the Lahu Hill tribes...

My roommates (Daniel, Greg) and I left Singapore to meet up with a couple of Greg's friends in northern Thailand. One of them, Charlie, was Greg's best friend from Princeton who was starting a project based near where he was living and teaching (Chiang Rai). This project, led by Charlie and another lecturer at the university, is an effort to offer a glimpse of the ways of life of the Lahu hill tribes to those of the "developed" world. As a result, contributions are made direct to the villages in order to help sustain their way of life, which is becoming increasingly difficult.

This other lecturer that I speak of is quite the interesting character. He's an extremely bright yet eccentric and quirky American. He was educated at MIT and Oxford, but fled the traditional academic path. While traveling through southeast Asia, he somehow met a young Lahu woman. His first Lahu marriage went awry, but he's been married to his second Lahu wife for 8 years now. He has become immersed into the Lahu way of life and is now a well-respected member of a tribe in northern Thailand. He lives in the rural village half of the year when not teaching in the university in town.

Historically, the Lahu people are nomadic hunters and gatherers, settling in southern China, Burma, Laos, and Thailand. Us boys would comprise the first guinea-pig group of visitors to several of the northern Thai Lahu tribes.

The journey was beyond anything I've ever experienced. We spent five days trekking through the rural hills of northern Thailand living with three different Lahu tribes. And when I say "rural," I mean it. These communities are completely removed from Thai cities and seem to be in a world of their own. Below are some photos to attempt to capture what I was able to witness.

A couple of amazing experiences that aren't captured with photographs:
- sitting around a fire in a hut, chatting (via translator) with the village chief for hours late into the evening. One classic example of the conversation, the chief asking us young men what kind of dowries we would have to pay for our wives.

- attending a Sunday church service in the village. Several of these Lahu tribes were introduced to Christianity about 100 years ago by missionaries. The service was fascinating, seeing the blend of ideas and faiths.

- the general hospitality and grace amongst the Lahu people was so heartwarming. I was a little cautious and distant at first, being careful not too encroach on their sense of normalcy (as our group of 5 guys were extreme outsiders). But the villages really did have open arms and embraced us as visitors. My eyes were eagerly wide open during these five truly special days.

The view as we enter the first village, about 15 families large.

Big brother cooking up some bullets for his slingshot, while also comforting little brother.

We brought balloons for the children. A big hit!

On another one of our treks from village to village. Scarecrow? Check. Guide dogs? Check.



Several villages are able to get some electricity, courtesy of these solar panels that were donated by the Thai government.



Cooking in the hut.



Mother and child.



On one of our treks, we brought along "homemade" rifles. Our hunting leader sniped a bird like it was nothing. Here is me struggling to hit my stationary target (a tree).

This kid is an absolute stud. On our longest and most difficult trek of the trip, this little guy was forging ahead with more energy and enthusiasm than I thought was humanly possible. We all loved this guy and had a great time with him.

Crossbow.

Me and the stud under the waterfall. (The journey to the waterfall was a tough trek, but well worth it).

Lunch at the waterfall. I much prefer banana leaves over plates.

We went on a walk with the village medicine man, picking out herbs for a shoulder-injury remedy.

Hannah -- the daughter of the eccentric MIT+Oxford American and his Lahu wife. She's a cutie and trilingual at the age of 6 (Lahu, Thai, English). Here she is helping to sift the rice.

Here's "Andy" (English name) taking a stroll. He was one of our guides/translators.

Jacob, Charlie, Dan, me. Hiking to the third and final village.

I'm checking out the village soccer field.

Dan and I soaking in the evening view. Is that a Thai cigar in Dan's hand? I think so.

A friendly village game of Sepak Takraw -- a variant of volleyball, but played only with your feet!

In the third village, we were able to witness a tribal wedding! We had the privilege of taking part in the morning feast (it's a ritual to slaughter a pig -- very valuable -- the morning of the wedding to share with the whole village).

One thing I learned... there are two types of Lahu marriages: holy marriages and unholy marriages. Holy marriages are held in the village church, while the unholy marriages are held in the village meeting center. Do you have a guess as to what would make a marriage be "unholy?" Yep, you guessed it... premarital sex. You may wonder, how would the village know whether it's holy or unholy? Well, every couple has to take an oath in the church if they're to proclaim it a holy marriage. And apparently, honesty is paramount and this rule is never disrespected. And to clarify, "unholy" marriages are not necessarily looked down upon so long as the couple is well-received by the village. The wedding that we witnessed was "unholy."

Here's the lovely couple.

The bride, groom, and family walk through the village towards the ceremony.

The wedding is underway!

One of our last treks of our amazing trip.

The trip is near complete, driving back towards Chiang Rai. Andy and Greg's smiles speak for the rest of us with our feelings toward this once-in-a-lifetime journey.