Woman cooking in a pot in her house in a Hmong village, Mae Hong Son, Northern Thailand, Asia


The Hmong are one of the most spread out minority groups. They are scattered throughout South China in Kweichow, Hunan, Szechwan, Kwangxi, and Yunnan provinces. There are also Hmong communities in North Vietnam, Laos, Thailand and even a few in Burma and in USA and Europe. The Hmong are the second largest group In Thailand after the Karen. and made about 20% of all hilltribes people in the country. The Hmong settlement is concentrated in thirteen provinces : Chiang Mal, Chiang Rai, Nan, Phrae, Tak, Lampang, Phayao. Phetchabun, Kamphaeng Phet, Mae Hong Son, Sukhothai, Pitsanulok and Loei. The Hmong in Thailand are divided to Three subgroups: - The Blue Hmong (Mong Njua), who are also known as the black Miao, Flowery Miao or Striped Miao in Thai. Women in the subgroup wear the distinctive indigo dyed pleated skirt or kilt with a batik design. - The White Hmong (Hmong Daw). White Hmong women wear a white pleated skirt only on ceremonial occasions, but when engaged in everyday work, they put on indigo-dyed trousers. - The last subgroup is known as the Gua M'ba Meo (Hmong Gua M'ba) which literary means Armband Hmong and only recently entered Thailand from Laos. They are actually a subgroup of the White Hmong. Most are confined to refugee camps. Around and to the west of Chiang Mai, most of the villages are Blue Hmong, whereas in the east only White Hmong villages can be found. The Hmong are animists and ancestors worshippers they have a shaman and worship nature spirits. The Chinese influence is obvious in their beliefs and practices. The available information indicates that there are eleven clans in Thailand. The names and origins of these clans are recited in Hmong legends. The Hmong specialized as poppy growers and you can still see beautiful blossom in some villages for eductional purposes. [Try Doi Pui village near Doi Sutep in Chiang Mai. The Hmong prefer to locate their villages at high altitudes of 1,000 -1,200 m. Rice and corn are the main subsistence crop.


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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