HILL TRIBE OF NORTHERN THAILAND
Hilltribe peoples migrated over 100 years ago from the southern part of China into Laos, Myanmar (Burma), Vietnam and Thailand. They have preserved their way of life with little change for over thousand years.
Comprising seven major tribes, KAREN, HMONG (MEO), YAO, LISU, LAHU, LAWA and AKHA, each has its own distinct culture, religion, language, art and colourful style of dress, these people make their homes in the highlands. The main profession of all these tribes is farming. All the tribes are hospitable and welcome visitors to their villages, providing them with the opportunity to see and experience their way of life.
Beside the 7 main tribes, their are also some rare and smaller tribes living in northern Thailand, such as the PALONG, KHAMU, THINS and MLABRI.
the PADUANG (the "Long Necks")

KAREN (the largest group of hill tribe in Thailand)
The Bwa G'Naw, known to many as Karen, and to others as Kariang, are one of the largest hill tribes in Southeast Asia. The total population of Karen people is unknown, since they are spread throughout Burma, Laos and Thailand, and no reliable census has been conducted in Burma since the 1930's. Population estimates range from 7.5 million to 14 million people. (The more conservative estimate makes their population equivalent to that of Switzerland). 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 majority of the Karen people live in Burma, and yet they also form by far the largest of the major tribes of northern Thailand. There are as many as 280000 Karens living in Thailand. They can be found living both in the mountains and on the plains, most of them in the provinces of Chiang Mai, Mae Hong Sorn, Chiang Rai, but also in central Thailand. They live in bamboo houses raised on stilts, beneath which live their domestic animals, pigs, chickens and buffalos. The mountain-dwelling Karens practice swidden agriculture, and the plains-dwellers, for the most part, cultivate irrigated paddy fields. Karen Woman (Karien), Karen Village in Chiang Mai Province, Northern Thailand. Karen women are noted for their skill in weaving, which is done on a back-strap loom. Each of the many sections of this large ethnic group has its own style of dress. Unmarried girls wear loose white vee necked blouses. Married women wear blouses and skirts in bold colours, predominantly blue and red. Karen men produce musical instruments, animal bells, unique tobacco pipes and numerous other crafted items. Karens are originally animist, but about 25% of Karens living in Thailand have been converted to christianity by western missionaries. The Karen people are very peaceful and cooperative, who like the other hilltribes, reserve their highest veneration for their ancestors and living elders.

HMONG (MEO)
Family of the Blue Hmong (Meo), Hmong Village in Chiang Rai Province, Northern Thailand.
The Hmong are divided in two sub-groups, White and Blue, and to be found in mountainous regions of China. Vietnam, Laos and Thailand. In Thailand there are probably about 60000 Hmong people settled in villages throughout a wide area of the north, with perhaps another 50000 refugees from Laos living in camps located near the northeastern border of the country. These ethnic group originates in western China.
The Hmong live in houses that sit right on the ground, not on stilts as do some other hilltribes. However, the main floor of their houses is not at ground level, but rests upon a kind of above-ground basement or root cellar that they use for food storage. For a long time the Hmong have supported themselves by the cultivation of opium poppy. Most of the Hmong people are turning from opium growing, and are now seeking to market their exquisite needlework in order to supplement their income.

Woman with Children of the White Hmong (Meo), Hmong Village in Chiang Rai Province, Northern Thailand.
Hmong women traditionally make clothing for their families from cotton or hemp. Their clothing is richly decorated with magnificent embroidery and silver jewelry. Blue Hmong women wear beautiful pleated skirts with bands of red, blue and white intricately embroidered. Jackets are of black satin, with widee orange and yellow embroidered cuffs and lapels. White Hmong women wear black baggy trousers with a long wide blue cummerbund. Their jackets are simple, with blue cuffs. Hmong men make crossbows, musical instruments, and other items of wood, bamboo and rattan. Many of the men are als skilled in blacksmithing and gunsmithing.
The Hmong are strict animists, whose shamans use dramatic methods to contact the spirits. So far there have been few converts to christianity or buddhism.
The Hmong are diligent and independent people, fond of wearing their silver ornaments during ceremonies and much devoted to the sky spirit they believe has created their own ancient way of life.

YAO
Yao Woman with Children, Yao Village in Chiang Rai Province, Northern Thailand.
They are to be found in China, Vietnam, Laos and Thailand. In Thailand there are approximately 55000 Yao in widely scattered villages in the provinces of Phayao, Nan and Chiang Rai, and perhaps another 10000 or so refugees from Laos, living in refugee camps along the border.
The Yao originate in southern China, and are the only hill tribe to have a written language. Yao villages are mostly found on low hills, and their houses built usually of wooden planks on a dirt road. There is a guest platform of bamboo in the communal living area. Their economy for several generations has been based quite largely on the cultivation and marketing of opium, although opium addiction is relatively rare among them. With the present drive to stamp out the cultivation of the opium poppy in Thailand, the Yao find it necessary to seek other means of livelyhood.
Yao women are noted for their magnificient cross-stitch embroidery, which richly decorates the clothing of every member of the family. The costume of the women is very distinctive, with a long black jacket with lapels of bright scarlet wool. Loose trousers in intricate designs are worn and a similarly embroidered black turban. Yao silversmiths produce lovely silver jewelry of high quality.

Yao Woman with her Baby, Yao Village in Chiang Rai Province, Northern Thailand.
The Yao have a written religion based on medieval chinese taoism, although in recent years there have been many converts to christianity and buddhism. They are very peaceful and friendly, who pride themselves on cleanliness and honour and they are called the "businessmen" among the hilltribes.

LISU
Lisu Children, Lisu Village in Chiang Mai Province, Northern Thailand.
Villages of this colourful ethnic group are to be found in the mountains of China, Myanmar (Burma) and northern Thailand. There are approximately 21000 Lisus living in Thailands northern provinces of Chaing Mai, Mae Hong Sorn and Chiang Rai. They originate in eastern Tibet. Their house are built on the ground, with dirt floors and bamboo walls around a central ridge. For many generations the main means of livelyhood for many of the Lisu people has been the cultivation of the opium poppy. Some of these people have given up poppy growing, and are now seeking to supplement their income through the sale of skillfully produced crafts.

Lisu Girls at Lisu New Year, Lisu Village in Chiang Mai Province, Northern Thailand.
The Lisu make their clothing from gaily-coloured cloth stitched into outfits trimmed with row upon row of vari-coloured strips of cloth. The women wear brightly coloured costumes, consisting of aa blue or green parti- coloured knee length tunic with a wide black belt and blue or green pants. Sleeves shoulders and cuffs are heavily embroidered with narrow, horizontal bands of blue, red and yellow. The more affluent wear massive amounts of hand-crafted silver ornaments for festive occasions.
Lisu men produce crossbows, musical instruments, bird and animal trapss, and other items made of wood, bamboo and rattan. A few Lisu people have been converted to christianity by western missionaries.
The Lisu believe strongly in the spirit world, and their shamans are used to divine the causes and cures of all problems and sickness. These hilltribe people are perhaps the best looking of all the tribes, and they like to think of themselves a little bit above their other hilltribe neighbors. They are among the least bashful of these ethnic groups and in general adjusting well to the changes taking place in their society.

LAHULahu Children, Lahu Village, Chiang Rai Province, Northern Thailand.
Lahu people are to be found in the mountains of China, Myanmar (Burma), Laos and northern Thailand. There are approximately 25000 Lahus now living in Thailand. There are four tribes within the Lahu: Black, Red, Yellow and She-Leh. Lahu villages are mostly at high altitude in the northern provinces of Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and Mae Hong Sorn. They originated in south west China. Houses are 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. 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.

Lahu Children (Black Lahu), Lahu Village, Mae Hong Sorn Province, Northern Thailand.
Lahu women are skilled in weaving cloth, both on back-strap and foot-treadle looms, producing delicate patchwork trims, and unusual embroidery work. The Black Lahu women wear the most distinctive costumes within this tribe. They wear a black cloak with diagonal cream stripes. The top of the sleeve is decorated in bold colours of red and yellow. Red Lahu women wear black trousers with white edging and vivid sleeves of broad red and blue stripes. All the other Lahu tribes have supplemented their traditional costumes by sarong and Thai shirt. Men and women together make some of the finest baskets to be found anywhere in Thailand. Lahu men produce excellent crossbows, musical instruments, and other items made of wood, bamboo and rattan.
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. The Lahu are independent people and love entertainment and the easy life. They are abviously pride themselves on their skills in hunting and trapping.

LAWA
Lawa Girls, Lawa Village in Chiang Mai Province, Northern Thailand.
The Lawa are not realy rated as hill tribes. It seems that they have inhabited Thailand since at least the eight century and they were certainly here already when the Thais arrived. They believe that they migrated from Cambodia, but some archaeologists think their origins lie in Micronesia, perhaps more than 2000 years ago. With such a long cohabitation with the Thais, most Lawa villages are indistinguishable from Thai settlements and most Lawa speak thai as their first language.
However, on the Bo Luang plateau between Hot and Mae Sariang and the southern part of Mae Hong Sorn province about 14000 Lawa still live their traditional life.

Lawa Girl, Lawa Village in Chiang Mai Province, Northern Thailand.
Their economy is based on subsistence agriculture, with rice grown on terraces according to a sophisticated rotation system.
Unmarried Lawa girls wear loose white blouses edged with pink. Around the neck distinctive strings of orange and yellow beads are worn. After marriage these brightly coloured clothes are replaced with a long fawn dress, but the beads are still worn.
The Lawa are animist, but many of them have adopted buddhism.

THE KHAMU

KHAMU
The Khamu are one of the small tribal groups, living along the Thai-Laotian border of Nan province. At the present there are about 7000 people of this tribe living in northern Thailand.
They originate from Laos, mainly of Luang Prabang and Xieng Khoung districts. They first migrated as labour and worked either in the teak forests or similarly isolated employment.
They are living now in small villages located on mountain slopes and survive on subsistence agriculture supplemented by hunting, fishing and trading.
The Khamu practise an animistic religion. In their native homeland Khamu shamans are considered to be excellent magico-religious practitioners and often participate in Laotian ceremonies.
This tribe trace descent in patrilineal manner and traditionally adhere to the custom of patrilocal residence.