Introduce : Akha in Thailand

      This article comes from the book- “study and the culture of Akha in Chiangrai: 8 groups of Akha tribe – 2003. Akha is the name of the people of a hilltribe that have their own language, beliefs, clothes and way of living. The 8 groups have basic similarities but some even have a different language; like the Ulow Akha and the Aker Akha, who do not understand each other.
The 8 Akha groups of Thailand are:

1.Uloh Akha         The Uloh Akha is a Thai Akha. This group was the first to move to the north of Thailand and stay, moving to DoiTung, Maefahluang. This group is very big and is mostly in Chiangrai, also moving to Chiangmai. The government gives 2 Thai Akhas the opportunity to develop their village; the Akha village at DoiSanjai, Maefahluang and the Akha village at Doisangow Chinagsan district. Chiangrai. 'Uloh' means a sharp hat, with the 'U' from Udoo meaning a sharp, high circle. The name is given to the Akha by the hat that they wear and this is a prominent group for their hats. The Thai Akha are a large number in Thailand with around 32,500 people spreading around the 5 provinces of Chiangrai, Chiangmai,Lamphang, Prae and Tak in the north of Thailand. Some of these people retain their traditional beliefs, respecting their ancestor spirits and others changed to buddism, Christianity and Islam. Sanjaroengao has the largest population of Akha people. The Uloh Akha language has become the standard between Akha people and is used to communicate between different groups.

2.LorMee Akha         The LorMee Akha is a Burmese Akha. Their population is smaller than the Uloh Akha but this group is known to be energetic. These groups moved from Burma and live in Chiangrai and Chiangmai in Thailand. They moved to Thailand after Uloh Akha, and abundantly, to Maefahluang and the Maesuay district, Chinagrai. The name LorMee comes from DoiMee- the hill in Burma where they originated. They didn't stay in Burma and so their name changed to be different from the original DoiMee. These groups have a population of around 19, 000 people throughout Chiangrai, Chiangmai and the Tak province. Around 55 % keep to the old traditional beliefs, respecting their ancestor spirits with the same ceremony as the Uloh Akha, though some groups changed to Buddhism and Christianity. The language is the same as the Uloh Akha but uses a higher tone and is spoken faster.

3.Phamee Akha.         Phamee Akha is a Chinese Akha. These groups have lived in China and had an exchange of culture with the Chinese people and are therefore called merchant. With lineage from Sibsongpanna, Yunnan, they mostly live in China, but a few groups live in Thailand in places such as Maesai, Maejan, Maesuay in the Chinagrai province and the Tak province. The village Phamee is called so because this is where bears are found living in the cliffs around the Maesai area. The Akha people moved to live in this area and so call the village DoiPhamee, calling themselves the Phamee Akha. These groups have 2 communities in Thailand; Phamee village in Maesai and Maejantai village in Maesuay, later moving to Giwsadai village, Maejan. When a ceremony takes place, these groups will come together to meet. They have a few different names given from people outside the group, such as Lahbour Akha which means China Akha or Ubya Akha. The population of this group is around 5,200 and they are spread across Tak and Chinagrai. They have old traditional beliefs, respecting the ancestor's spirit and also, similarly to the other groups, they converted to Christianity.

4.Pear Akha.         This group is migrant from Burma because of the conflict in their country and they are living in Maefahluang. 'Pear Akha' comes from the leader of their country since they originate in Burma. The population of this group is around 4,500 and they live around Chiangrai and Lamphang. Around 10% retain their old traditional beliefs but most of them converted to Christianity. The language is similar to Uloh Akha, but they speak much louder-almost like shouting- so much that people from outside their group may think they are fighting!

5.NahKha Akha         The Nahkha Akha moved from the border between China and Burma. They moved to Thailand after experiencing conflict living on the border, and not having security of the Chinese government from pirates. 'NahKha' is simply the name of the village where they lived in China. They have a population of around 1,900 living in Chinagrai in the Maesuay District. They changed their religion to that of the city they moved to and they are Christian, using the same language as the Phamee Akha. A big NahKha Akha group in Thailand is in Pattana Seri, Maesuay district Chiangrai.

6.Arkher Akha         The Akher Akha moved from China close to Tibet. Firstly they moved to Burma, but the government did nothing to protect them from pirates and so they moved again to Thailand. Arkher Akha is the name given by the other Akha groups because they are so different in ways such as language and clothing. The names they use themselves are Kohkuer or Onjeyor. The population is around 650 and they live in Chiangrai at Maesuay. They believe and practice the old traditions but some groups did change and became christian. The language is absolutely different to the other Akha, but when communicating between other Akha groups they use the Uloh language.

7.UPhee Akha         This group moved from Burma because of the pirates and conflict in Burma and UPhee Akha moved to ChiangTung. UPhee Akha are named by the type of hat they wear. They have a population of around 650 and live in Chiang Rai at Maefahluang. Their beliefs changed to conform to those of the city and now they are Christian. They use the same language as the Uloh Akha.

8.ArJoh Akha         The ArJoh Akha are migrants from Burma because the conflict in that country and they moved to stay at Mae-seay, Chiang Mai. They are named 'ArJoh' because they changed from their old traditions to new ways. The population of this group is around 650 and they live in the PongPom village. Most of the population changed to be a Christian and they use a language similar to Uloh Akha.

 Information from the research of Patiphan Ayi.

http://akha.hilltribe.org

Introduce : the Akha

The Akha, also known to the Thai as the Gaw or the E-gaw (names that the Akha do not like), are located primarily with Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai provinces. The Akha are closely related with the Hani of Yunnan province, China, the Akha-Hani complex numbers about two to three million people, but with just over 70,000 members in Thai territory. The Akha speak a language in the Lolo/Yi branch of the Tibeto-Burman language group, but have no traditional written language. There are a variety of schemes for writing Akha developed by missionaries or linguists which employ Roman, Thai or Burmese characters, but literacy in Akha is still virtually nil. The Akha are traditionally subsistence farmers, growing a variety of crops including rice and corn. Though many Akha, especially younger people, profess Christianity, Akha Zang (The Akha Way), a total lifestyle perscribed in the oral literature of the Akhas, still runs deep in the consciousness of older generations. The Akha Way combines animism, ancestor worship and their deep relationship with the land.. For an Akha, the Akha Way is a way of life which extends beyond simple religious practice and infuses every aspect of their existence. The Akha Way emphasizes rituals in everyday life and stresses strong family ties; every Akha male can recount his geneology back over fifty generations to the first Akha, Sm Mi O. But the chain of continuity so important for Akha people is being broken. A combination of Thai schooling, land restrictions, some missionary activities, technology and a feeling of social inferiority to lowland Thais is making the once essential Akha Way less attractive and relevant for younger generations who are rapidly integrating into Thai society.

http://akha.hilltribe.org

introduce : Legend of Akha

     The Akha people believe that before they have Sumio (Recite the lineage), everything in the world such as the wind, sky and the air can speak. After Sumio, both human and spirit can speak. In the past they believed that humans had a wrest 7 cubits and speaking ever since they were born. As the story goes, a man goes to the forest to find wood to make a mortar. While he was out, his wife gave birth to their newborn child and the son went to the forest to find his father after asking his mother about his father’s whereabouts. The man chopped a tree which fell on top of his son.

      A twig stabbed into his son’s shoulder. The man chopped the twig from his son’s shoulder, and from that time on, humans have a small body. After Sumio, there are many more lineages and the last one is JeTherPer and TherPerMor. TherPerMor is the first person of Akha and JeTherPer is the mother of human and spirit also gives the religion birth to the world. Akha calls this person “Ama Mata”. Ama means Mother and Mata means together. The meaning of “AMa Mata” is the mother of human and spirit. The character of this person has 9 breasts at the back for the spirit and 2 in front for the human. That is why humans have 2 breasts now. At that time, the human and the spirit were family. The spirit worked in the night while the human worked in the day. The tiger and buffalo also lived together, as well as the eagle and the chicken also.

      

          When Ama Mata died, the human and the spirit started fighting. The eagle and chicken also went separate ways while conflict arose between the tiger and buffalo. The human and the spirit cannot be family because they can not run the ceremony together – the human and the spirit are absolutely different as the spirit sleeps in the day, which is opposite from the human. Ama Mata died in the day time and would like to give 9 breasts to the human. However the human rejected the offer and the 9 breasts were then turned to the spirit.
The spirit raised the ceremony for Ama Mata by inviting the religion spirit leader (Phima) to find pregnant animals as offerings in the ceremony. However, all of the animals escaped except a bear and a squirrel. Hence now if the Akha people go hunting and end up with two animals, it would mean that the animals cannot be eaten as the Akha believe that the animals signify offerings in the Ama Mata ceremony.
During the ceremony, the religion leader, or Phima, prayed for the Ama Mata to be taken to heaven, but Ama Mata stood up and said “I cannot go because the way is difficult.” Phima prayed 3 days and 3 nights but Ama Mata still could not go to heaven. The spirit then invited the human religion leader (the first religion leader of Akha people) to come to pray for Ama Mata. The religion leader also prayed for 3 days and 3 nights. Finally, the Ama Mata died and went to heaven. This was how the ceremony originated and this ceremony is still being practiced now.
After Ama Mata died, the human and the spirit lived in the same house but they started to have fights because they had differing preferences. When one of them went to work, they would accuse each other of stealing their things but in reality no one saw each other do it. Finally, both of them swore that they will live separately, have their own personal area, and stop seeing each other by letting the human close his eyes and turn his back against the spirit. However, the spirit is still able to see the human. They also separated their respective ceremony times. The humans held theirs in the day while the spirits held theirs at night. They closed the dog’s eye by threshing the basket. This is why if the dog howls or barks at night, it means that it has seen the spirit. The Akha believe that the spirit sees the human while the human cannot see the spirit and the human is fearful of the spirit.
Usually, Akha people use swear words between humans and spirits and they do not cross the line each other at each other’s incantation. Also, the Akha believe that the spirit is afraid of saliva because when the spirit touches saliva, they will have leprosy. When the Akha are in danger, they will spit saliva to protect themselves from the spirits.  
http://akha.hilltribe.org

Lifestyle Birth

The new born Akha baby will be watched by the parents that will be a boy or a girl. If the new born baby is a boy, there will be a pride of the father according to the Akha's belief that a boy will be the only one who descends. If we talk about the giving birth of Akha tribe or others hill tribes, we are not talking about giving birth at the hospital which will receive good care from a nurse. They do not receive a convenient thing such as declaring the birth, adding name in the census record or the right that a baby should receive. In the opposite way, giving birth, in the past, will do in the community that has a midwife of Akha called “Ya Chi A Ma” using their wit and local equipment i.e. using a clean sharp “Heir” wood instead of scissor to cut the umbilical cord and a mother takes a rest for a few days and get back to work. When a baby born in the community that is situated far away from civilization, a baby will not receive the right according to the law because the tribe do not know about the declaring the birth which is the problem until now. At present Akha has more knowledge in management because the new generation goes to school and has been educated and bring back the knowledge to use with the community. Birth In the past, the daughter-in-law could not give birth in her own house, she had to give birth at the other house where especially build for her unlikely the daughter of the owner of the house. For the people who will be making the birth is the third-aged person who has knowledge in making birth or a midwife in the village which Akha called “Ya Chi A Ma”. Ya Chi A Ma use a sharp “Heir” wood to cut the umbilical cord and tie it with string. Ya Chi A Ma brings a baby to a mother and buries a placenta at the basement near the main column of the house. The placenta has fork out by wood and is bury by placing the top over and closing the hole by the wood then the next day before dawn, covers up the hole by the ashes. After Ya Chi A Ma brings a baby to a mother, a mother has to bring a baby sits on the chair at the main column of the house then Ya Chi A Ma gives a boiled egg to a mother to eat according to Akha's belief that boiled egg can reduce pain and reduce bleeding. Moreover, Akha tights a gold or silver plate like Eve's fig leaf called “Jey Jong” at the stomach believes that is the one way to cure the disease. To tighten the stomach helps the symptom of a dizzy or a stroke of a newly given baby mother. A mother will wear Akha hat to a baby after that will bring a baby to do the naming ceremony and performing rites welcoming. Within 9-10 days after giving birth, a mother and a baby must stay inside the house to lie near an open fire for warmth as well as sanitation (called Ya Seu Long Aeo). When the umbilical cord comes off and finds it, Akha brings it to bury with the placenta. A mother takes her baby to visit relative within the village, this counts as the first time to take baby to greet villagers. Ten days later, a mother has to take her baby travel outside the village and on the way back, if her baby is a girl, she has to bring a leaf back to home and if a baby is a boy, she has to bring a treetop. This tells a sex of her baby. To name a baby: When a baby born in the first day, a midwife will give name to a baby and make the spiritual ceremony. Giving name to a baby does according to the Akha tradition that is using the last word of a father's name to be a first character of a baby when the ceremony done a parent can not tell a baby name for nine to ten days.

http://akha.hilltribe.org

Lifestyle : Culture land

      The word “Akha” means people from afar. The name aptly explains this community that live in hills far from civilization.

      The Akha are fun-loving, enjoying dance and song even as they travel to and from their farms. The Akha like to blow sideways through a plucked leaf to produce sweet-sounding music and it is common for young Akha men and women to sing while planting crops in the valley. Akha couples part with song when the sun sets before retreating home also.
      Every night, Akha teenagers gather at the community grounds or “Dae-Khong” or “Ga-Ba” and often linger until the following morning. This is where teenagers, housewives, elderly and children gather at the end of every day, often in traditional dress.

      It is here that Akha culture is passed from one generation to the next as elder Akha members spend the most time with Akha youth here. Further, these gatherings provide the only opportunity for Akha teenagers to meet each other since male and female teenagers work separately during the day.
      The civilization of city and the expansion serves the electricity from the big community reaches to Akha communities that still have take respect the original. This issue will may not directly but consider carefully, it will be the importance on other hand that make Akha grounds culture abandoned people fungus has in during nighttime that everybody gets back from the field, become the period time that don't be lonely again because there is the television programmed, many interesting list, to follow and give the data, the information in time that worldly progress more than standing besieges to a circle, sing the song that never end and it like as have the a lot of detail, exceedingly tradition. The grounds culture (Dae-Khong ) in today vanish from the memory of the young generation. The Akha village during nighttime do not be lonely because the song of Loso (the famous band) resound throughout both of the valley and that be the way has that us has chosen already?

Lifestyle : Death

The death in Akha belief is the change from human world to the hereafter where is the place for their ancestors spirits. If they do the right ceremony after death; it is said that the spirits won't be in dangers. In contrast, they will protect the following generations for eternally remaining their clans. As soon as there is somebody died, the members in the family will take a bath for the corpses and dress them the new clothes. They will put the silver coin in the dead body's mouth and tell them to spend that money for whatever he/she wants. Then, they will tie the dead body with the black fabric and cover it again with the red fabric. Afterward, the corpses is ready to prepare the ceremony, his/her son will call all the names of his/her ancestors who are in the same race. In case of the son has no ability about that;" Pima" a religion leader of Akha will perform the ceremony instead. He will pray for funerals every nights until the corpses is taken to bury. Some of the relatives who come to the funeral may gambling, some are crying with sorrow or mourning for a death and also do the black magic as their belief.

The Funeral The ceremony before burying, the shaman will be invited to pay in the funeral in Akha style for 3 days and 2 nights without any mistake. The sorcery is about the way for the spirit of the death to reach to the peaceful place at the hereafter. If the person who died was the important aged, at least one buffalo will be killed for the scarification. The only expert shaman (Pima) who can call all spirit to help stabbing the buffalo in the right way. There are many brave men had to hold the buffalo's head and open its mouth while others are stabbing. The water will be poured into the buffalo's mouth in order to stop the roar and it's' head will be drown out with the chaff after the slaughter is done.

The Interment Many strong men will carry the coffin which is tied with the 2 long beams from the house to the cemetery. There will be the hold for bury the corpse which is digging in a line shape from East to West. One of the coffin carriers will grab a handful of grass (The grasses are the material to make the roof) and he will stick it with a robe for closing the coffin. It indicates as the symbol that the alive people will share a place to stay for the dead body. Next, the small area of rice field will be given to him/her as well and the ceremony will be held at the cemetery. On the hole with the corpse in while which is already drown out, there are the personal stuffs of the dead body such as a pipe, a teacup, a gourd, the equipments for living and the prong will be put over the beginning of the hole as the symbol of the satchel for containing food for him/her. When the ceremony is done, the members in the same family of the dead body back to their house, they will have a sending spirit meal together for emphasizing the dead person about the boundary of alive people and the death. He/she should not disturb the alive people. Afterward, there will be the ceremony which is held for inviting the spirit of the dead person to protect their relatives a year after the death as same as other ancestors.

The Terribly Death The death which is Akhas believes that are bad: died in a violent death and died without the person who can continue their clans. For the first kind of death, there will be the ceremony to wash away their sins or make the apologize deities and ghosts before taking him/her to bury at the cemetery in the village. There are 3 other different deaths which are forbidden to bury at the cemetery but those corpses have to take to bury at the special place. There are the death that causes by the tiger, the death which cause by drown and the death from smallpox. The hole will have to be especially deep because the dog will be buried over the dead body in order to block the ghost to disturb the alive people. For the death without a person who can continue their clans: the ceremony will almost be held as same as normal but there is one difference that the wall will be punctured for taking the dead body that way. It can not be taken by the door because there is no more someone to worship the ancestor and the shelter will be dismantled and take it to the forest while the corpse is buried.

The person who throws away the shelter has to say out loud to the ancestors that as the result of the inability of protecting the grandchildren, then, nobody will worship him/her. It extremely shows that Akahs have a strong idea about the family duty tradition. In general, Akahs will not talk about death or do something that can invite the spirits back to their bodies again such as knock the coffin next to the corpses, whistle in a room or wife/husband calls the black magic of the dead bodies. It is believed that when they are alive, they should not be worried about the death and when they left the world, it is not their business to interfere with the world once again.

Lifestyle : Entertainment

The Akha is the hill tribe people who have the simple lifestyle, living from hand to mouth. They will sing a song after they left the village gate while they are out for farming. Men sing when they crop or do something which cause them the loneliness. They want someone to be with for comforting them from it. They respond the song with women when they got to their farms. The women may work in the different fields with the men. They sing a song as saying goodbye and making an appointment in night time at the cultural field. It was a very colorful life but it is quite difficult to be seen at present because there are the developments which influence their lifestyle. There are almost all forgotten from the reality and the remained things are only the stories told by the old people in the society.

he Akha's entertainments can be named into 2 groups:
The entertainments played in the ceremonies:

The top (Chong) is the Akha recreation which only played one time a year when there is the ceremony or tradition. Playing top is the entertainment that brings them joy and it is the male amusement. The day that ceremony is held, men leave their houses since early morning for cutting the hardwood to make the tops, sharping the top of the wood. Somebody may put the sharp iron at the tip. This tip can make the tops spin for long time. After the tops are done, they are playing those tops by dividing into 2 groups and play a game together. The Akha Swing (Loa Cher Bee Err), this tradition is annually held at late of August untill the beginning of September after the rice and corn planting are done. There are 3 different kinds of swings: The giant swing which is built by the cooperation of villagers (Laa Cher) The Spinned Swing (Kam Laa La Cher) The Small Swing which is built at the front of each house (Err Ler). The Akha Swing Ceremony makes a great fun and wonderful time to people and it means to fertilise their plants as well. The Dancing (Bor Chong Too Err) is held only during the ceremony. Both men and women are wearing thier beautiful tribal dresses and they come to the field of village or the wide place. There are the equipments for dancing: The wood drum Cow-dear skin (Tong) Gong (Bo Lo) Small up-shaped cymbals (Jair Lair) Wood tube (Bor Chong) There are different kinds of dancing: Dancing in a circle, they dance by following the rhythm of the drum and move from left to right all together. The bamboos hitting style, women have to have the bamboo tube to hit one another for making a noise and men may dance in circle with women as well. A pitch-and-toss game (Ar Ber Chor Err) is played during the ceremony or The Yoor Kam Day because they are having free time. This is regarded as a female game. They keep the snuffbox bean for making toys. This game is usually played in team. The General Entertainments The Three-wheels is a game which is not able to find the its background but it is the popular game for the Akha children. They get a big piece of wood to make 3 wheels. Next, these woods will be tightly hammered or tied all together. There is only one wheel at the front and 2 wheels on the back. Moving to the speed tips; the rinds are hammered or pounded into tiny pieces and stick it on the wheels. This kind of rinds are sticky and slippery. It makes a great speed for 3 wheels. The children will preserve it for using in the future. The Akha kids like to bite the rinds and chew them into the small pieces and when they are ready to use, they stick it on the wheel. Three wheels is a dangerous game. It may cause dangers in the case that children did not make it well enough. The BamBoo Longed Legs (Mor Nor) is the adventurous game for people who have never played before because the player have to make balance and it is quite tall. There is the background of The Akha Bamboo Longed Legs: long time ago Akha had settled down together with Thai Lier but they could not get along with each other. Thai Lier had set many sport competitions such as the archery, running and so on. The Akha were almost the losers in every game. After the defeat, they gathered together and discussed about the way to beat Thai Lier up. They had the idea to create The Bamboo Longed Legs in roder to win Thai Lier. Then, the Akha set a team for the game and seriously practise by cutting the bamboo which was as long as they could find. The Akha went to Thai Lier village by walking on The Bamboo Longed Legs at night and dropped the goat's shits around the field in the village. The following day, they crowded around and looked at the goat's shits. They were antonished by the goat's shits without their footmarks. Another night, the Akha went to Thai Lier village by walking on The Bamboo Longed Legs once again. This time they fooled dogs to bark. The Thai Lier went out to find the reason that made the dogs bark but they found nothing because the bamboos were very tall and it was also dark. When the time passed by, the Thai Lier felt uncomfortable with the situations. They thought that they were teasing by ghosts. Then, they moved out from the village. Then, the Akha had conquered Thai Lier's place and this is the backgroud of the Akha Bamboo Longed Legs. The Akha went to Thai Lier village by walking on The Bamboo Longed Legs at night and dropped the goat's shits around the field in the village. The following day, they crowded around and looked at the goat's shits. They were antonished by the goat's shits without their footmarks. Another night, the Akha went to Thai Lier village by walking on The Bamboo Longed Legs once again. This time they fooled dogs to bark. The Thai Lier went out to find the reason that made the dogs bark but they found nothing because the bamboos were very tall and it was also dark. When the time passed by, the Thai Lier felt uncomfortable with the situations. They thought that they were teasing by ghosts. Then, they moved out from the village. Then, the Akha had conquered Thai Lier's place and this is the backgroud of the Akha Bamboo Longed Legs. The Cultural Yard / The Community Yard ( Dae Khong / Kar Par) The entertainments which were played at The Cultural Yard were the night entertainments under the bright moonlight. After the returning from the fileds, both men and women were preparing themselves to go there ( Dae Khong). They wore their traditional hill tribe dresses for dancing and singing the songs and they might chat with the old generation about the traditions and cultures. Turning to the men, they had to collect the firewood for lighting. Besides, they also danced and it was a great chance for them to choose their mates for the rest of their whole lives. After the entertainment was done, those youngers would return their homes for taking a rest because they had to work in the fields the next day. The Akha lifestyle at that time was just like mentioned before because they did not have the great education. Then, they were on the disadvantage about that. However, they were really smart about the folk knowledge that they should reserve and passes it through generations. The smoking competition (Hor Chee Hor Tha Err) It is the entertainment for the old people who smoke the tobacco. They will gather together and make a competition by smoking the tobacco until it turns red as much as possible. After that, they are playing the games, questioning things. When the games are over, they will have to smoke again and whose pipes have no more fire. That means, the people are loser and the people who still can smoke are the winner. This entertainment is the game for the old people when they have free time. The cup moulding (Orr Mar Tae Err), children are digging clay for prick in the middle of the clay by their elbows and make a whole which is similar to the cups. Then, they pour water in that hole. It is the entertainment for kids played in the ceremony; they have to pray the incantation when the old people are died. Therefore, it is one of the important entertainments for the Akha.

http://akha.hilltribe.org

Lifestyle : Animal Trabs

The Akha are experts in hunting and cooking. They do this by making traps to get the animals. The traps are usually made from April to December.

Popular Akha  animals traps are: 1.The bird trap (Lor Tong Err/ Sa Tor Tong Err) The bird trap is very popular for the Akha lifestyle. It is useful in order to get the birds for cooking. They use the chrysalis (Ar Hoo Ba) and the moth as baits for the trap. They stick insects inside the traps and make them move. When the birds see them moving they will try to get the insects. Unfortunately, they become entrapped and it is impossible to escape. The bamboo worm’s trap is where they leave the worms for many days. This is different to the trap mentioned above. According to Akha beliefs, the moth trap can not be left for many days because the ghosts will become entrapped. They trust that the human’s night time is the day time for ghosts and they will live their lives at that time. The Akha are scared of this and the belief is passed down through the generations.

2. Ream or a trap (Lor Joo Tong Err-Akha language, Heaw- Northern Thai language). This trap can be made throughout the entire year. In the past, if they wanted to build this kind of trap, they had to look for the auspicious day called “ Nor Meu” in Akha language. They would not build the trap on the same day as their birthdays, for example the tiger day or the sheep day and so on. They believed that if they built the trap on their birthdays, the spirits would come and sit around. Birds and jungle animals were afraid of becoming entrapped. There are many different sizes of Lor Ju (The traps). The sizes depend on the type of the birds. The Lor Ju is only used to trap poultry that look for food on the ground like the jungle chickens. The process to make the trap is easy. Firstly, before making the trap, they have to clear a row through the weed but make sure there is grass cover on either side of this row. They have then made a space for putting the trap and a space for the animals to walk to it. The trap itself is made of bamboo in a “P” shape. The rope or the liana are used to lace and form a circle. There is another wood which is used with Lor Ju at the tip of the wood. They then bend the wood until it touches the ground and make a hook for locking it up. The hoop is made as big as the bird’s head size. The hoop is in the same height as the bird’s head. When the birds walk close to the trap, their heads will release the set trap. Then, the birds will keep walking and try to flee from the trap. However, when the hook is unlocked, the stick which has been erected will bounce up and their heads become captured by the hoop.

3.Yah Toom Der Err               Yah Toom is a trap for bamboo rats (Oh Pee) or animals which are looking for food in the bamboo clump. Yah Toom is usually set around these bamboo clumps. They will use large wood to block the animals. The method to block it is to lift the tip of the wood up and lock it to the top. There is a crack below and bone is used here as a bait. Then, the animals can see it and eat it up until they are trapped.  The big wood will fall over their bodies and kill them. The day of good luck is set for the making of the Yah Toom Der Err trap. It should be an auspicious day for the family. This day is not the same day as the birthday of the builder but it should be the birthday of another member of the family. On the other hand, the day of someone’s death, if it is an abnormal death (a death which was not caused by nature), is not a good day. Akha will do nothing on such a day. Before making the trap, (the digging day and putting in the pole and so on) the builders must not have sex with their wives because it will make the trap ineffective.

The Yah Toom Trap is used from the time after planting rice until the New Year festival (Kha Tong Ar Pure). The trap will be taken back after the New Year Festival. In the case where the animals are trapped during the festival, the owners can not ask money for any damage caused by the death of their animal because everyone knows that it is the season for trapping. On the other hand, if the animals are trapped after the season is finished the owners can ask for reimbursement for the damage caused.

4.Yah Toom Jay Yah This type of trap is different from the one used at the bamboo clump because they create a fence which covers a large area and allow a space for the animals to walk inside. Spaces along the fence are built with large pieces of wood. Rope is tied at the same height as the animals’ feet and when they walk close to the rope and touch it, the wood will fall over them. As with the Yah Toom Jay Yah trap, the builders must not have sex with their wives because the Akha believe that if they have the sex, the animals will not become trapped. They therefore have to prepare themselves very well. They also carry out a ceremony before making the trap which uses egg, rice, tea and ginger. Firstly, they are make merit and apologize to the deity of the mountains where they are going to hunt. They have to let all the super natural things know that the areas are the place of food and they hunt the animals only for their survival. They will ask for help from the deity to find them a fews animal to trap. They do not ask for big animals just a small one and a thin one rather than a fat one. There is a saying in the Akha language “ Sa Ja Sa Tor Sa Yair Ma Day Lair Yor Heu Ma Nger Yor Yah Yor Choo Ma Nger Yor Jae Bi Nair La”.

5.Lor Per Tong Err is usually held at the same time as Yah Toom Der. This type of trap is used for trapping big animals such as deer, wild boar or tigers. The trapping must be a lucky day for the family; they are not allowed to have sex with their wives before the day on which the trap is built. They have to dig the ground to place poles in it. The shadow of the builder should not cover the hole because otherwise it can not be magical according to Akha belief. The processes for making this trap starts with finding large pieces of wood. They make a fence and leave space for the animals to walk inside before they make the trap. There is a wood which is erected outside the fence and the top of the wood is bent down inside the fence. Then they use a strong rope like the jute (Yor Khong) for making a circle. When the animals step inside the circle, the tip or the wood which has been erected in the ground is freed. This wood will bounce the animals into the air. When they get the animal, they will take off its skin and stick it next to the trap. The animals will not be dead in this trap. However, the hunters will shoot them before taking them out. After killing the animals, they will share the meat, put it in a bag and take it back to their houses.

6.Jay Ber Tong Err is a trap for big animals like wild boar, tiger, deer and so on. The trick of this trap is that the sharper stick will directly shoot the animal and they will die when it touches the rope. This type of trap is quite dangerous for people who do not know about it. They may be unintentionally hit by the trap. So the Akha put this kind of trap in areas where there are not so many people around. They also place symbols to warn people that there is trapping in the area and to be careful. The trap is usually set on animal paths. They will sharpen the wood and use strong rope to block the way with the liana. After the animals touch the rope, the sharpe stick will directly hit the animals. The stick is set to hit at the belly level or the heart. An animal would die almost immediately if they are hit by this kind of trap.

             Akha belief says there must be Yah Toom Der Err Jay Ber Tong Err and Lor Per Tong Err animal traps in every family. By making them family members can live in comfort. The Akha believe that families which do not have these trap will not be happy. They may get sick all the time or they may die for no reason. This is the reason for having the various kinds of traps.

     Nowadays, the number of traps used is decreasing because society has changed and there are different influences on the hill-tribe lifestyle. The ways in which people earn a living have changed. They now mostly buy food which is easier and more comfortable compared to making traps or hunting animals in the jungle. The process to make a trap is quite complicated for the younger generation to understand and make use of.

Lifestyle The Iron Equipments Beating

In the past, agriculture was the occupation of the Akha because they were living on the top of the mountain. This is the reason why they did the agriculture. It was so hard to buy the equipments for planting and there were no one who sold it. Therefore, there were the Akha who knew and was an expert n iron works called “Pa Jee”. They are in the 2 nd position in the society lower than the witch-doctor. Therefore, the Akha paid respect to them alot. Pa Jee is from the community election, the villagers would choose a person who had the ability on iron beating to be Pa Jee and he would be a person who made the iron equipments for agricultural stuff.

The villagers would take the charcoal got from the fire burning with them if they wanted Pa Jee to make the equipments. After Pa Jee had done them the equipments, they had to help him working in a field for a day. The Akha Iron Beating could be done everyday without any holidays. On the exception, if there were no more other missions to do or there were someone in the village died, the iron beating would be paused. The name of the place called “La Jee Zoom” was the holy place where every one in the village took good care of it. No one should show disrespect to this place.

Both men and women should not urine on the iron beating area “ Lar Jee Zoom” if somebody broke the rules. That village would be cursed.This is the Akha belief passed from generation through generation. On the other hand, if somebody saw him/her, he/she would get fined by one pig or a bottle of spirits in order to treat the ghosts.
At present, this duty is still remained for a group of people who are still strickly following the old tradition but they have less duty because the villagers are possibly looking for the equipments from the town. It is easier than find someone to do the iron work in many ways such as it saves more time and no need to find the charcoal for treating the maker. Besides, the villagers do not have enough land to do the cultivation, therefore, the using of agricultural equipments is decreasing without arguing.
http://akha.hilltribe.org

Lifestyle : The Day Counting

According to the Akha  way of life, the day counting is part of the culture which goes together with their everyday life. They usually rely on the lucky day for doing the ceremonies. There is the legend about the Akha day counting saying that “ long time ago, the Akha did not know the difference between each day because the sunrise brought the brightness and when the sun set, the darkness covered the whole place. It was always like that. Therefore, the Akha day counting was introduced by calling the days the name of the animals. Each animal representing one day in the week. Then, each animal that was involved with the  Akha day counting became important and got a history. Besides, in the case the villagers forgot to count the day and they had to ask the information from other villages, they had to pay almost a rupee and a bottle of spirits. The Akha called “Nga Sri Por Zoo”. This way of counting the days made use of 12 animals. Another name for this way of counting the days is “ 12 Zodiacs” with a representative of each day in the week, and each week, called “Tee Jor” in Akha language, consists of 12 days. The animals are:

“Yor” means the sheep day and is regarded as the birthday of God (Ar Peaw Mee Yair) a person who gave birth to the universe. The Akha do pay respect to this day and everyone will stay home. This day is a holiday for the Akha and nobody works on this day. This day is the official holiday or the general holiday. Activities and work which are not involved with agriculture can be performed on the holidays.

“Home Yah” means monkey day ( year of the monkey), it is the death day of the first person who prays in the ceremonies (Pee Ma). This is the reason why it is important and has been assigned it’s own day.

	“Yah” means chicken (year of chicken). The Akha believe that chickens know the opening and the closing time of the sun. They know the day and the night, therefore the chicken is perceived to be important and this way the chicken was assigned to a weekday .

“Kheu” means dog (year of dog), dog is a loyal animal and they take care of things and all properties for human. Therefore, the dog is assigned to a day.

“Yah” means pig (year of pig), the Akha feed and raise them up for eating and using in the religious ceremony. The Akha believe that it is an important animal, and this way the pig came to be assigned a day in the week

“Ho” means rat (year of rat), rats are living in the fertile land. The full name is Kong Ho, they are in the same family as other rats.

“Yow” means buffolo is an animal that help humans in working and in transportation, so it given big importance and the buffalo has been assigned a day in the week.

“Kha La” means tiger (year of tiger), it is a fierce animal and it has a great power over other animals. This is the reason  why it takes a role of the leader. Besides, this day is known as “ the holiday” of the Akha which is the less important than “Yor”; a sheep day. Nowadays, it is still a holiday. The Akha are still doing work on this day, but only work that has nothing to do with agriculture. The Akha will still work for money in other places.

	“Tong La” means donkey; donkey is a strong and patient animal. They carry things for human. Then, it has been assigned a weekday.

“Long” means rabbit (year of rabbit) is the birthday of god, the land builder named “Ja Bee Jan Long”. No one is allowed to bury the wood into the ground on this day. If anybody forbid the rule; they may be cursed to be deaf and they have to do the apologetic ceremony. Then, the curse will be erased. The Lomi Akha also regard this day as a holiday.

“Zair” is an animal which is similar to a fox. They live in cold areas. It is impossible to say whether there was really one that existed. However, there is a legend of this animal, once upon the tome, there was a heavy storm and caused a great damage to human’s residences. Then, this kind of animal was lying down in front of the hole and block the heavy storm. Thus, there was no more damage. The Akha believe that this animal is very powerful and is able to protect the humans from damage. The Akha perceive this animal as important and it has been assigned a weekday.

“Hmong” means horse (year of horse); it is a kind of animal for carrrying things and it is used as a vehicle for travelling. It is a useful animal for humans and therefore it has been assigned a day in the week.

Notice: Akha believe that one should not bury wooden poles in the ground except for three days in the week: “Yor” sheep day, “Long” rabbit day and “Kha La” tiger day.  These days are opposite in the animal zodiac when counting the days and the years. For example,  in the year of the chicken the three days are opposite each other on the same day of chicken day counting; Akha called this day “Koh Ger Nong Ger” and in one whole zodiac round, or “Tee Jor” as the Akha call it, there are two holidays: “Yor” day or sheep day and “Kha La” day or tiger day. They will not do anything in these two days because they are the holidays.

http://akha.hilltribe.org

Lifestyle : Month Counting

The Akha is a tribe that use the month counting for guiding their daily activities both in traditional religious ceremonies and in the agricultural stuff. The Akha month counting begins on the 1 st night of the period of the waxing moon until the 14 th night of the period of the waning moon. There are about 30  days a month in average. This is the month counting and the meaning of each month. 1 .Pare Lar Bar Lar is similar to January. There is another name for this month “Yah Moo Yah Yah Too Bar Lar” which means the month for preparing agricultural land, weed out and burn the grass and unwanted plants. This is a month of Zakura because they are blooming during this month. The Akha call Zakura “Pare”, this name is in use for the Akha month counting until today. 2. Jor Lar Bar Lar is similar Febuary . Jor means stay or stop; this meaning is understood as the month for taking a rest. Especially for the Akha men, they are ready to look out for women for marrying. They travel to other villages. Turning to women, they are preparing their ornaments, spinning and pulling the cotton thread for weaving a big piece of cloth. They will use that cloth for making blouses and skirts. This is the reason why there is a proverb “ Par Eum Bar Lar Yah Hom Yah Teum Ngair Dair Kar Par Err Chae Hom Yah Per Share Nim Dong Ter Err” which means the month for looking for mates and weaving. 3. Peaw Toh Yar Bar Lar is similar to March. The Akha have a saying for this month “Bew Hor Yah Song Chee Ba La Ma Chee Lae Err Bor Chong Ma Cha” means the temperature in this month is very high. It cause the plants to die and it is furthermore a dry month so there is not enough food from agriculture. The Akha will burn down areas to prepare them for the next cultivation. 4 .Seum See Bar Lar is similar to April, this month is the beginning of the new season. There is an ongoing research about the ceremonies for people who are interested, especialle the ceremony that is elevating the women to the same level as men. This ceremony is called “Yah Yair Eum Err” in Akha language. After the ceremony is done women will have the same right as men have and they can be a part of the ceremony. There is a legend about this month: The religious leader will not have a sexual intercourse with his wife. If he forbid the rule, the seasons will be changed . There are some more ceremonies in this month: -The Red Egg New Year “Keum Sue Keum Mee Ar Peaw”. -The Village Constryction Ceremony “Lor Khong Doo Err”. -The Praying to The Village's Spirit House Ceremony “ Mee Song Lor Err”. 5. Cha Ngor Bar Lar is similar to May, another name for this month is “Cha Ngor Sair Kar Bar Lar Cha” means soil. Ngor means lever, it is the month for planting in the fields because the rainy season is coming. Fromm this month, the Akha have to work harder for growing plants and store it for consumption the following year. There is no marriage until the cultivation season is past. However, there is an exception for the necessity in a situation, such as a woman that gets pregnant, then a marriage can be held. There are also 4 religious ceremonies in this month: - The Initial Rice Growing “Sair Kar Ar Peaw” - The Repair a Holy Well “E Sor Lor Koh Lor” - Yoor Kam “Boo Dae Jae Long Err” in order to apologize all the insects that died during the cultivation. - Yoor Kam “Beaw Oh Long Err” it is a ground beetle catching ceremony; are the rice enermy. 6. Khong Lar Bar Lar is similar to June, according to The Akha belief, all animals are getting strong and every single tree are growing perfectly in the way that it should be. There is one proverb saying “ Mar Khong Lar Err Hoh Yah Nga Yah Mar Jor Kar Kong Yi Eaw Tong Nong Kong Lar Nga Ar” means that all animals have grown up, even the cricket, which is in a hole, also has strong wings. There is a ceremony to give propitiatory sacrifice to the source of the river. The Akha call this ceremony “E Joo E Mair Sue” 7.Che Lar Bar Lar is similar to July , after the agriculture is done. During this month, the rice will grow about ankle high. This is the first time for the Akha to weed out. There will be heavy rain which damage the land surface. There is the proverb “ Chay Lar Mee Nae Yair Dar Kor Err” means the collapse of the land surface brings only red soil. There is the ceremony for this month called “ Kheum Pee Lor Err” or the ceremony for making a merit in the rice field. 8. Chor Lar Bar Lar is similar to August. There is another Akha name for this month “Chor Err Ler Lar Cher Bee Bar Lar” means the month for playing the swing because this entertainment will be held at the end of this month until the beginning of September. By counting the rounds of performing the rice growing ceremony the Akha will perform it 8 rounds and just as entering the 9 th round (after 97 days), the Swing ceremony can be held. This month only have the Swing ceremony. 9. Yor Lar Bar Lar is similar to September and there will be a heavy rain in this month. This is the month to perform the Yor Lar ceremony. There is a story that “long time ago during the Yor Lar Ar Peaw ceremony, a buffalo was killed to be used in the ceremony, which resulted in heavy raining. The water level rose to the level of the ears of the dead buffalo, and finally the water removed all hair from the buffalo's ears. Ever since then, the buffaloes have had no hair on their ears. Furthermore, the Akha will not kill buffaloes for the use in this ceremony. There are 5 ceremonies in this month : - Yor Lar Ar Peaw ceremony. - Yoor Kam on Pig day “Yah Long Err”. - Yoor Kam on Sair day; an animal which has a great power. - Plucking Chicken Ceremony “Ya Ji Ar Peaw”. - The Evil Driving out Ceremony “Ka Yair Yair Err”. 10. Sri Yair Bar Lar is similar to October, Sri comes from Ar Sri which is the word used for fruits. Yair comes from Ar Yair that means flower. During this month, all the tips of the plants are blooming and bearing fruits and therefore the month is called like this. Besides, during this month the rice in the fields are ready for harvesting. There is a proverb which is talking about it “Sir Yair Sair Keu Ter Bar Lar”. There are 2 ceremonies in this month: - The ceremony for Choosing an Auspicious Day for the Community “Yor Poo Nong Meu Say Err”. - The New Rice Eating Ceremony “Chair Nim Jee Err” 11. Nong Yair Bar Lar is similar to November and is the month when the Akha starts to harvest their rice and store it in the barn. They also make a barn in front of the house to use in the ceremony called Chair Jee See Mar Eu Keum. In this ceremony, the straw which is taken at the first time “Pong Yeaw Pare Yah Err” will be used. The rice seed is taken as well. The last harvest ceremony will be held this month which means the rice growing season is over 12. Tong Lar Bar Lar is similar to December and is the last month of the year. This month show the end of the cultivating season the resting season, or the dry season, is coming. From this month and onwards the Akha opens the barn where they store the rice. They will open the barn on the 3 rd day of the Top Hitting Ceremony. During this month the Akha perform Top Hitting Ceremony “Ka Tor Pa Err”.

http://akha.hilltribe.org

Lifestyle : Marriage

The Akha are a meticulous tribe for living their lives, and adhere to auspicious days for performing ceremonies. In the case of a bad day or a bad month there will not be performed any ceremonies for finding a spouse. The Akha men can marry their beloved woman even though they have just met each other only one time. The Akha have a principle for choosing their spouse which is a must do and it is a really important one too. They have to ask for each others blood relations and clans to find out whether they have the same roots or not. If they have the same roots, it is impossible for them to marry one another. However, if there is 7 generations or more to a common root it is still possible for them to marry. Furthermore, they have to ask for each others birthdays. There are some things about the birthdays that are very important. The Akha are careful if a man have birthday on the tiger day and the women have birthday on the pig day. If this situation happens, there won't be a marriage between the two of them because it is related to the biting day in the Akha belief. Tigers like to eat pig. Thus, the couple will not be happy in their married life. However, there are still some examples of marriage in this situation. It is believed that if a man bites the woman, she will run away and back to her own house. On the other hand, if the woman was born on the tiger day and the man was born on the pig day, then marriage is severely not allowed, because if the woman is the one who bites, then there is no place for the man to run away to. The woman comes to the home of the man that she is marrying, and therefore he has nowhere else to run to. From this, we can see that the Akha are very delicate in choosing their spouse, which is influenced by their beliefs that has been passed through generations. In the case that a couple can not have a son, the man have to marry again, so that he can have a son to continue the clan in the future. If a man and a woman decides to marry one another, the respectable family members from the man's side will go and ask for the woman from the woman's parents. In the case that they can make a deal, the groom will take the woman to his own house and she will stay with his relatives for one night. The Akha wedding will be celebrated for 3 days. On the wedding day, there will be a “Yair Mor” (an elderly person who knows how to perform the ceremony) which is a person who perform the wedding ceremony before the bride move in to the village. This person will help to clean the bride's body and the elderly people will hit the roof of the groom's house with sticks, because it is believed that this will get the bride's spirit to move into the house. When the bride and the groom have been taken into the house, the elder people will circle an egg around their bodies for 3 rounds, being careful not letting the egg fall down, because it is believed that if the egg falls down and breaks, the couple are not going to have any children and will not get merit. This ceremeony is the most important one. After that, one chicken will be slaughtered and the its legs, calfs, head, heart, sweet filling, rump and a piece of meat are cut off and cooked for the groom and the bride. It is known as the first meal for the couple, and they have to eat it up, because whether the couple will have kids or not and whether the kids will be strong and healthy or not, all depends on this ceremony. Moreover, a pig is slaughtered and opened to see the heart and the liver to give a prediction if the babies are going to be boys or girls and the appearances of the babies. The following day the woman have to wake up early to do the housework like fetch water and cooking. Then the elderly people will be invited to eat at the groom's place and they will sing songs to bless the groom and the bride. In the evening they will drink liquor. The bride and the groom have to hold their glasses and ask for the elderly people to pour them the liquor. It is like asking for merit from the elder people. On the 3 rd day, the bride has to go and get red bananas (Na Ngay) in the forest. She will burn the banana stalk for the guests to eat. A chicken will be slaughtered to treat the elderly, and they will bless the bride and the groom. Additionally, the guests apply the lampblack on their hands. The guests at the wedding will apply vegetable oil on their hands and get the lampblack from the bottom of the pots and apply it to each other. They will also apply it on the couple. It is a kind of a patience test before the bride and the groom are going to live together.

http://akha.hilltribe.org

Lifestyle : Occupation

According to the traditional Akha legend, no matter what, the men should be superior to the women. Women are the ones who take care of things. For example, agriculture is done to support the family. Any excess products will be sold. The primary Akha occupation is cultivation. They prepare fields for agriculture that are situated at least 3 to 5 kilometers away from the community. The community's forest will not be used for agriculture. However, if anyone grows their plants nearby the community and those plants are destroyed by animals, then the animals' owner have to pay no reimbursement for the damage. This is a rule in the community. The way to choose were plants should be grown, is based on the beliefs of the village. There are corn, rice and different kinds of beans and vegetables in the fields. The Akha have their own techniques for growing plants by mixing all the seeds up with rice. The seeds will all be planted in the same area. They make use of the same area as much as possible. They like to grow vegetable, chili, beans next to the river or their fences. The reason that they grow these kinds of plants near their houses is because it is hard to walk 2-3 kilometers to get vegetables. Therefore, they grow the plants close to where they live. When they are going to the fields in the evening, they will pick some vegetables back home as well. The Akha men do the work in the fields and they also go for hunting when they have free time to supply their diet. The women take care of the housework such as cooking and gardening. They occupations which the Akha usually do are: •  Growing rice; they plant for themselves because they are living in a big family. Therefore, they have to grow enough rice for everybody to eat. •  Growing corn; this is almost the same as rice, because they grow it for themselves and as food for animals. •  Growing ginger, they plant it for selling. Besides, it is used as a herb for the family to eat. There are both rice and vegetables in the same area. However, they plant more rice than vegetables. Many kinds of vegetables are grown in the same area. •  Hunting is another occupation that the Akha like to do. They will go hunting in a group when they have free time. If they get a big animal such as wild boar, deer or tiger and the like, they will share it in the village. The hunter who killed the animal will have the biggest piece of meat, and hunters in the same group will get the bigger pieces of meat than others. •  Breeding animals. The Akha breed the animals for consumption and for use in religious ceremonies. Thus, they have to breed lots of animals. Most animals are pigs, horses, cows, buffaloes, goats, chicken and dogs. They grow corn for feeding the animal. Those animals that are not used for religious ceremonies or consumption are taken for selling or exchanging with goods in other villages or in the same village. •  General works for making money. At present the Akha do not have enough land to earn their living. It leads them to look for employment in the cities. They take jobs as doing general work in town in order to get money, or they work with forestry for the Forestry Department.   •  Looking for things from the forest is a secondary job from growing plants in the fields. After all work is done, the Akha go to the forest and look for valuable things there. People from outside the village comes to buy the items from them and they may keep some of the collected items for eating themselves. Most things that they get from the forest are bamboo shoots, mushrooms, bamboo worms and a kind of plants for making brooms, and so on. This is an important occupation for the hill tribe people who live on the top of the mountains. They know all the seasons and what they can collect in a particular season. The Akha's habit of moving residence is the reason why they today do not have enough land to make a living. Even the houses they build are only meant to be temporary residences.

http://akha.hilltribe.org

Lifestyle : The Fishing Methods

The Akha are an active hill tribe who usually seek for new things, including things for use in daily life and things to nourish their lives each day. They normally do fishing in every season; rainy season, summer and the cold season. There are different methods to fish in each season. The fishing methods are shown below.

“Tar Chee Chee Err” is one of the Akha fishing methods which is really popular among the housewives or the old people who are free from work in the fields. This fishing method is chosen to do in the rainy season or in slush. They use the earthworm as bait. The process is as follows. First, they have to cut a stick which is about 40-50 cms long and make a hole at the top of the stick with a burned, sharp piece of iron. Then, prepare the liana which is called “Chi Koo Ar Ja”, which is a strong liana that hardly can be torn. The Akha like to use this kind of liana for sewing bags. After they have prepared the stick and the liana, then they go to get the bait. The earthworms are weaved with the prepared liana. They will be tied with the stick after it is done. Then they prepare a place for keeping the caught fish called “E Yong”. They put the stick which is full of bait in the water when they arrive at the river. As soon as the fish comes to eat the bait, they will put the “E yong” over the fish. People who can do this method have to be active and move very fast.

•  “Nga Song Song Err” is the Akha fishing method by closing the waterway with bamboo and leave only a small space for the fish to swim through. During the space, the bamboo is neatly weaved to get the fish in. In this area the water flow is very strong and it is impossible for the fish to get out of the are if it is already in the area. The trap's owner will take a look every day in the early morning. This kind of fishing has to be done on a good day and also on a good day for the family because they have to erect the stick in the ground. Whatever they do which is related to the stick erection have to be based on an auspicious day of the family. This belief is passed through generations. •  “Nga Long Pee Err” is a fishing methods by blocking some of the water way and open another way for the water to flow. The fishermen will carry stones and put them in a line in the river where they want to catch their fish. Then they will cover the riverbed with soil until it is impossible for the water to flow. Then they use a cup, or another container that can be used to throw water out of the hole, and then catch the fish in there. It is fun to do fishing this way and it is possible to get both small and big fish. •  “Nga Mee Mee Err” is a fishing method which is based on the ability of each person, because they have to catch the fish by their hands. They reach into the holes and places where they think there might be fish. That may be in holes, at stones at the corners or at the roots of trees. Not everyone can catch fish this way. They have to practice many times before they catch the fish. Thus, they dip into the holes and they have to know the right way to catch the fish because there is also a risk that they will catch a poisonous animal in the holes. •  “Yar Der Der Err” is a fishing method which is used at night, and there should be no moon at that night. The Akha believe that fish are looking for food in the dark night. Their technique to catch fish at night requires that they cut a bamboo stick into small pieces and then put it on fire to get light. Next, they go to the river for fishing. At the river, they will see the fish which are looking for food and then they can cut the fish with a knife or use “E Yor” , the fish container, to catch the fish.

http://akha.hilltribe.org

Houes

A 360° picture of the inside of Atee's house.
Notice the division of the house into men's and women's sides. The men's side contains the television and is used for receiving guests.

Click and drag mouse to move picture.

http://akha.hilltribe.org

Believe : Recite the ancestor name

     Akha is the tribe who pass on the knowledge to generations by talking, studying. Now Akha change and adapt the way of living and culture to be consistent with the social. This recite the Akha ancestor rise by the Hilltribe Museum online (www’hilltribe.org) has a meeting with the villager about the cultural. The oldest would like to have a recite the ancestor name because day by day it will lost and the name change to be the same the local name and the Akha people speak Thai.      

The Akha have Thai name because would like to have accept from the society but the Shaman don’t want the Akha people forgot symbolic and the shaman tell the story about the Akha name “In the past has Akha girl and boy, they live in the same village and play together. When they grow up, parents take them to go to study in the different town. They are younger, they change the name from Akha to Thai name and they love each other. On day a guy asked the lady to go to his village, also lady would like him to go to her village. On the way to go to the guy village is the same way to go to her village but she didn’t say anything. When they arrive his family, the lady knows that they are the relative” This is the story about who do not know the origin and the root of life.

The recite Akha ancestor name from generations to generations by the Virtual Hilltribe Museum online cooperate with the Apha and Phukor villager (Akha tribe) to keep on about the Akha ancestor name and pass to the new generation. The Akha name is usually the last syllable of father name will be the first syllable of son name. The Akha history, the first person of Akha name Sumio, then when the Akha recite the ancestor name must have Sumio in the lineage. The recite Akha ancestor name usually will have in the big ceremony such as the funeral ceremony or in the time has dark age, they will pray to ask the assist from the ancestor. Usually, Akha will recite the ancestor name when they would like to know they are the close relative or different and other reason is after have a wedding cerebration, the parents will have a recite the ancestor name to make sure that they are not the same ancestor at least 7 generation.       The example of recite the ancestor name “ Sumio Othele Thelejum Jumhmoryae Hmorjaeja Jatheesee Theeseelee Leephubae Phubaeu Uhnohya Hnoyaso Somoow Moowjow Jowthongphong”

The recite the Akha ancestor activities this time, The Virtual Hilltribe Museum online used VDO camera and after finish this activities, the team will take the record to the village. The villager very blissful and proud that they can keep on the ancestor name to the new generations. These activities hopefully can help the new generation who would like to go to live in the city know the root of life and the lineage and proud them self also…….

http://akha.hilltribe.org