Hilltribe in ChiangMai Thailand

Hill Tribes in The north

Over 100 years ago, the mountain were once the preserve of aboriginals and were avoided by the lowland farmers.With the arrival of logging interest and the so-called Hill Tribes people penetrated into the high hills in a process that has resulted in dirt roads now reaching most of the remote places in the Kingdom. The six major tribes in Thailand are the Karen (Kariang, Yang), the Hmong (Meo), the Yao (Mien), the Akha (Ekaw), the Lisu (Lisaw), and the Lahu (Mussur).

All of them tend to migrate whenever they feel that the soil at their present location is becoming depleted. Each tribe is district, with its own culture, religion, language, art, and dress. The national Committee of Hill tribes was formed in 1959 to integrate the Hill Tribes people into Thai society.

Karen (Kariang, Yang)

The Karen began to move into Thailand around th 17th century and are found in large numbers in the western part of North Thailand. The Karen live in villages of around 25 raised houses,with villages tending to cluster in areas usually below 800m in elevation.Each household consists of the parents and unmarried children.Married daughters and their families may also live in the same house.

The highest authority is the village priest who runs the village along with the elders.

The Karen have rituals to live harmoniously with the Lord of the Land and Water ,as well as with nature spirits in the rocks,trees,water and mountains that surround them.They also have guardian spirits and believe in the soul.

The Karen also the only group to have built terraces to grow wet-rice in Thailand. Karen cloth is hand-woven on back-strap looms and is predominantly red with white,blue or brown vertical stripes.
The men wear simple forms of this material in a sleeveless tunic. Karen women are skilled in sewing and dyeing, and dress in white blouse-sarong combinations with colorful patterns or beads for trim. They wear their long hair tied back in a bun and covered with white scarves.

The Lahu ( Muser )

The Lahu are divided into two groups;the Black Lahu from over 75 percent of the Lahu and consists of three subgroups the Lahu Na,the Red Lahu and Shehlen Lahu.A second group is know as the Yellow Lahu or muser .

The Lahu (Muser) obviously pride themselves on their skills in hunting and trapping. They are also famous for their knowledge of herbal medicine.

Houses are generally built on stilts,with villages consisting of 15-30 households.Households consist of families with unmarried children and maybe a married daughter and family.

The Lahu believe in the soul,a house spirit,nature spirits and a supreme being who is administered to by a priest.
Traditional clothing of the Lahu is black with bold embroidered patterns and bands of cloth for sleaves,pockets and lapels are often decorated,with each subgroup using different colours.

Hmong ( Mao )

Hmong are divided into two groups in Thailand;the Blue Hmong and the White Hmong.

Hmong houses are built on the ground in clusters,with several clusters forming a village.The oldest male controls the extended family household that will include married sons and their families.The Hmong are divided into clans,which play an important part in rituals and relationships.

The Hmong believe in a number of household spirits as well as souls.Rituals are performed by household heads,but each village will also have a shaman to exorcise evil spirits and restore health to the sick.

Traditional clothing of the Hmong.The womens skirts are made of hemp died with blue and white batik patterns.The womens jackets are made of black cloth decorated with elaborate embroidery for which the Hmong women are renowned.Mens clothes are also made of loose-fitting black material,whit embroidery on the jackets.The Hmong use silver both for adornment and as a show of wealth.

Lisu ( Lisaw )

The Lisu originated from Yunnan and are divided into six original patrilineal clans,but not all are found in Thailand.
Village vary in size,and houses may be raised on stilts or built on the ground.Extended families with married sons may live in the same house.The Lisu are competitive.social and hardworking.

Lisu village has a spirit house, and each house has a small shrine to spirits an ancestors. In addition, because the Lisu are the "engineers" among the Hilltribes, most of their villages feature a large bamboo pipe, a conduit, that carries to the village water from the nearest source.

The woman wear a knee length tunic of light blue or green cloth,often with red sleeves.The upper sleeves of womans tunic and yoke of black cloth are heavily decorated with many bands of bright cloth.The women also wear plain belts from which hang multi-coloured tassels.Young mens trousers are made of the same blue or green cloth,while their jackets areoften of plain black material.

Akha

The Akha originally came from Yunnan,moving into Burma in the mid-19th century.They come to Thailand until eary in the 20th century.

Akha villages are distinguished by their carved wooden gates, presided over by guardian spirits. The Akha live in raised houses, within which one small room is set aside for paying respect to ancestors.

The Akha have a special way which covers all aspects of their daily and ritual life.The Akha way helps the tribe to maintain continuity and is administered by the village priest,who has more power than the elders and village head.

Akha clothing is made of a homespun cotton cloth died to near black with indigo.For women this cloth is embellished with embroidery and strips of coloured cloth decorated with coins,seeds,or what-ever might catch the fancy.Women's outfits consist of hip lengh jackets worn over a halter,a short skirt,a sash,and leggings.
The most distinct item for women is the the headdress,which gets more elaborate as the wearer matures.Men tend to wear loose jackets that may have an embroidered strip down the front and back.

Mien ( Yao )

The Mien are commonly referred to as the Yao in Thailand.They Originated from China.
Mien villages are small with up to 25 houses built on the ground.Households can be very large,consisting of extended families that include married sons and their families.

The Mien have rituals that must be performed correctly for a hierarchy of ancestral spirits.This system appears to have been influenced by Taoist beliefs that originated in China in the 13-14th century.Prieste will atten to the Taoist rituals,while shamans will cure the sick afflicted by lesser natural spirits.

Mien women are unmistakeable for they wear a long black tunic with a bright red ruff around their neckline.Black trousers beneath the tunic are heavily embroidered.in addition they wear a black turban cloth embroidered at the ends.Men wear loose black jackets which tend to be only lightly decorated and loose fitting black trousers.

The Lua and Palaung

The Lua have been in Chiang Mai the longest of all hill peoples.They are thought to have originated from the Lawa who were pushed into the hills by the Mon from Haripunchai and the Tai.

The Lua practice swidden agriculture as well as wet-rice cultivation and favour villages on the crests of hills.They believe in good and bad spirits and profess a belief in Buddhism.The women may wear costumes that have blue tunics and skirts to below the knees as well as a turban,but men dress ordinarily.

The Palaung are the newest hill tribe to arrive in Chiang Mai.Palaung speak a language related to the MoKhmer family of languages.
The Palaung are noted for their skill in raising crops.They are strict Buddhists who also believe in nature and animal spirits.Their villages must have a Buddhist temple or shrine as well as a shrine for propitiating the spirits.Living in raised houses,families are extended with married sons usually living with the parents.

Villages have headmen,who usually come from the largest families,as well as monks and shaman for curing sickness.
Only Palaung women wear costume.They wear a short bright long sleeved jacket with decorated trim and a red tube skirt with narrow horizontal white stripes.The women also wear large belts made of rattan coils which protect them and let them go to heaven when they die.Both women and men like to have silver and gold in their teeth.