Hill tribes (Thailand)

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As hill tribes ( Thai ชาว ดอย , RTGS Chao Doi , ชาว เขา , Chao Khao , คน ดอย , Khon Doi or คน เขา Khon Khao ; English Hilltribes ) different are ethnic groups referred to in the mountains and highlands North resident and west Thailand .

Ethnic groups

The hill tribes in Thailand number around one million people. They are divided - in some cases inconsistently - into different groups. Usually the seven main ethno-linguistic groups are named: Karen , Lisu , Akha (also written Aka or Ahka), Lahu , Yao (Mien), Hmong ( Miao or Meo) and Palaung ( De'ang ). With the exception of the latter, these are also recognized as ethnic minorities by the Thai government. In addition, Lawa , Mlabri , Htin and Kamu ( Khmu ) can become the hill tribes.

The larger ethnic groups are further divided into smaller social, linguistic, and cultural subgroups; so are z. b. the Karen can be distinguished into five language groups.

The settlement areas of most of these ethnic groups extend over several states and also include areas in the south of the People's Republic of China , in the north and east of Myanmar , in the north of Vietnam and / or in Laos, where they are Lao Soung ("highland Laotians") or Lao Theung ("Berghang-Laoten") are called.

languages

The hill tribes speak Sino Tibetan ( Akha , Lahu , Karen , Lisu ), Hmong Mien- or Mon-Khmer languages (eg. As De'ang ).

Culture

The cultures of the individual ethnic groups differ considerably from one another, so that the generalization of the term mountain people is problematic. Some ethnic groups practice mining or slash- and- burn agriculture . The Yao also have a body of writing in Chinese .

Social circumstances

Ignored for a long time by the Thai government, numerous development projects have recently tried to improve people's lives. For this one supports u. a. land cultivation, irrigation and ecological silviculture . As a Thai citizen, there is also compulsory military training and schooling , which is why schools were systematically built in the mountain regions. Members of this ethnic minority learn Thai as a foreign language in their first grades. Many come to the markets in the plains with herbs, spices, honey and mushrooms from the forests, products from agriculture and their traditional handicraft, especially textiles and silver jewelry. With the income they get what the advanced civilization of the lowlands offers them, including all western achievements in technology and the entertainment industry. In addition, the progressive tourist development of the inaccessible areas of Thailand means that people can be integrated into the tour operators' tour plans as attractions or objects to be seen. Some members of the mountain tribes grow opium poppies in the Golden Triangle and are professional drug producers in the drug trade .

history

Most of these ethnic groups emigrated from various regions of China and Burma since the second half of the 19th century .

In the 1970s , many hill tribe members of Thailand were persecuted because they were suspected of being affiliated with communism . As a result of Thaiization , however, the members of the mountain tribes have little relation to the members of their ethnic groups living abroad. Nowadays they are often used by tourism operators as welcome accessories for tours to Northern Thailand .

The Lisu migrated from Tibet to Siam at the beginning of the 20th century and still wear their picturesque traditional clothing today. The Akha live in the northernmost part of Thailand and are known for building ornamental portals to their villages with explicit sexual representations to ensure fertility and ward off evil spirits. The Lahu are the only group among the mostly animistic hill tribes who maintain a central temple for worship and rituals. The Yao come from southern China and now settle all over northeastern Thailand; their animistic beliefs are mixed with Daoist elements. The Hmong settle in the Chang Mai area and come from China.

economy

The traditional economy of the hill tribe was extensive agriculture , and the inhabitants had to move to other areas every few years because the soil was depleted and had to lie fallow for some time . A typical family cut down rainforest trees for new fields every year, first drying the vegetation and then burning it to produce ashes for fertilizer . This method required large areas of land for small population groups and probably led to the extensive migratory movements of the hill tribes.

In Thailand this type of cultivation is no longer allowed in recent times. Hunting , fishing and collecting forest products are other livelihoods of the hill tribes. The planned cultivation of opium was added in the 20th century , but with the help of official bodies such as the Thai Royal Development Project , it has now been replaced by other sources of income. This is how richly processed textiles and silver jewelry are created today, which are sold throughout Thailand.

The Karen are the only hill tribe who also grow rice. They live mainly in the border region to Thailand, which is also their original settlement area.

religion

The hill tribes of Thailand differ from the majority Thai population in their beliefs and beliefs, clothing, architecture and many other aspects of daily life.

While most of the Thai are Buddhist beliefs , hill tribes have also preserved the local animist religions . In this case they go to shamans to associate with the local spirits. The Karen are mostly Christian. Many Yao have converted to Buddhism or Christianity. Among the Lisu there are not only adherents of the still widespread animistic beliefs, but also Buddhists and Christians.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Hoare: Thailand. A global studies handbook. 2004, p. 17 f.
  2. ↑ Hoare: Thailand. A global studies handbook. 2004, p. 18
  3. ↑ Hoare: Thailand. A global studies handbook. 2004, p. 17

literature

  • Erik Cohen: The Commercialized Crafts of Thailand. Hill Tribes and Lowland Villages. University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu 2000.
  • Wolf Donner : Thailand. Spatial structures and development . Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft, Darmstadt 1989, ISBN 3-534-02779-5 ( Wissenschaftliche Länderkunden 31).
  • Lucien M. Hanks; Jane R. Hanks; Lauriston Sharp (Ed.): Ethnographic Notes on Northern Thailand . Cornell Univ., Ithaca, New York 1965.
  • Timothy D. Hoare: Thailand. A global studies handbook . Santa Barbara, Cal. 2004, ISBN 1-85109-690-6 .
  • James C. Scott : The Art of Not Being Governed: An Anarchist History of Upland Southeast Asia . Yale University Press , 2009, ISBN 0-300-15228-0
  • David K. Wyatt : Thailand. A short history . Yale University Press, New Haven Ct. 2. A. 2003, ISBN 0-300-08475-7 .
  • The Hill tribes of Thailand. Tribal Research Institute, Chiang Mai 1995.