Hill Tribes of Thailand

Early last year we visited some of the mountainous hill-tribe areas of northern Thailand; the chilly, dry weather was a welcome blessing after living in tropical Bangkok for several months. The various ethnic minorities scattered along the hills intrigued me, for they have preserved their own language, spiritual beliefs, distinct culture, and colorful style of dress.

The major ethnic clusters in Thailand include Hmong; Karen; Yao; Akha; Lisu; and Lahu. All groups are hospitable and encourage visitors to their villages, providing the unique opportunity to see and experience their lifestyle. After some research, I’ve learned that for the most part, the tribes journeyed to Thailand from the frozen expanses of Mongolia and Tibet by way of western China within the last 300 years; this, being part of a continuing exodus of ancient cultures who filtered south in search of freedom, labor, and better living conditions. For a time, Chinese Nationalists attempted outlawing ethnic groups from speaking their own languages and practicing their culture; fortunately, without much success. The hill tribes’ beginnings are shrouded in myth, and are as hazy and muted as the daybreak mist that cloaks their hills. Within their semi-nomadic pace, the hill tribes moved gradually, avoiding social unrest and war, always motivated by their need for new land. Close to half a million people from 20 different ethnic groups are estimated to reside in Thailand as well as Cambodia, some still in Laos, Vietnam and Myanmar (Burma). When the United States pulled out of Southeast Asia in the mid 1970’s, the Hmong, who had fought alongside U.S. forces in Vietnam and against the communist element in Laos, became the target of brutal retaliation from the new governments. During their escape across the Mekong River to seek refuge within Thai borders, tens of thousands of Hmong perished at the hands of the Communist Pathet Lao, the victims of hunger and chemical-biological warfare. I visited a Hmong village not far from Chiang Mai because in an earlier period I had come in contact with a group of Hmong people who had migrated to the USA from Laos in the early 1980’s. Our son’s best friend in first grade was Hmong and now, here in Thailand, I became curious to learn about this group’s rare traditional background.

There are an estimated 12 different Hmong hill tribe clans in Thailand, subdivided into Blue Hmong and White Hmong, distinguishable only by their different style and color of dress. While long ago some of the tribal groups’ income came from fields of poppies to produce opium, they now earn a livelihood through conventional agriculture. Most survive by harvesting rice and corn while others cultivate coffee on uneven mountainsides, tending to migrate when the soil is depleted. Other favored cash crops include strawberries and kidney beans. Most supplement their income by marketing their traditional and exquisitely embroidered textiles embellished with silver.

Walking up through the village, I was heartily greeted by people on the road, or from the many shops lining the street. Few cars, motorbikes, chickens, children, older people and dogs also paved the way. Hmong houses sit right on the ground with a packed-down earth floor and the roof nearly extending to the soil, their main level rests on an above-ground area used for food storage. Other hill tribes, however, favor bamboo houses raised on stilts with grassy thatched rooftops plus an area beneath them to shelter their domesticated pigs, chickens and buffalos. Most hill tribes live in extended family units, sharing cramped quarters with as many as twelve or more family members. Most sleep on mats on bamboo litters and many children don’t attend school. I mostly saw women stitching outdoors, children playing on the road; several elders sitting in the sun, radio or TV voices coming from inside. At first, newly married couples settle in the husband’s parental home adding their labor force to the common household while also advancing the wife’s assimilation into the new clan. Women become part of their husbands’ families after marriage. The whole family works together steering and supporting the newlyweds in their marital responsibilities. After a trial period, a bride price is paid by the husband, and the marriage is considered final; the more industrious the woman is, the higher the bride price. Hmong women are expected to work hard within the family; raising the children, planting and harvesting plus weaving textiles in their spare time. Men are good at making crossbows, musical instruments, and other items of wood, bamboo and rattan. Many are also accomplished blacksmiths and gunsmiths. Colorful textiles and Hmong clothing such as the intricately embroidered pleated skirts with bands of red, blue and white worn under black satin jackets are in high demand by the general public as are the black baggy pants gathered at the waist with a long wide blue cummerbund and simple blue-cuffed jackets. Hmong women can be seen at markets throughout Thailand selling their clothing and embroideries proving to have good entrepreneurial skills. A religious people, the Hmong are firm animists, believing that tangible and intangible domains coexist; their shamans use dramatic methods to contact spirits that allegedly influence the course of human life. The Hmong speak in a monosyllabic, tonal language that includes many dialects; their written words, barely surviving after intense Chinese persecution. In the past, Hmong women have tried to maintain their written symbols by stitching them into their textiles. I am told that the Hmong are called ‘Meo’ by the Thai, a derogatory term meaning barbarian, due to their Mongolian or western Chinese origins. In Thailand most hill tribes concentrate along the northern borders; however, internal migration has positioned them as far south as Bangkok. Now living in close proximity with their Thai neighbors, tribes risk complete assimilation into the vortex of the general culture; the coming generations will likely see some of their traditions disappear, and as with most other ancient peoples, their rich legacy will become part of a historic, tumultuous past. I trust most of their oral history will be recorded accordingly. EW