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Hill Tribe Journal
(Keith)
Here I am after several days of hiking through the northern jungles of
Thailand. The primary purpose of the hike was to see the mountains of
Thailand and the hill tribe people that live in these mountains. The hill
tribe people are farmers and generally hold no specific allegiance to a specific
country. They were migratory (Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, and
Southern China), but some have permanently settled in certain areas. Each
tribe has rituals and customs that they have practiced for hundreds of years,
such as wearing white when they are ready to marry, bright embroidered clothing
(Karen), and spirit boxes that are opened when a house member dies (Hmong).
We visited three hill tribe villages (2 Karen and 1 Hmong); the villages are simple and functional in nature. Cultivating the crops (their primary source of income and food), tending livestock, and weaving clothing are central to their daily activities. As we entered each village we were greeted by a swarm of children, usually the boys; most of the adults were hard at work, e.g. pounding rice with wooden machines, building new homes, tending the rice paddies, etc. Another striking feature of the villages is the ever present pig, dog, water buffalo, and chicken.
The first night we stayed at the home of the village leader; it was obviously sparse by western standards: no electricity, no running water, cooking over a fire in the center of the room, simple mats to sleep on, no heating (and it was very cold . . . ), etc. Our guide (Mr. Green) cooked our dinner and talked to us about the history and customs of the village . . . somehow he also procured some rice moonshine from the villagers, after a drink of it there was no need to brush our teeth that night.
There are some people who feel that visiting these tribes destroys their culture. We were both torn, but decided to do the trek anyway. After visiting the villages, I believe that the visits are acceptable. At each village our guide spoke the tribal language (each has their own, they do not speak Thai) and treated them with high respect. These people are poor and health care is sketchy. At each overnight stop Mr. Green paid for our stay and we each bought water and beer from the locals; therefore bringing some additional money to the village. As any culture progresses naturally some of the customs are altered, but often the good out weighs the changes.
(Lea)
The woman chopped wood while wearing her brightly colored indigo skirt, the same
way her mother, grandmother and great grandmother chopped wood. This was one of
the many sites in my mind from our visit to the Karen hill tribe villages.
Before I add to Keith's thoughts on the Hill tribes, I first want to talk about the rest of the weekend. In order to get to these hill tribes we hiked through the mountainous Doi Inthanon park with a trekking group. Over two days we hiked for hours and hours...and it was not easy hiking. We climbed up and down extremely steep mountains and I fell on the slopes more than once; we trudged through water, across canals and through jungle. For a me, who once shied away from all outdoor activities as a kid, I felt pretty proud of this accomplishment, especially when Keith, who is an avid hiker, told me this was a hard hike. Since college I have become a much more outdoor person and I was rewarded by accomplishing this hike (getting me ready for the two week Nepal trek!) On the hike was by gorgeous views of Thailand's natural beauty. Along the way we also rode elephants to get through a steep part of the hike, Unlike the US and all its precautions, there were no safety belts or helmets when we rode these elephants. What also made this adventure fantastic was the group we were trekking with - Sarah and Peter, from Australia, also on a year RTW and on almost the identical schedule as us for the first 4 months, 4 enthusiastic and friendly Australian girls on their first overseas trip, another RTW traveler from Israel, a couple from Italy and a Canadian. It was great to just hang our with this group, especially by the fire at night, gazing at the most beautiful stars.
Now for the Hill Tribe thoughts. As Keith said, we were torn about whether visiting hill tribes is the "right thing to do." Some believe tourism attributes to losing the hill tribe culture. Others believe tourism has helped bring the government's interest in the hill tribes, which leads to more schools, health care visits, and helps to teach the tribes to replace the old slash and burn method of farming (not the Karen tribe who cultivate rice, but tribes such as the Hmong). After visiting the Hill Tribe Research museum, and learning there are tours that comply with all hill tribe rules, register with the TAT (government tourist agency) and pay the tribes, we decided to take a trek. Once in the villages, I was fascinated. The women husked the rice through a pounding method, weaved and dyed beautiful traditional clothing, and chopped wood (still not sure what the men do!). I also felt like an intruder...the adults basically ignored us though the children loved us. However, since I learned the tribes willingly accept money for our lodging and sell us food, I do not feel visiting is wrong as long as people respect their customs. Keith likened them to the Amish, they know about "modern life" but choose to continue in their way of life. I came away privileged to have experienced something so different from life as I know it. And I also felt very lucky that our guide was Mr. Green. He was extremely knowledgeable about the tribes (and speaks Thai, Laos, Cambodian, many tribal languages and English) and was intent on teaching us. He also seemed to really enjoy himself and you could tell the hill tribes enjoyed his company. Altogether a pretty amazing weekend.
Check out more Hill Tribe Photos.