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Hill tribe is a term used in Thailand for all of the various tribal peoples who migrated from China and Tibet over the past few centuries. They now inhabit the remote border areas between Northern Thailand, Laos and Myanmar (Burma). These areas are known for their thick forests and mountainous terrain. The six major hill tribes within Thailand are the Akha, Lahu, Karen, Hmong, Mien and Lisu, each with a distinct language and culture.

The hill tribes are subsistence farmers who use slash and burn agricultural techniques to farm their heavily forested communities. Tighter conservation of Thailand's virtually depleted forests, however, has forced hill tribe people to abandon their traditional agricultural methods. Traditionally, hill tribes were also a migratory people, leaving land as it became depleted of natural resources.

The Akha

Main article: Akha

The Akha are closely related to the Hani of China's Yunnan province, They are also known derogatorily in Thai as the Gaw or the E-gaw, the Akha are one of the dominant cultural influences in the area. There are two to three million Akha and Akha-Hani in total, 70,000 of whom live in Thailand. The Akha speak a language in the Lolo/Yi branch of the Tibeto-Burman language group, but have no traditional written language.

Although many Akha, especially younger people, profess Christianity, Akha Zang (The Akha Way) still runs deep in their consciousness. The Akha Way, a prescribed lifestyle derived from religious chants, combines animism, ancestor worship, and a deep relationship with the land. The Akha Way emphasizes rituals in everyday life and stresses strong family ties; every Akha male can recount his genealogy back over fifty generations to the first Akha, Sm Mi O.

The Lahu

Main article: Lahu people

The Karen

Main article: Karen people

The Pwakin-nyaw, known to many as Karen, and to others as Kariang, are one of the largest hill tribes in Southeast Asia. They have a total population of about three million, spread throughout Burma, Laos and Thailand. The approximately 320,000 Karen in Thailand comprise half of the country's total hill tribe population.

While the Karen still practice slash and burn farming as other hill tribes do, they differ in that they live in permanent villages at lower elevations and have been aggressive in developing environmentally sustainable terraced rice fields. These factors have allowed the Karen to better integrate themselves into Thai society.

The Hmong

Main article: Hmong people

Originally, the Hmong people were immigrants from Tibet, Siberia and Mongolia, before migrating to China 3,000 years ago where they settled down in areas around the Yellow (Huang Ho) River, Kwaijoa, Hunnam, Kwangsi and Yunnan. During the 17th century, the Manju Dynasty (Hmeng) wielded power in China. The king changed policy to suppress Hmong people who refused to practice and believe in the Chinese culture and tradition, because Hmong men have a similar character to Russians which led the Chinese to believe that they were Russian. Another reason was that the Hmong was a barbarian race, and constantly fought each other.

Eventually, the Hmong people were defeated and moved to the south of China, separating into small groups. Most of these groups lived on the hills in Sibsongpanna, while another set of immigrants lived on the northeast of the Lao republic around Haihin Dianbianfu. The Leader, named ‘General Wungpor’, collected Hmong immigrants, and moved to Thailand around 2400 in Buddhism era (c. 1857).

Now, Hmong people in Thailand have set up villages on the hills, or the lowlands, around Chiang Rai, Payao, Chiang Mai, Prae, Lampang, Khampang Phet, Loei, Phisanulok, Phetchabun, Tak and Mae Hong Son. The current population of Hmong people stands around 151,080.

See also

Ethnic groups in Thailand

External links

• Hilltribes Directory