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The Lahu are a strong and proud people, slow to trust other tribes, and dedicated to maintaining their unique ways of life. For this reason, they choose to settle their villages high up in the mountains, removed from towns and roads. Hilltribe history and lore paints them as famously fine hunters, and they live intimately and harmoniously with nature. This is one of the things that stood out to me the most, in the time we spent with the Lahu of Ban Yafu village. As we trekked through the forests and hills, our guide and new friend Ja Ha, was constantly stopping to point out plants and herbs that had medicinal properties or other uses for the Lahu. He was so full of knowledge of the land, which is sacred and deeply spirit-filled to the Lahu.
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The Lahu were originally from Tibet and the Tibetan plateau area of China and have been migrating to bordering countries for the past 200 yrs. As an ethnic group, they number about 60,000 in Thailand, located primarly in Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai provinces. They are complex and diverse ethnically. In Thailand there are no fewer than six different Lahu tribes, some of whose languages are not mutually intelligible. The majority of Lahus in Thailand are Red Lahu, which is what the people of Ban Yafu, where we stayed, were. Red Lahu are pantheistic animists who follow a Dtobo, a messianic leader. There are also a significant number of Black, Yellow and Shehleh Lahus in Thailand, many of whom have been Christian for nearly one hundred years, after being converted by missionaries. Black Lahu are the most populous throughout Southeast Asia and theirs is considered to be the standard Lahu dialect.
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Lahu are primarily subsistence farmers, growing rice and corn for their own consumption. While so many of the villages of other hilltribes in Thailand are becoming strongly influenced by Thai urban culture, the Lahu remain a strict, serious people governed by strong principles of right and wrong, every individual in the village answering to the common will of the elders. While less importance is placed on the extended family than in other hill tribe communities, the Lahu are still strongly committed to principles of unity and working together for survival. There was a strong tribal feel among the Lahu of Ban Yafu, and it seemed like most every person in the village, young and old, had a specific role. Some were tribal council and elders. Some were representatives of the village. there was a kind of witch doctor or spirit doctor, and spiritual leaders.
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An interesting observance- Lahus "may have the most gender-equitable society in the world." This is something that definitely stood out to Luke and me during the time we spent in Ban Yafu. Ja ha was most often the one taking care of the kids while his wife was in the fields doing physical labor. Ja Ha’s son helped to cook the meals and clean the dishes. All of the daily activities are shared. The Lahu have a motto regarding gender equality, which states that “chopsticks only work in pairs.” This was a shocking and very welcome change to come upon, after so much time spent in mainstream Thai culture where women have a very specific and less-respected role in society (I’ll expound on this later )
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The Lahu language comes from the Tibeto-Burman family and has no traditional written form, though missionaries have tried to create a Romanized transcription. They call themselves the “children of blessing.”
The concept of “blessings” is an integral part of Lahu daily life, rituals, spirituality and folklore, and manifests in the forms of successful hunting, bountiful harvest and long life. The Lahu look to many sources for these blessings, the main two of which are their ancestors and their God of creation, G'ui sha, who controls all other spirits.
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Well, there is so much more for me to learn and write and share with you about the Lahu and our short but impactful experience with them, and I will try to do that more vigilantly. Next, I will write about two sacred and amazing gifts of nature to the Lahu: bamboo and rice, and the amazing stories they created for us.
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6 comments:
Luminous writing Michelle. A joy to read. You can see the Tibetan features in them.
Are they the most trafficked tribe?
Is there much drug use among the hill tribes?
Hannah
I would guess the Lahu are not at as much risk for being trafficked as, say, the Akha who we also spent time with and who I will write about soon. Because the Lahu are more removed from Thai society and committed to their traditional ways.
historically opium use has been a big problem for the hilltribes, and something they still struggle with. opium poppies were once their main source of income. Mirror Foundation is committed to helping end their reliance on drugs.
Hello, this is Don
Although I have not been directly associated with the Lahu and am involved in mission work.
Thank you for your insights and obsevations which help others to understand Hill Tribes of Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai.
These are very important accounts
most of todays lahu's live in visalia california.....
i myself am lahu and was doing some research and saw this website.Some lahus live in Vasilia California,Rochester Minnesota,and raleigh North corolina.This information only seemed to touch a bases of some information on what lahu is.
Hey there...
Very interesting about the Lahu people... I found your blog through a web search after reading this article:
http://www.universitadelledonne.it/english/matriarchy.htm
There is a part of this link that talks about the Lahu and the 'chopstick' quote you included. I was in Chiang Mai a little over a year ago and did not even know about them at the time. It's a shame because they seem like beautiful people.
I am curious to learn about cultures that embody gender-balanced roles. The cool thing that the article includes about the Lahu is that their main god/dess is a pair of twins which are of both sexes each. I thought that was a beautiful image.
Thanks for sharing...
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