The Village Gate Building Ceremony

     The Village Gate or “Lor-Khong” is located in the north and south of the village. The name translates to mean “border” or “protectorate” and is sometimes referred to as the “ghost gate”. The Village Gate is built on an auspicious day in April every year to protect the village from evil forces such as Satan and so, illness. This ceremony lasts one day.

      The Village Gate must never be touched or broken; otherwise a ceremony must be carried out in order to receive forgiveness. The community’s religious leader or “Jow-Ma” will announce an auspicious day for the village to come together to fix the broken gate. Akha people call that “Long-Gu-Gu-Er” and do not go to work in the field in this day, do not take the things from the forest.
      The morning in next day, the leader of every household will lead all equipment that must use in constructing the village gate come to form at the religion leader house, then formed fully go to manage construct the village gate. The constructing the village gate must build both of a side of the community or female and male in the same day and must build finished before meals midday as if build not finished still deny grant lunch, then have the distribution and assign well as a person who go to cut the wood for pretend a pole and the beam and other will manage about the place around the village gate, there is grass clearness because the place administration or doing everything around the village gate area can today only this day.

      A pair of male and female wooden dolls can be found hung from the wooden beam of the Village Gate, which show about the origin of Akha people.  The dolls might be accompanied by a gun or a sword which are commonly used in the daily lives of the Akha, or a bird which the Akha believe foresees and informs them of dangers in the village. Today, it is common for airplanes to accompany these dolls instead. In addition, “Ta-Laew” that is made from weaved bamboo, is hung on trees around the Village Gate to guard against individuals who might destroy the gate. This process is repeated to build a similar gate at the rear of a village.
      This is an important day; the Akha villager will not do anything as plant crops, garden, fish, or engage in business.