Hilltribes in and around Pai Thailand (Hmong)

Hmong

The Hmong [Meo] is found in many countries in South-East Asia, such as Laos, Yunnan, Thai and Viet-Nam. The Hmong belongs to the Meo - Yao branch of the Austro - Thai linguistic family. There are about 130,000.

The Meo peoples are known as the Miao in China, where they number about 5 million. Meo migrated from China into upland Southeast Asia in the 19th century, particularly into Laos, where they numbered less than 200,000 in the early 1990s. The Laotian Meo supported the United States during the Vietnam War. Many Hmong were killed by the Vietnamese army, fled to Thailand, or were resettled in the United States. Hmong refugees fled to camps to Thailand when their country came under communist control in 1975.

The Hmong are one of the most spread out minority groups. They are scattered throughout South China in Kweichow, Hunan, Szechwan, Kwangxi, and Yunnan provinces. There are also Hmong communities in North Vietnam, Laos, Thailand and even a few in Burma and in USA and Europe. The Hmong are the second largest group In Thailand after the Karen. about 20% of all hilltribes people in the country.

The Hmong in Thailand are divided to 3 subgroups:

-The Blue Hmong [Mong Njua, black Meo, Flowery Meo or Striped Meo]
Women in the subgroup wear the distinctive indigo dyed pleated skirt or kilt with a batik design.

- The White Hmong [Hmong Daw]
White Hmong women wear a white pleated skirt only on ceremonial occasions, but when engaged in everyday work, they put on indigo-dyed trousers.

-Gua M'ba Meo [Hmong Gua M'ba, Armband Hmong]
They are actually a subgroup of the White Hmong. Most are confined to refugee camps. Around and to the west of Chiang Mai, most of the villages are Blue Hmong, whereas in the east only White Hmong villages can be found.

The Hmong are animists and ancestors worshippers they have a shaman and worship nature spirits. The Chinese influence is obvious in their beliefs and practices. The available information indicates that there are eleven clans in Thailand. The names and origins of these clans are recited in Hmong legends.

The Hmong specialized as poppy growers and you can see beautiful blossom in some villages [Try Doi Pui village near Doi Sutep in Chiang Mai].

The Hmong prefers to locate their villages at high altitudes of 1,000 -1,200 m. Rice and corn are the main subsistence crops, and opium is the principal cash crop. The Hmong are more heavily engaged in opium production than any other highlanders in Thailand. The Hmong migrated to Nan Province more then 100 years ago from Laos, but they originated in western China, possibly Mongolia.Tradition:
Blue Hmong women wear beautiful pleated skirts with parallel horizontal bands of red, blue and white, intricately embroidered. Jackets are of black satin, with wide orange and yellow embroidered cuffs and lapels. The hair is tied in a large bun. Men wear baggy black pants and jackets embroidered in a similar way to the women's, closing over the chest with a button at the left shoulder.

White Hmong women wear black baggy trousers with a long wide blue cummerbund with a central pink area which hangs almost to the ground. Their jackets are simple, with blue cuffs. A brimless blue cap is worn by some groups.

Hmong clothing is much in demand in Thailand, and the Hmong have proved in the last few years to be good business people. Hmong women will be seen at markets throughout Thailand selling their handicrafts. Although like the other tribes generally poor, some families have become quite wealthy.

Hmong villages are usually at high altitudes, below the crest of a protecting hill. The Hmong live in houses that sit right on the ground, not on stilts as do some other hill-tribes. However, the main floor of their houses is not at ground level, but rests upon a kind of above-ground basement or root cellar that they use for food storage. Moreover, their house-fronts slope outward and downward, an architectural feature that is the trademark of their villages. Some build the more expensive and comfortable Thai style houses, but in general the Hmong have retained their traditional way of life.

Houses have a dirt floor and a roof which extends almost to the ground. They live in extended families, with two or more bedrooms. There is a large guest platform. The headman has little power, since the Hmong are fiercely independent people who take orders from no one. Before marriage, promiscuity amongst the young is normal. Marriage is followed by a trial period before the bride price is paid. The family is the most important basic unit of social organization and polygon is allowed. Hmong men are expected to do most of the work within the family. Men do the heaviest work, but in practice this means they do little, and expect to be supported by their wives. The Hmong historically grew much opium, and addiction rates in some villages are high, mainly among older males.

The Hmong are strict animists, whose shamans use dramatic methods to contact the spirits. Every house has an altar with a piece of paper covered in cock's feathers affixed with chicken blood. So far there have been few converts to Christianity or Buddhism.

For a long time the Hmong have supported themselves by the cultivation of opium poppy. Most of the Hmong people are turning from opium growing, and are now seeking to market their exquisite needlework in order to supplement their income.

The Hmong , even more than the other tribes, practice a strict male-female division of labor. One custom that especially illustrates this is that of giving a newborn boy a gift of metal from which he will one they forge a weapon, whereas newborn girls receive no special gift. Hmong women traditionally make clothing for their families from cotton or hemp. Their clothing is richly decorated with magnificent embroidery and silver jewelry.

Blue Hmong women wear beautiful pleated skirts with bands of red, blue and white intricately embroidered. Jackets are of black satin, with wide orange and yellow embroidered cuffs and lapels.

White Hmong women wear black baggy trousers with a long wide blue cummerbund. Their jackets are simple, with blue cuffs. Hmong men make crossbows, musical instruments, and other items of wood, bamboo and rattan. Many of the men are also skilled in blacksmithing and gunsmith.

The Hmong are diligent and independent people, fond of wearing their silver ornaments during ceremonies and much devoted to the sky spirit they believe has created their own ancient way of life.The New Year celebration which normally takes place in December is the most important festivity.

Hilltribes in and around Pai Thailand (YAO)

Yao

The Yao [Mien] is linguistically grouped together with the Meo tribe in the Meo -Yao branch of the Austro - Thai family, found in Yunnan in China [Kwangxi and Kwangtung]. There are about 60,000 Yao people in Thailand. Their villages are widely scattered throughout the northeast, with concentrations around Nan, Phayao and Chiang Rai. There are also a few Yao villages in Chiang Mai, Lampang, Sukhothai, Kamphaeng Phet, and Tak. There are perhaps 10,000 or so refugees from Laos, living along the border. The Yao are animists and ancestors worshippers and are influenced from Chinese Taoism. They have adopted many characteristics of Chinese culture as well. The Yao hail from southern China, and at one time had considerable power within the Chinese empire, to the extent that at one time a Yao princess was married to an emperor of China.
They are the only hill tribe to use a written language. Their language, long ago derived from Chinese, is written in Chinese Characters, and they practice a written religion base on medieval Chinese Taoism, although in recent years there have been many converts to Christianity and Buddhism.
They are a very peaceable and friendly people, who pride themselves on cleanliness and honor.
Traditions:
Yao women are noted for their magnificent cross-stitch embroidery which richly decorates the clothing of every member of the family.The costume of the women is very distinctive with a long black jacket with lapels of bright scarlet wool. Heavily embroidered loose trousers in intricate designs are worn and a similarly embroidered black turban. The teeth are commonly capped with gold. The skull caps of babies are very beautiful, richly embroidered with red or pink pom-poms. On special occasions, women and children wear silver neck rings with silver chains extending down the back decorated with silver ornaments.
Men wear a loose jacket which buttons diagonally across the front, with embroidered pockets and edgings.
Yao villages are at high altitude, built usually of wooden planks on a dirt road. There is a guest platform of bamboo in the communal living area, and two or more bedrooms. Girls of marriageable age have a private bedroom in which they can entertain suitors. Their houses feature a space designed for a cooking fire in the center of their main room, as well as a small shrine dedicated to their ancestors and to the guardian spirit they believe to inhabit each individual house. Girls of marriageable age have a private bedroom in which they can entertain suitors.
Households with extended families are common, and polygamous marriage is practiced. Like the Hmong, Mien boys must choose their wives from outside their clans. When a proper bride price is paid they take their wives to live with their parents and any children automatically become members of the father's clan. If a man is poor or a woman is an only daughter, the man may either live all his life with his wife's family or live with them for just a few years before taking his family back to his parental house. Premarital sexual relationships are common and cross-cousin marriage is preferred. The adoption of children from outside or inside the tribe is widely practiced.
The Yao are the "businessmen" among the Hill-tribes, and they also excel in the making of metal farm implements such as axes and plows. Because they've long had a written language, unlike several of the other tribes, they also know how to make high quality paper.The Yao hold their New Year celebration on the same days as the Chinese.