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.

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