Hill Tribe People - Lahu

The Lahu Hill Tribe people, like most of the other Hill Tribes originated in the mountainous regions of Yunnan Province, China. They rebelled against central government control in the 1700s. This lead to a southward migration.

Today the Lahu people are found in China, Vietnam, Laos, Burma, and Thailand. They first entered into Thailand in the 1800s starting with the Chiang Mai - Chiang Rai area. There are around 30,000 Lahu in Thailand today.

In Thailand the Lahu people are also known as the "Mussur".

One of the subgroups of the Lahu people are the Lahu Shehleh (Black Lahu). Shehleh Lahu women wear black clothing with white trim. They wear wide pants that go down to their knees. The bottom of their legs are wrapped in black cloth with white trim. Their black robe is split at the sides from the waist down and opens in the front. Horizontal bands of white, blue, red. sometimes yellow decorate the sleeves and shoulders of the robe.

Whoops - just had to take a break from this literary endeavor. Duang just called me upstairs to see the local television broadcast of the second night's Chinese New Years Celebration. last night there were drumming demonstrations and little children dancing. The little dancers were very cute - 3 to 5 years old. They were very intense and focused with their dancing. Some were so focused that they continued to dance even when the music stopped! "Music? Music? We don't need no stinking music to dance!" Tonight the special treat (treatment?) was a Chinese matron singing a song. She had a 1950s highly teased hairdo with sparkles in it. She and her husband own the largest and most numbers of gold shops here in Udonthani. I suspect that they paid some gold for her opportunity to entertain us tonight. The highlight of her performance were the dancers accompanying her on stage. They were all Thai Kathoeys (lady boys). The dancers were resplendent in their pink spaghetti strapped sequined formal gowns. It was quite a sight to see and hear. As they used to say "That's entertainment". I am certain that I missed or did not understand their intent but I did find it all quite entertaining.

Anyhow - back to the Lahu.

Shehleh women cover their head with a large Turkish towel wrapped up into a turban. Many of the woman shave their hair high up on their forehead to be more comfortable carrying things on their back with a strap across their forehead. This is definitely not a style that I believe will catch on in the USA. It makes everyday a truly bad hair day.

In addition to some Lahu women having a bad hair day everyday, some Lahu women, typically elderly women, have bad teeth days. Their teeth may actually be fine but they look absolutely horrible. An old tradition that is still practised today by older people is "betel nut chewing".

Betel nut chewing goes back about 4,000 years. It involves chewing a slice of the Areca nut, along with lime wrapped up in a betel leave. The concoction stains the lips and gums. It also produces copious amounts of saliva - spit. It is just as disgusting to watch as watching someone chewing tobacco. In fact in a symbiosis of cultures, many people now include loose tobacco in their betel nut chewing.

The chewing initially stains the gums and lips a distinctive red, red orange. It seems to me that over time this red, red orange stain evolves into a black stain. It is very unappealing.

Betel nut chewing was not limited to the poorer classes of people in SE Asia. In museums, there are displays of fancy and expensive containers that were used by Royalty to store the various components required for their betel nut chewing pleasure.

Chewing betel nut supposedly provides a mild pick me up similar to a cup or two of coffee. This pick me up allegedly makes it easier to cope with work and hunger.

The market in Khumphawapi sells bundles of the betel leave, as well as the other necessary ingredients. Rather than keeping the components in silver, or gold containers, the Lahu and Tahsang Villagers store the items in recycled screw lid plastic jars.

The Lahu are the most Christianized of the Hill Tribe peoples. Those who are not Christians are Animist like the other Hill Tribe groups.