Akha People

credit pics : https://www.facebook.com/Akha-Idol-%E0%B8%87%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%99%E0%B8%8A%E0%B8%99%E0%B9%80%E0%B8%9C%E0%B9%88%E0%B8%B2-196521604119726/

Akha is one of Sino-Tibetan ethnic groups that can be found in Thailand, Myanmar, southern China, Laos and Vietnam.

The history says that some Akha people had to evacuate to Myanmar to make their livings. When a big political change occurred in China, more of them evacuate to the country, China, Laos and Vietnam, as they needed to find peace and better livings for themselves.

For Thailand, it says that Akha evacuated to the country more than a hundred years ago. There could be 2 routes of their evacuations. First, from Kengtung, Myanmar, to Thailand. Second, they left China, travelling through Myanrmar and Laos before reaching Thailand.

There are 5 families Akha who evacuated to Thailand.

1. Hu-Long Family or Saen Oon Ruan Family : This family had of 3 sons whose names were Long-Ka, Long-Tae, and Long-Joe. They inhabited in Mae Sruay County.
2. Hu-Song Family or Saen Prom Family : Also inhabited in the same county as Hu-Long, there were 3 sons of this family: Song-So, Song-Yo, and Song-Ka.
3. Hu-Boe Family : They had 2 sons: Ka-Sa-So and Kaya. Their location is still uncertain.
4. Hu-Tu Family : Hu-Tu had one son named Tu-Jae.
5. Hu-Jae Family : First two sons were Jae-Hue and Jae-Tu. Jae-Tu himself had 3 sons: Tu-Shae or Saen-Jai, Tu-Kho or La, and Tu-Mia.

Nowadays, Akha in Thailand inhabited in Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai, Lampang, Nan, Phrae, Tak and Phetchabun. The whole population is over 70,000. Most of them are in Chiang Rai.

There are 3 minor groups of them: Akha Ulo, Akha Lobisa, and Akha Mho-Poe or Lo-Pue.

Akha hilltribe people have small but strong-looking bodies. Regularly, their skins are dark. For women, their heads are round and their bodies are even longer than their limbs. Men are completely different.

For costumes, both men’s and women’s are quite similar. They wear black skirts and long-sleeved shirts with colourful patterns on. Their hats are decorated with silver beads. They also wrap clothes of the same colours as their costumes around their legs.

Their houses would impress you for sure. Look at how they build their little houses with pieces of wood and how they cover their roofs with dry grass.   Mostly, they build their houses near mountain slopes of 1,200 metres near river sources.

Akha make their livings out of agriculture. They’re hard-working and even spend most of their days around their plantation, rather than with their families. However, sometimes they carry their babies on their backs while they work too. Women can also work as hard as men. For them, gender rights are quite even.

The agriculture of Akha is integrated with modern technologies. Although they live their lives simply, but when it comes to agriculture, they use both modern technologies and their traditional wisdom. That drives their agriculture to further states. You can find them doing various types of modern agriculture, for examples, mixed agriculture, descending plantations, or crop rotation.

About their language, it was separated from Sino-Tibetan and put into ‘Yi type’. Akha People in Thailand usually uses ‘Jue-Ko accent’ for their language. The accent is also used in Myanmar, China, and Laos. It’s quite similar to Lahu language and Lisu language. For your information, the language doesn’t have any alphabet as it’s a speaking language.

Like many other ethnic group, Akha people are superstitious. They have their own rituals and celebrations, for examples, New Year Festival or Kra Tom Pha, Ya Ou Ei Ritual, Lo Ching Cha Ritual, etc. These rituals are combined with superstitions. Like Lo Ching Cha, it’s all about worshipping and showing appreciation to Goddess Phosop, who, according to the belief, has been helping Akha with their rice growing all along. All rituals of every villages will always be started by leaders called ‘Yue Ma’.

If you want to meet Akha People, then we suggest that you should go to Ban Yo Loe, Chiang Rai. This is the most interesting Akha community. It’s a quiet community. The whole area is surrounded with thick mountains. Enjoy touring the village and meet real Akha People. Befriend them and spend a few nights there to have more time to learn about everything you need to know. The village is perfect for those who’re seeking a quiet place to relax their minds.