1. Population

Thailand: 68,653 in 2003, distributed between 271 villages Southeast Asia (including southern China): 900,000 in 2003

2. Name

Akha is the name these people call themselves. The Thais call them ‘Gaw or Eegaw’, and the Lao call them Kha Gaw’ (kha means slave). In China and Vietnam, the Akha are included in the Hani group along with the Yee (Lolo).

In Thailand today, there are 200 Akha clans, which belong to three sub-groups:

Akha Loimi

Akha Ulo

Akha Pami.

3. Language

Language family: Sino-Tibetan

Linguistic group: Tibeto-Burman Linguistic branch: Southern Lolo (Yee).

Jen G’oe is the dialect spoken by Akha living in Thailand, Burma, China (Yunnan), and north-east Laos.

4. Origins and migration

The Akha come originally from the central part of the Sip Sawng Pan Na, in the southeast of Yunnan, where most of them still live. Many Akha emigrated towards the south during the nineteenth century and settled in the state of Kengtung in northern Burma, where almost 320,000 Akha still live. Others emigrated to Laos and Vietnam. It was at the start of the 20th century that they first came to Thailand. They settled along the banks of the River Kok (Chiang Rai province) and built several villages, including Phaya-Phai in 1903.

5. Location

Thailand: the provinces of Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai, Tak, Kamphaeng Pet, Lampang, and Phrae

Northern Laos, Northern Burma (Myanmar), and China (Yunnan)

6. Economy and agriculture

Traditionally, the Akha practice slash-and-burn farming. They grow and eat hill rice, sweet corn, beans, pepper, sesame, and a large variety of other vegetables. They also raise domestic animals: poultry, pigs, and water buffalo that are bred for sacrifice at festivals, and dogs, which they use to make soup.

7. Society

Akha society is patrilinear; inheritance passes through the male line. 

whole has control over marriage, various rites and celebrations, rights of succession, etc.

The Akha are monogamous by custom, but there is nothing to stop a man from having several wives. They have a relaxed attitude toward sex in general, though fidelity is expected after marriage.

-Marriage

groups Young Akha are free to choose their own partners. Between the New Year and the sowing of the rice, you will often find adolescent males traveling from village to village to look for a bride. According to Akha custom, a girl must be at least 13 to be married, though the present average age is 17 for girls and 18 for boys.

Marriage begins with a prenuptial agreement between the two fathers, who toast one another in rice whisky and each contribute a sum of money as dowry. Once the preparations have been made, the ceremony begins. It lasts two days, during which time the senior woman present carries out various rites and initiates the young couple in the Akha manner. At least one pig will be killed and eaten during the marriage feast.

After the wedding, the young wife leaves her family and goes to her husband’s village, where a house for the young couple will have been built close to that of his parents. She is now part of her husband’s clan. Her main function is to bear children so as to continue the family line.

-Child-birth-

An Akha woman gives birth at home with the help of her mother-in-law or midwives. At birth, the baby is given a temporary name so that the spirits cannot reclaim it. Its real name will only be given later, when the parents are sure that the child is healthy and will survive. Twins or children with a
Deformities are considered not fully human and are swiftly dispatched and buried. Rituals are then conducted to purify the parents.

-Death

For the Akha, death is a transition from the world of the living to the world of the ancestors. The body of the deceased is washed, dressed, wrapped in a red shroud, and placed in a coffin fashioned from a tree trunk. Coins are placed in his or her mouth to pay for the journey to the next world. During the funeral ceremony, the priest or one of the sons of the dead person recites the genealogy of the latter, including his or her name for the first time. The body is then carried to the village burial ground and buried in a tomb, along with the personal possessions of the deceased, such as pipes, drinking vessels, and tools.

8. Religious beliefs, practices, and rites

The Akha are pantheists and believe in an Almighty (Apoe Miyeh) who has created mankind. They also worship their ancestors, honoring them with offerings just as they do the spirits of the natural world. However, over the last few decades, some Akha have been converted to Christianity.

The spirit gate

Every Akha village has a main gate (law kah), placed across the highest of the roads into the village. It is built from three trees and features two wooden figures, a man and a woman, to show the spirits that beyond the gate lies the kingdom of men. Other carvings of animals, guns, bows, stars, or taboo signs (da leh) are put there to protect the village from eagles, tigers, sickness, werewolves, and vampires.

The Festival of the Swings

Every year, at the end of August or the beginning of September, when the rice has ripened, the Akha organize celebrations, at which the young people, dressed in their finest traditional costumes, eat, drink, and dance. In particular, they swing on huge swings made of three pieces of wood. These are destroyed at the end of the festival and rebuilt the next year.

Dogs

The Akha have high regard for dogs. They think that a soup made from their bones restores strength and vitality to old people. The sacrifice of a dog is considered an important moment in village life.

9. Traditional dress

Akha women are particularly well-known for their elaborate traditional costumes and the beauty of their headdresses. The clothes are made of cotton that has been spun and woven by the women themselves. They are dyed with blue or black indigo from plants grown near the village.

Women’s costume

The basic costume is a long-sleeved jacket, a blouse, a knee-length skirt, a belt decorated with beads and coins (this is wider for unmarried women), embroidered leggings, and a heavy headdress whose ornaments vary according to the age of the wearer and the social and economic status of the family. This symbol of prestige can be of three types:

Among the U-lo Akha, the headdress is made of two parts. It has a headband surmounted by a cone shape that is decorated with silver buttons, coins, beads, seeds, pompons, and monkey fur dyed red.

Among the Lomi-Akha, the headdress is decorated with buttons, beads, red pompons, shells, and large silver balls, and at the back it has a trapezium-shaped solid silver band. All around the headdress are pendants made from coins and small triangular pieces of metal, which hang down to the shoulders.

Among the Phami-Akha, the headdress is a red helmet inlaid all over with silver buttons, beads, and coins. Little strings of red, white, and yellow beads are attached to the sides of the headdress and hang down to the breast.

Men’s costume

The men usually wear a long black jacket, on the back of which are embroidered geometric patterns, mostly in red. The front of the jacket is often decorated with a band of embroidery fitted with silver fastenings. Broad-cut trousers and a turban complete the costume.

Ornaments

The majority of Akha ornaments are incorporated into their clothing. The backs of jackets are more or less systematically embroidered with geometric patterns in bright colors and encrusted with beads, shells, and coins. Engraved bracelets and large silver necklaces are also worn on festive occasions.

10. Villages

The Akha usually build their villages at heights of over 800 meters above sea level, on a hill slope or in a mountain valley. An Akha village is easily recognizable by its spirit gate, its swing, and its houses, which have huge, four-sided sloping roofs, angled at between 20 and 100 degrees.
The village priest

Generally, the village elders select a ‘pure’ man (yaw shaw) as priest (dzoe ma). He is entrusted with the onerous task of ensuring that everyone respects the Akha way of life (Akha zaw taweu), i.e., religion, traditions, and customs. He is also responsible for the village’s sacred places: the gate, the swing, the spring, the burial ground, and the altar to the ‘Lord of Earth and Water.

He is also the person responsible for choosing the site of a new village, using a method known as “throwing the egg”. If the egg breaks, the site is considered propitious, i.e., it carries the approval of the spirits. The first house to be built is his, and all the other buildings are grouped around it.

-The blacksmith The blacksmith (ba ji) is the second most important person in the village, though today his role tends to be more restricted. He forges the priest’s sacred knife and the tools that the rest of the community uses. In the past, he could also make weapons.

The head man

In the eyes of the Akha, the village head man (bu she) is less important than the priest. His main task is to represent the village in any discussion with Thai government authorities and to arbitrate any disputes that arise within the village.

11. Houses

Akha houses are built of wood or bamboo, either directly on the ground or on stilts. They have a massive, four-sided, sloping thatched roof and no windows. Inside, the house is in two sections, one for men and one for women. Every household has two fireplaces for cooking: men prepare meat and boil tea, and women cook rice and vegetables. Sometimes there is a third fireplace for preparing pig food. The altar of the ancestors is usually in the women’s quarters.