“Hill tribe” is the term used in Thailand for various tribal peoples who either are the Indigenous People that are native to the area or migrated to Thailand. Migration of these people to Thailand was from various places, but mostly at the northern border of Thailand. Places where they migrated from mainly were Tibet, Myanmar (Burma), Yunnan-South China or other parts of China and Laos for over the past 200 years. The northern areas of Thailand where these peoples inhabited are usually at the border between Northern Thailand, Laos and Myanmar (Burma). These areas are known for their thick forests and mountainous terrain. The term “hill tribe”, therefore, refers to them as the ethnic minority group living in the mountains.
The six major tribes recognized in Thailand are the Karen (Kariang, Yang), the Hmong (Meo), the Yao (Mien), the Akha (Ekaw), the Lisu (Lisaw), and the Lahu (Mussur). Each hill tribe is distinct with its own language, customs, culture, art, way of dressing and beliefs.
The uniquely example to distinguish each tribe is, firstly, the architecture of the house. The house of each tribe is unique that easily to be discriminated by seeing them or their villages. The village of the Akha, for instance, is distinguished by their carved wooden gates, presided over by guardian spirits. The Akha live in raised houses, within which one small room is set aside for paying respect to ancestors. The Hmong (Meo) live in houses that sit right on the ground. 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. It is an architectural feature that is the trademark of their villages.
Way of dressing is another unique style that remains within each tribe. The black cap covered with silver coins, worn by the women is easily recognized for the Akha. Silver ornaments wearing during ceremonies are the tradition of the Hmong. White blouse-sarong combinations with colorful patterns or beads for trim; the long hair tied back in a bun and covered with white scarves is the traditional style of dressing for the Karen. Lahu (Mussur)women wear several kinds of distinctive dress, although the men clothe themselves pretty much uniformly. The women wear colorful turbans and beautiful earrings, usually of silver.
The traditional way of life based on their professional skills is somewhat makes them distinguish from one another. Although the hill tribes are subsistence farmers, each tribe exposes their tribal characteristic skills. The Karen is one of the examples. The Karens are skilled farmers who practice crop rotation, and hunting. The Lahu is famous for their knowledge of herbal medicine while the Yao is the "businessmen" among the Hilltribes. The Lisus are the "engineers" among the Hilltribes. Most of their villages feature a large bamboo pipe- a conduit that carries the village water from the nearest source.
The main profession of all these tribes, nonetheless, is farming. Likely, all of them tend to migrate whenever they feel that the soil at their present location is becoming depleted. Thus, hill tribes are proclaimed to be associated with the deforestation. The Thai government, from 1960, has relocated the tribes from highland areas to lowland areas.
