Portrait of a Black Lahu woman, hill tribe of Mae Hong Son, Northern Thailand, Asia
The Lahu are animists and ancestors worshipers. Some are Christians or Buddhists. About 30% of the Lahu have been converted to Christianity and have abandoned their way of life. Many have abandoned their traditional way of life as a result. Animist Lahu believe in one spirit with overall control all the others, and they are rather predatory in search of a marriage partner, but divorce and adultery are common. The Lahu language has almost become a "lingua franca", spoken throughout the other hill tribes, since, amongst the Lahu, hiring out labour to other hill tribes has become common. Lahu villages are at high altitudes at about 1,000 metres. The Red Lahu are the only tribe to build a central Animist temple, surrounded by banners and streamers of white and yellow flags. If there is a source of water near the village, they build a series of bamboo pipes to bring water into the village. Houses are built on high stilts with walls of bamboo or wooden planks, thatched with grass. A ladder leads to an open central living area, with a store room to one side and living quarters to the other. There is one large bedroom, partitioned off as necessary according to family size. The main room has a central fireplace. Since "Lahu", the name of their tribe, means "hunter", the Lahu obviously pride themselves on their skills in hunting and trapping. They are also famous for their knowledge of herbal medicine.
Size: 5700px × 3816px
Location: Mae Hong Son, Northern Thailand, Asia
Photo credit: © Amar and Isabelle Guillen - Guillen Photo LLC / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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