Hmong Hill tribes in Thailand
With a population of 150.000, the Hmong are the second largest hilltribe group in Thailand. Traditionally they inhabit the higher and steep mountain slopes.
They, like other groups of hilltribes, also deforest large areas and often move, when the soil is exhausted, to new areas to be cultivated. In the past, the Hmong were real specialists in poppy cultivation. The group living in Thailand belongs to the Blue and White Hmong and are also called Mong or Maeo by the Thai. According to Chinese historians, Maeo is a less flattering name and literally means barbarians. Hmong, on the other hand, means: a free people.
The Thai-dwelling Mhong are just two of eighteen extant subgroups inhabiting areas stretching from Thailand through Laos, Burma and Vietnam to the Yantze River Basin in China. After the Nile and Amazon, the Yantze is the world's third longest river with a length of 6300 kilometers.
About a century ago, the first Hmong came to Thailand via Laos. Most Hmong residing in Thailand can be found in Tak, Chiangmai, Chiangrai and Nan.
Clothing
Apparently, Hmong women also pay a lot more attention to their appearance than men. To recognize the Hmong, we therefore prefer to look at the clothing of the women. The Blue Hmong ladies wear a pleated batik skirt with an embroidered bottom. Like the Akha's they wear puttees. A long narrow apron is worn over the skirt. The hair is pulled up into a bun that covers the crown of the head with the addition of a hairpiece. At festive events, a headdress of black and white checkered cloth is worn.
Instead of the skirt, the White Hmong women wear long, loose-fitting trousers and a jacket with a rectangular collar. These ladies also wear their hair in a bun, but in contrast to their blue colleagues, more forward on the head. On special occasions, the trousers give way to a white pleated skirt and a high cylindrical turban adorns the head.
Clans
Within the Hmong community there are again so-called clans that all have their own name and are passed on from father to son. Each clan has its own customs and within the clan it is a duty to support each other. Men marry a woman from outside their clan and they then join their husband's clan. Hmongs live together in larger groups that include a number of different clans. The youth therefore has a greater choice in finding a suitable marriage partner.
The House
Houses have a mud floor and the front door, which is always located downhill, is inhabited by one of the spirits present for the protection of home and hearth. The houses of the Blue Hmong have only this one door. The houses of the White Hmong have several doors. Their front door only opens on special occasions. A side door is protected by one of the ghosts. In the house is the rice pestle and two fireplaces. One of the fireplaces always burns, of course, in honor of the other spirits in the house. Against the back wall of the house opposite the front door is an altar. The Hmong are a very spirit-worshipping people.
The soul
The spirits that reside in the house protect the souls of the inhabitants, livestock, crops, valuables and money. According to tradition, the Hmong has multiple souls. Yet these souls can also escape and care must be taken to return them quickly. For example, if a person is frightened by a suddenly appearing snake, some of his souls will run away and slowly wither away. It is therefore important to detect them quickly and to take them to heart.
Therefore, one of the villagers, who is known for his supernatural gifts, goes with the person in question to the scene of the disaster, where the snake suddenly appeared. There he digs up some larvae, for the startled and departed soul will no doubt be hiding therein. The larvae, including the souls living in them, are taken home and everyone can get back to work with peace of mind.
Wedding
Hmong marry around the age of 17. The best time to court each other is during the New Year's Eve party. The boys and girls line up opposite each other in their best attire. They play a game with a ball made of fabric, which creates deeper feelings between certain couples. Father and son must then agree on the choice and of course the girl, not to mention her parents, must also agree. The young man takes his future wife and sends a friend to her parents. He negotiates the dowry and the wedding date. The wedding begins at the groom's house, where offerings to the spirits are almost a matter of course. The bridal couple then goes to the bride's house. There, too, offerings are made to the spirits of the mountains, the forest, and last but not least, the water.
An important aspect for the groom is that he may not pay the dowry all at once, but spread it over several years. Incidentally, that can also become an expensive joke if Mr. wants several partners, because polygamy is an accepted thing among the Mhong.
A completely different fact that only very slowly got through to the outside world is the involvement of the Hmong in the Vietnam War. The Hmong refugee camps that were created in Thailand as a result are well known. But more about that in a future article.
A good story, Joseph, except for the following statement:
'They, like other groups of hilltribes, also deforest large areas and often move, when the soil is exhausted, to new areas to be cultivated.'
I was once so angry when I saw a story in my son's Thai textbook about deforestation. The accompanying images showed people in the traditional clothing of the hill tribes. That is often thought and it is not true. It is precisely the hill tribes that take good care of the forest. It is their livelihood. Yes, slash-and-burn, but they leave the built-up areas alone, after which forests are created again.
The deforestation that mainly took place between say 1960 and 1990 when up to 50 percent of the forest area was lost, had the following main causes:
1 population pressure. The population increased rapidly and there was little other work. Poor and landless farmers moved into the wooded hills to cultivate.
2 soldiers cut down the forests to fight the communists
3 food and timber companies drove deforestation. Eucalyptus plantations for the paper industry, rubber trees, cassava in the Isaan for the pig industry (especially in the Netherlands, the Dutch ate the forests) and maize for chicken feed. The responsibility of big companies where the authorities turned a blind eye and opened their wallets. Maize cultivation continues in Nan and the North. Bare hilly landscapes.
4 illegal felling of expensive types of wood, often also by 'influential' people
Unfortunately, the hill tribes are blamed for everything. Real, pure Thais don't do such a thing, of course.
When, after a few months in Thailand, Chiang Kham, Phayao, I wanted to make a trip to the mountains, for nature and to visit mountain villages, I was strongly discouraged, almost forbidden. They have diseases, are dirty, kidnap and rob you etc, they said. I went anyway. They are nice people.