Lahu Sheleh People
The Lahu people are one of several indigenous tribes, which include Hmong,
Lisu, Akha, Mien, Karen and others, inhabiting Northern Thailand. Lahu people
are also living Burma, Laos, Vietnam, and in Yunnan Province in China. The
Lahu Sheleh are a sub-group with their own cultural practices and dialect.
History
Although there are no written records, it is believed, because of the characteristics of their language, that the Lahu people e
merged from the
borderlands of Tibet and Burma. As they migrated south, Lahu people
scattered across continental Southeast Asia. It is not known exactly when
they arrived in Thailand, but Lahu Sheleh villages have been in the vicinity of
Suan Lahu Coffee Farm for the past 45 years, and reported in the neighboring
highlands for a lot longer.
In the past Lahu people were semi-nomadic. They hunted, grew opium for medicinal purposes, and were known for the tea that they supplied to traders along the Silk Road. They used to practice shifting cultivation which requires villages to relocate their rice and opium fields after 5-8 years when soil nutrients were depleted.
Recent Developments
In the second half of the last century Western countries and international Organizations put pressure on Thailand to stop producing opium which was considered an illegal drug. King Bhumibol Adulyadej, Thailand’s monarch, founded the Royal Project in 1969, to promote alternative crop production in the highlands of the Kingdom. In addition, many Christian missionaries were arriving in Northern Thailand at that time, and these two forces provided significant influence on the country’s indigenous people to move toward cultivating new crops. Arabica Coffee was one of the options offered.
Besides being told they had to stop growing opium, the Lahu Sheleh people were no longer allowed to hunt. These and more restrictions had considerable impact on their lives, livelihood and cultural practices. After they began farming the new cash crops, the Lahu communities became permanent settlements, and the villagers now have regular contact with lowland culture - they watch Thai TV, the children go to Thai schools, visitors arrive on a regular basis, and some villagers travel to cities for work and study.
Lahu Culture and Community
Despite the various distractions, the Lahu Sheleh people value and honor their culture by practicing rituals every day. Their spiritual tradition includes a supreme being, Guisha, and they are animist in the sense that they also honor many spirits. In order to be effective, the rituals must be conducted in the proper way. If they are not, and the spirits are annoyed, there will be punishment, a spiritual perspective similar to the idea of Karma.
The well-being of a Lahu community and its villagers is tended to by four village leaders. The Gelupa is the communal priest and performs the rituals and ceremonies for the community as a whole. The Nigashepa is the shaman who attends health issues of the villagers. The Kashepa is comparable to a mayor and is the community representative. The Jalibpa is the blacksmith and the fourth person considered important to found a Lahu village.
Lahu Sheleh is not a written language so there is, instead, a storytelling tradition. Ekkai is the hero of many Lahu stories, or perhaps the anti-hero, since the Lahu are not so proud of him and his clever, devious ways. The legends about him reveal the Lahu people’s past and their reactions to war and conflict. Since Lahu tea has long been revered, and in ancient times the Lahu supplied tea to Chinese traders, many stories tell of Ekkai tricking these traders and making them angry and also powerless against the Lahu.
Cultural preservation
Preserving Lahu culture while negotiating the daily influences of the lowlands is not an easy or straightforward undertaking. One small example of recent compromises between the old and the new concerns the dance Jakuu that takes place in the traditional dancing grounds. These daysmany Lahuwomen follow popular Thai TV dramas, and since these overlapped with the evening
dances, female participation had dropped off. As a result, the dances now start
a little later.
The Suan Lahu Project supports the Lahu Sheleh as they make their way through the challenges and opportunities that occur when they intersect with the lowland culture. One question that arises is how desired change can be realized while safeguarding valuable resources and cultural identity. The answer is evolving each day.
History Although there are no written records, it is believed, because of the characteristics of their language, that the Lahu people e
merged from the
borderlands of Tibet and Burma. As they migrated south, Lahu people
scattered across continental Southeast Asia. It is not known exactly when
they arrived in Thailand, but Lahu Sheleh villages have been in the vicinity of
Suan Lahu Coffee Farm for the past 45 years, and reported in the neighboring
highlands for a lot longer. In the past Lahu people were semi-nomadic. They hunted, grew opium for medicinal purposes, and were known for the tea that they supplied to traders along the Silk Road. They used to practice shifting cultivation which requires villages to relocate their rice and opium fields after 5-8 years when soil nutrients were depleted.
Recent Developments In the second half of the last century Western countries and international Organizations put pressure on Thailand to stop producing opium which was considered an illegal drug. King Bhumibol Adulyadej, Thailand’s monarch, founded the Royal Project in 1969, to promote alternative crop production in the highlands of the Kingdom. In addition, many Christian missionaries were arriving in Northern Thailand at that time, and these two forces provided significant influence on the country’s indigenous people to move toward cultivating new crops. Arabica Coffee was one of the options offered.
Besides being told they had to stop growing opium, the Lahu Sheleh people were no longer allowed to hunt. These and more restrictions had considerable impact on their lives, livelihood and cultural practices. After they began farming the new cash crops, the Lahu communities became permanent settlements, and the villagers now have regular contact with lowland culture - they watch Thai TV, the children go to Thai schools, visitors arrive on a regular basis, and some villagers travel to cities for work and study.
Lahu Culture and Community Despite the various distractions, the Lahu Sheleh people value and honor their culture by practicing rituals every day. Their spiritual tradition includes a supreme being, Guisha, and they are animist in the sense that they also honor many spirits. In order to be effective, the rituals must be conducted in the proper way. If they are not, and the spirits are annoyed, there will be punishment, a spiritual perspective similar to the idea of Karma.
The well-being of a Lahu community and its villagers is tended to by four village leaders. The Gelupa is the communal priest and performs the rituals and ceremonies for the community as a whole. The Nigashepa is the shaman who attends health issues of the villagers. The Kashepa is comparable to a mayor and is the community representative. The Jalibpa is the blacksmith and the fourth person considered important to found a Lahu village.
Lahu Sheleh is not a written language so there is, instead, a storytelling tradition. Ekkai is the hero of many Lahu stories, or perhaps the anti-hero, since the Lahu are not so proud of him and his clever, devious ways. The legends about him reveal the Lahu people’s past and their reactions to war and conflict. Since Lahu tea has long been revered, and in ancient times the Lahu supplied tea to Chinese traders, many stories tell of Ekkai tricking these traders and making them angry and also powerless against the Lahu.
Cultural preservation Preserving Lahu culture while negotiating the daily influences of the lowlands is not an easy or straightforward undertaking. One small example of recent compromises between the old and the new concerns the dance Jakuu that takes place in the traditional dancing grounds. These daysmany Lahuwomen follow popular Thai TV dramas, and since these overlapped with the evening
dances, female participation had dropped off. As a result, the dances now start
a little later. The Suan Lahu Project supports the Lahu Sheleh as they make their way through the challenges and opportunities that occur when they intersect with the lowland culture. One question that arises is how desired change can be realized while safeguarding valuable resources and cultural identity. The answer is evolving each day.
©2010 Suan Lahu