The evacuation route of these Lahu can be traced back to their previous location in Kiew Koh village, which was a part of the territory under control of Khun Sah. During childhood period, they used to live in Piang in Burma. When the Burmese officials charged them with higher taxation in 1977, they avoided paying the tax by moving across the border into Fang District, Chiangmai Province. While living in the boundary area of Fang District, they grew opium to earn a living. They lived in Fang for 12 years. During that time, sometimes they earned nothing because their opium was cut down by the Thai officials. Therefore in 1989, they moved back to Burma again in the area opposite to Mae Hongson. They spent 6 days walking from Fang to Burma and settled in Kiew Kor village, which was under the control of Khun Sah's faction.
At this location, their sons and daughters were able to go to school provided by Khun Sah. The teaching was conducted in Thai Yai language. Four years after that, Khun Sah recruited children for military training, preparing to fight against the Burmese army. In 1993, whenthere was also a rumor that the Burmese would launch a harsh attack on Khun Sah's ground, the Kulao Lahu decided to evacuate to Pang Mapah, Mae Hongson again. However, the Thai officals pushed them back into Burma. Because of the concern for their safety, they finally sneaked back into Thai territory again. This time they walked through the zigzaging rough mountain ranges for up to 4 days. One family lost their baby because of the hardship in the woods and rough terrain on the way.
Since the beginning of 1994, I have admitted 10 Kulao Lahu children to study in my school, located in a Red Lahu village, Pang Mapah District. The girl students studying with me are: Airme, Najor, Itair, Ilae, and the boy tudents are: Patae, Arsir, Buway, Jakar, Jakorpo, and Morsay. These kids are very shy, apprehensive, and less expressive. They barely talk to the teacher. After years of teaching and playing with them, they begin to feel more comfortable with me and begin to speak central Thai, al-though they cannot arrange the sentence gram-matically. This is not a critical problem for someone who opens his mind to accept other human beings. Living in a rough and remote area is not an easy thing for an inexperenced person. Similarly, teaching Thai language to Lahu children who have different language structure is also a complicated thing.
However, I still continue to teach and pay attention to them hoping that when they grow up, they will be good adults who feel grateful to the country and the King of Thailand no matter where they live. THE HIGHLANDERS
tiistai 25. marraskuuta 2008
maanantai 3. marraskuuta 2008
The Road of Khun Sah to Myanmar,the Road of Lahu to Mae Hongson
3
Lahu is one of the tribal people who can be divided into several sub-ethnic groups, more than any other tribal groups in Thailand. Professor Boonchuay Srisawat describes that there are up to 23 Lahu ethnic groups, and one of them is Kulao Lahu.
Lahu is the term they call themselves. The book "the Festivals in the Mysterious Land of Yannan" refers to Lahy as "a tribe that eats roasted tiger meat." This definition expresses the ability of the Lahu as that of competent tiger hunters. Nonetheless, I found that the Lahu in Mae hongson do not eat the meat of the tiger they hunt. They say tiger meat is dirty and obnoxious. Thai people call Lahu "Musur"the term can be split to "mu" which means trivial or little in Thai Yai language and "sur" which means joy or happiness. Combining the two words, the meaning of "Musur" may be interpreted as some littie things that bring happiness.
In the western part of Thailand, there have been regular fights between minority groups and the Burmese army for decades. The fight increases in intensity by the dry season approximately from November to April every year.
The fight has a dirrect impact on the minority peoples who live close to the Thai-Burmese border. Some have evacuated into the boundary provinces of Thailand, namely Chiangrai, Chiangmai, Mae Hongson, Tak and down south to Ratchaburi. In summer 1993, the fight between the Burmese army and Khun Sah's armed forces, an influential group in the area opposite to the Northwest border of Thailand, had resulted in a massive evacuation of the Thai Yai, Lisu and other tribal groups to Thailand, especially in the Pang Mapah and pai Districts in Mae Hongson Province. The Thai officials put them under control and later on sent them back to their original groups. Those who were dismissed, however, did not feel safe in their own territory and attempted to sneak back into Thailand again.
In fact, Idiscovered later on that a group of 63 Lahu who were released by Thai officials had returned to Thailand through a sneak walk along the boundary areas. When they got into the country,,they broke into two groups. The first group, comprising 6 families, 25 males and 16 females, joined the Red Lahu in Y1 village, whereas another group comprising 2 families, 13 males and 9 females had consolidated with the Red Lahu in H1 village.
Initially, I assumed that all the new comers were Red Lahu since they seemed to be well integrated with the former groups and accepted by villagers. It was in 1994 when I discovered that the new comers were not actually Red Lahu as 61 of them were Kulao Lahu and 2 others were Piti Lahu.
On the way home one day, I met an elderly woman who just came to live in Y1 Village. I greeted her, "where are you elderly Red Lahu going?" She replied instantly; "I am not elderly Red Lahu." In fact, she was a Kulao Lahu. Adding the word Red Lahu to the word elderly in the teasing greeting made me discover reality. From then on, I spent some time in the evening and on holidays visiting the houses of the new residents.
My initial study about this group of people suggests that the Kulao Lahu has, to some extent, a different culture from Red Lahu. For instance, some of the words they use are not the same. Kulao Lahu call "Or-A."When someone passes away, the Red Lahu bury the dead person, except in the case of deather hand, will cremate the dead body unless the dead person is a young child then they will bury it. The costumes they wear are also different.
Lahu is one of the tribal people who can be divided into several sub-ethnic groups, more than any other tribal groups in Thailand. Professor Boonchuay Srisawat describes that there are up to 23 Lahu ethnic groups, and one of them is Kulao Lahu.
Lahu is the term they call themselves. The book "the Festivals in the Mysterious Land of Yannan" refers to Lahy as "a tribe that eats roasted tiger meat." This definition expresses the ability of the Lahu as that of competent tiger hunters. Nonetheless, I found that the Lahu in Mae hongson do not eat the meat of the tiger they hunt. They say tiger meat is dirty and obnoxious. Thai people call Lahu "Musur"the term can be split to "mu" which means trivial or little in Thai Yai language and "sur" which means joy or happiness. Combining the two words, the meaning of "Musur" may be interpreted as some littie things that bring happiness.
In the western part of Thailand, there have been regular fights between minority groups and the Burmese army for decades. The fight increases in intensity by the dry season approximately from November to April every year.
The fight has a dirrect impact on the minority peoples who live close to the Thai-Burmese border. Some have evacuated into the boundary provinces of Thailand, namely Chiangrai, Chiangmai, Mae Hongson, Tak and down south to Ratchaburi. In summer 1993, the fight between the Burmese army and Khun Sah's armed forces, an influential group in the area opposite to the Northwest border of Thailand, had resulted in a massive evacuation of the Thai Yai, Lisu and other tribal groups to Thailand, especially in the Pang Mapah and pai Districts in Mae Hongson Province. The Thai officials put them under control and later on sent them back to their original groups. Those who were dismissed, however, did not feel safe in their own territory and attempted to sneak back into Thailand again.
In fact, Idiscovered later on that a group of 63 Lahu who were released by Thai officials had returned to Thailand through a sneak walk along the boundary areas. When they got into the country,,they broke into two groups. The first group, comprising 6 families, 25 males and 16 females, joined the Red Lahu in Y1 village, whereas another group comprising 2 families, 13 males and 9 females had consolidated with the Red Lahu in H1 village.
Initially, I assumed that all the new comers were Red Lahu since they seemed to be well integrated with the former groups and accepted by villagers. It was in 1994 when I discovered that the new comers were not actually Red Lahu as 61 of them were Kulao Lahu and 2 others were Piti Lahu.
On the way home one day, I met an elderly woman who just came to live in Y1 Village. I greeted her, "where are you elderly Red Lahu going?" She replied instantly; "I am not elderly Red Lahu." In fact, she was a Kulao Lahu. Adding the word Red Lahu to the word elderly in the teasing greeting made me discover reality. From then on, I spent some time in the evening and on holidays visiting the houses of the new residents.
My initial study about this group of people suggests that the Kulao Lahu has, to some extent, a different culture from Red Lahu. For instance, some of the words they use are not the same. Kulao Lahu call "Or-A."When someone passes away, the Red Lahu bury the dead person, except in the case of deather hand, will cremate the dead body unless the dead person is a young child then they will bury it. The costumes they wear are also different.
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