ritual services. Basically, Mien staple food consists of “mbiauh” or rice, which they produce themselves. They love to eat spicy and hot food. Their appetizer is the “lai sui” or the pickled vegetable, which they keep for several days to make it sour. In Nan and Chiangrai, their women gather edible plants, wild fruits, root crops and mushrooms in the jungle and swamps. Wild meat of birds, wild cats, snakes, rats and frog becomes part of their diet, which are usually hunted by their men. Chopsticks that are usually made of bamboo are commonly used by them aside from spoons and forks. When eating they are use small bowls instead of big round plate. It becomes easy for them to push the bowl close to their mouth using their hand. This also tells of their Chinese origin.

HMONG (MEO)

The Hmong are divided in two sub-groups, White and Blue, and to be found in mountainous regions of China. Vietnam, Laos and Thailand. In Thailand there are probably about 60000 Hmong people settled in villages throughout a wide area of the north, with perhaps another 50000 refugees from Laos living in camps located near the northeastern border of the country. These ethnic group originates in western China. The Hmong live in houses that sit right on the ground, not on stilts as do some other hilltribes. However, the main floor of their houses is not at ground level, but rests upon a kind of above-ground basement or root cellar that they use for food storage. For a long time the Hmong have supported themselves by the cultivation of opium poppy. Most of the Hmong people are turning from opium growing, and are now seeking to market their exquisite needlework in order to supplement their income. Hmong women traditionally make clothing for their families from cotton or hemp. Their clothing is richly decorated with magnificent embroidery and silver jewelry. Blue Hmong women wear beautiful pleated skirts with bands of red, blue and white intricately embroidered. Jackets are of black satin, with widee orange and yellow embroidered cuffs and lapels. White Hmong women wear black baggy trousers with a long wide blue cummerbund. Their jackets are simple, with blue cuffs. Hmong men make crossbows, musical instruments, and other items of wood, bamboo and rattan. Many of the men are als skilled in blacksmithing and gunsmithing. The Hmong are strict animists, whose shamans use dramatic methods to contact the spirits. So far there have been few converts to christianity or buddhism. The Hmong are diligent and independent people, fond of wearing their silver ornaments during ceremonies and much devoted to the sky spirit they believe has created their own ancient way of life.

KAREN

By far the largest hill tribe of all the hill tribes in Thailand are the Karen, called Kariang or Yang in Thai language. The Karen hill tribe began migrating into the Golden Triangle in Thailand around the 18th century and number anywhere from 285,000 a 300,000, accounting for more than half of all the Thai hill tribe people. The Karen hilltribe villages are mainly concentrated in the mountains of Mae Hong Son province and the western areas of Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and Phayao in Thailand's Golden Triangle along the Burmese border. The Karen people like to settle in the foothills, living in bamboo houses raised on stilts, beneath which they keep their live domestic animals: pigs, chickens, and buffaloes. Like other hilltribes in Thailand, the Karen are skilled farmers who practice crop rotation, using elephants to clear the land. The people from the Karen hill tribes in Thailand are famous to be the best elephant trainers or mahouts in Thailand and even in the whole of South East Asia. There are four sub groups of Karen hill tribes in Thailand of which the "Sgaw Karen" and the "Dam Karen" (black) are the most numerous ones. Although the language of all the different Karen hill tribes is of the same Sino-Tibetan family, Sgaw and Pwo are not mutually intelligible. Originally practicing ancestor worship and animist, over 30% of the Karen hill tribe people in Thailand have now been converted to Christianity by visiting western missionaries. The Karen practice monogamy and look down on pre-marital sex with strict social community laws against immorality. Two married women cannot live in the same house. In the past, in some villages, punishment for adultery was death. The village chief of the Karen hill tribes has great power over his local community, and is regarded as the spiritual as well as the administrative leaderThe Karen costume for women is very attractive and distinctive. Unmarried girls wear loose white V-necked blouses, decorated with tear-shaped beans at the seams. Married Karen women wear blouses and skirts in hard colors, predominantly red or blue, Men wear blue baggy trousers with red or blue shirts, a simplified version of the women's blouses. Black Karen men wear black shirts with a red cummerbund or head scarf. Karen do not grow or use opium but have further developed the terraced rice paddy field system and small seal irrigation systems which they used for centuries. The Karen hilltribe people are a gentle, peaceful, and cooperative people, who, like all the Hill tribes in Thailand, reserve the highest veneration for their ancestors and living elders. The Karen do not recognize political borders and pose somewhat of a problem for border patrols in Thailand, they regularly cross for family or economic reasons and have many times been caught in the middle of wars, being forced to serve both sides of conflicts.

PADAUNG (KO YAO)

Although they are a small minority hill tribe in the Golden Triangle of Thailand, no description of Thai hill tribes would be complete without mentioning the Padaung or Paduang hill tribe, better known to the world as the tribe of the long neck women. Most people have heard of the Padaung hill tribe from television documentaries, magazines and travel books as the giraffe women hill tribe of Thailand. The Paduang hilltribe, where the women wear huge brass rings around the neck are not a individual tribe but a sub-group of the Karen hill tribes. The famous Paduang or giraffe women hill tribe is located near Ban Nam Phiang Din, in the Mae Hong Son province of Northern Thailand, just at the border of Myanmar (Burma), in a small secluded valley right outside the provincial City "Mae Hong Son" of the Mae Hong Son province. Of the 7000 members of the Palong hill tribe in Burma, about 300 fled to Thailand, about twenty years ago, to escape the Burmese repression. With the help of the Thai government, they set up the Paduang (Palong) refugee-village in a small valley of Mae Hong Son province. Today, the Paduang hill tribe in the Golden Triangle of Thailand counts about 485 members . Nowadays, the small refugee village of the long necked Paduang hill tribe, is completely geared towards visitors and tourists and is seemingly on every tour agency’s day-trip list. The Long-necked Paduang have become the most popular tourist attraction of all the hill tribes in Thailand. The women of the Padaung hill tribe wear heavy brass ornaments around their neck and limbs. These ornaments look like separate rings but are really a continuous coil of brass that can weigh anywhere from five to twenty-two kilograms and measure up to 30 meter in length. The quantity of visual rings (in reality, the length of the brass coil) is increased every year, according to the age of the woman. Young Paduang girls start wearing rings from the age of six, adding one or two more coil-turns (or visual rings) yearly, until the age of about 16. Once fastened, the rings are for life, to remove the full coil of brass would cause the collapse or even fracture of the woman's neck.In the past, removal of the brass rings was a punishment for adultery. The punishment was, that since the neck muscles had severely weakened, by years of not supporting the neck, the woman must spend the rest of her life, holding her head with both hands or lying down. It is a myth, that the brass rings have elongate the neck of the wearer. Any orthopedic surgeon will tell you that: lengthening the neck would lead to paralysis or even death. The reality is, that the appearance of a longer neck is a visual illusion. The weight of the brass rings has over the years pushed down and deformed the collar bone plus the upper ribs, to such an effect that the collar bone appears to be part of the neck. Despite the obvious discomfort and the daily task of cleaning the brass ring coil, plus other handicaps, like having to use a straw to drink, the Paduang hill tribes women say that they are used to their custom and are happy in continuing the tribe's tradition. The women are able to carry out a somewhat ordinary life: they can marry and have children, and they are able to weave, sew and do light work. Although these days, they spend most of their time, making money, by posing as circus freaks for the tourists visiting the hill tribes in Northern Thailand. These days, less than half of the young Padaung hill tribe women start lengthening their necks. The custom will probably slowly die out in Thailand, but the influence of tourism and the income from tourists, may well keep the tradition alive for some generations to come. In Myanmar (Burma), starting to wear the brass rings, for young girls, has been outlawed as barbaric and the tradition has nearly died out along the Burmese Palong hill tribes. The origin of the ring-wearing ritual in the Padaung hill tribes remain unclear. Palong hill tribe mythology says that the mother of all Palong's was half woman, half dragon, with a long, beautiful neck, and that their unique custom is a tribute to their mother-dragon. Other Paduang legends say that it is done to prevent tigers from biting their neck when roving in the jungle. It is also claimed that it was used to make the women look unattractive so that other tribes would not capture them and sell as slaves. The most common and also most acceptable explanation, is just the opposite: An extra long neck for a woman was considered a sign of great beauty and the brass a sign of good wealth, this in turn would attract more men, so to have a bigger choice to select a husband. But whatever the origin of the custom, one of the more common reasons that this tradition continues today under the hill tribes of the Golden Triangle in Thailand, is the tourism industry and the revenue generated from the visiting tourists.

PALONG

There are but a few Palong villages in Thailand, all of them in the northern part of Chiang Mai province along the border to Myanmar (Burma). In general, the Palongs can be found in Burma's eastern Shan state. At present the population is about 60000. They belong to the Mon-Khmer branch of the Austro-Asiatic linguistic family. Their main livelihood is the cultivation of tanatep, a large leaf to wrap burmese cigars. Both men and women decorate their teeth with gold. The Palongs are easili recognized by the striking custom of their women, red sarong like garments, mostly a blue jacket with red collar and broad silver waistbands. Formerly animist, most Palongs have converted to Buddhism.

MLABRI

This tribe is known by the Thais as "Phi Tong Luang", which means "spirits of the yellow leaves". There are only a few Mlabri still living in Thailand, just about 100 people. They can be found in the provinces of Nan and Phrae. The Mlabri originate from Laos. These people are fragmented into extremely small, highly nomadic, family bands. They used to rely almost exclusively on huntiing and gathering. By custom it is not allowed to own rice fields but they can work as labourers in the fields such as the Thais. Mlabri practise patrilineal descent. The basic unit of their social organization is the band, consisting of three to a dozen members. They used to move their campsitees every week depending on the availability of their natural food supply.

HTIN

Htins ethnic group have lived in Thailand for a long time, according to avilable reports. There are about 28000 Thins living in northern Thailand. Most of their villages can be found in Nan province. The houses are built on piles with bamboo floors and walls. The Htins practise swidden agriculture. They grow glutinous rice, the staple rice of the northern Thai people. Htins are animists. Some of them have become Buddhists, specialy in villages near the Thai lowland. This tribe people are monogamous. After marriage, residence is initially matrilocal, in the house of the wife's parents. After the birth of several children, the couple normally move to a new dwelling.

KHAMU

The Khamu are one of the small tribal groups, living along the Thai-Laotian border of Nan province. At the present there are about 7000 people of this tribe living in northern Thailand. They originate from Laos, mainly of Luang Prabang and Xieng Khoung districts. They first migrated as labour and worked either in the teak forests or similarly isolated employment. They are living now in small villages located on mountain slopes and survive on subsistence agriculture supplemented by hunting, fishing and trading. The Khamu practise an animistic religion. In their native homeland Khamu shamans are considered to be excellent magico-religious practitioners and often participate in Laotian ceremonies. This tribe trace descent in patrilineal manner and traditionally adhere to the custom of patrilocal residence.

LAWA

The Lawa are not realy rated as hill tribes. It seems that they have inhabited Thailand since at least the eight century and they were certainly here already when the Thais arrived. They believe that they migrated from Cambodia, but some archaeologists think their origins lie in Micronesia, perhaps more than 2000 years ago. With such a long cohabitation with the Thais, most Lawa villages are indistinguishable from Thai settlements and most Lawa speak thai as their first language. However, on the Bo Luang plateau between Hot and Mae Sariang and the southern part of Mae Hong Sorn province about 14000 Lawa still live their traditional life. Their economy is based on subsistence agriculture, with rice grown on terraces according to a sophisticated rotation system. Unmarried Lawa girls wear loose white blouses edged with pink. Around the neck distinctive strings of orange and yellow beads are worn. After marriage these brightly coloured clothes are replaced with a long fawn dress, but the beads are still worn. The Lawa are animist, but many of them have adopted buddhism.

LISU

Villages of this colourful ethnic group are to be found in the mountains of China, Myanmar (Burma) and northern Thailand. There are approximately 21000 Lisus living in Thailands northern provinces of Chaing Mai, Mae Hong Sorn and Chiang Rai. They originate in eastern Tibet. Their house are built on the ground, with dirt floors and bamboo walls around a central ridge. For many generations the main means of livelyhood for many of the Lisu people has been the cultivation of the opium poppy. Some of these people have given up poppy growing, and are now seeking to supplement their income through the sale of skillfully produced crafts. The Lisu make their clothing from gaily-coloured cloth stitched into outfits trimmed with row upon row of vari-coloured strips of cloth. The women wear brightly coloured costumes, consisting of aa blue or green parti- coloured knee length tunic with a wide black belt and blue or green pants. Sleeves shoulders and cuffs are heavily embroidered with narrow, horizontal bands of blue, red and yellow. The more affluent wear massive amounts of hand-crafted silver ornaments for festive occasions. Lisu men produce crossbows, musical instruments, bird and animal trapss, and other items made of wood, bamboo and rattan. A few Lisu people have been converted to christianity by western missionaries. The Lisu believe strongly in the spirit world, and their shamans are used to divine the causes and cures of all problems and sickness. These hilltribe people are perhaps the best looking of all the tribes, and they like to think of themselves a little bit above their other hilltribe neighbors. They are among the least bashful of these ethnic groups and in general adjusting well to the changes taking place in their society.

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