Thailand Hilltribes

The Lahu (Muser)

• The Lahu hilltribe, around 60,000 people, is located in the Fang region of Chiang Rai, slightly east of Mae Chan close to the border of Burma. The Lahu itself consist of four sub-groups, namely the Black, Red, Yellow and She-Leh and originated in Southwestern China.
  
  

• The Lahus are animist and believe in one spirit with overall control all the others. About 30% of the Lahus have been converted to Christianity and have abandoned their way of life. Many wait for the arrival of a ‘Messiah’ to lead them into plenty and happiness.
  
  

• Lahu women are skilled in weaving cloth, both on back-strap and foot-treadle looms, producing delicate patchwork trims, and unusual embroidery work. The Lahu clothing is very unique, ranging from embroidered tunics and turbans to silver belts and buckles.
  
  

• The villages of the Lahu are mostly at high altitudes with houses built on high stilts with walls of bamboo or wooden planks, thatched with grass. A ladder leads to the open central living area, with a store room to one side and living quarters to the other. Their domestic animals like chicken, pigs and buffalos are kept in the basement corral.
  
  

• Today they are having problems integrating into mainstream society, as the substitute crops, in place of the traditional opium, do not provide enough for the daily necessities. Their practice of slash and burn agriculture does not provide them with even the basic essentials of life, let alone the enrichment to be found in education for their children, adequate medical care, and the simple amenities of modern life. Therefore, migration is a part of the Lahu way of life and a Lahu community might stay in one location for eight to ten years.

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