Akha

Akha

ethnic group
group=Akha


poptime=449,261
popplace=Myanmar, China, Laos, Thailand
rels=Traditional religion, Christianity, Buddhism
langs=Akha, Lao, Thai
related=
The Akha are an ethnic group which originated in China and Tibet. Most of the remaining Akha people are now distributed in small villages among the mountains of China (where they are considered part of the Hani by the government, though this is a subject of some dispute among the Akha themselves), Laos (where they are considered "Lao Sung"), Myanmar (Burma), and northern Thailand, where they are one of the six main hill tribes. The Akha began arriving in Thailand in the early twentieth century and continue to immigrate, with some 80,000 now living in Thailand's northern provinces of Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai at high altitudes. Many of these villages can be visited by tourists on trekking tours from either of these cities. They speak Akha, a language in the Loloish (Yi) branch of the Tibeto-Burman family. Akha has a very closely related language with the Lisu and Lahu as they once belonged to the Lolohunter tribe people that once ruled the Paoshan and Teinchung plains before the invasion of Ming Dynasty (A.D 1644) in Yunan, China.

Culture and lifestyle

The Akha generally live in bamboo houses raised on low wooden stilts in hilly areas. These huts are divided by gender - one side is for the women, and the other side, occupied by the men, is used as a more public area. The Akha subsist through an often destructive form of slash and burn agriculture which can result in elimination of old growth forest, native animal species and serious soil runoff problems. They are expert farmers who focus on mountain rice, corn, and soybeans that are planted in seasonal shifts. The Akha are also very efficient hunters, though their prey sometimes includes endangered species.

They traditionally grew opium for income but due to the insidious effects of this drug, they are increasingly building up the tourist industry. Their commitment to this is an excellent example of giving up a very lucrative and stable economy for something legal.

A village with a large percentage of Akha is Mae Salong (now known as Santikhiri). Akha villages are also found in the area of Ban Therd Thai (formerly known as Ban Hin Taek), a former residence and base of the so-called "Opium King", Khun Sa. Khun Sa died in Yangon, Myanmar in October 2007.

The Akha put a particularly heavy emphasis on genealogy - they are taught their family history at a very early age, and their culture has a strong focus on honouring ancestors and their parents, though they dispute that this represents a form of ancestor worship. A better description of Akha religion would be animism, as they believe in a world filled with spirits, both good and bad, that have a definite physical impact on the world. They believe in a natural cycle of balance that, if disrupted, can result in illness, hardship, or even death. [http://www.akha.org/content/aboutakhalife/akhaoverview.html An Overview of the Akha] , The Akha Heritage Foundation, 1991. Accessed online 19 December 2006.]

Human rights and other issues

The Akha have faced many controversies related to human rights and justice, particularly in the countries of Thailand and China. Their settled land is built upon hillsides that are valuable for both timber production and farming, and as such has been the target of seizure by government forces from both countries. Akha settlements and agricultural slash and burn sites increasingly encroach on national forests containing native ecosystems, thus creating another basis for controversy.

See also

*Matthew McDaniel

References

External links

* [http://www.hilltribe.org/akha The Virtual Hilltribe Museum]
* [http://www.language-museum.com/a/akha.php Akha Language Sample]
* [http://www.akha.com Akha.com]
* [http://www.akha.net Akha.net]
* [http://www.wayang.net/Akha/ Wayang.net : The Akha: New Year in northern Laos]
* [http://www.akha.org Akha.org]
* [http://www.omf.org/omf/us/peoples_and_places/people_groups/akha_of_thailand OMF Akha Profile]
* [http://www.bryanwatt.com bryanwatt.com]
* [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=ahk Ethnologue page for Akha]
* [http://www.thailex.info/THAILEX/THAILEXENG/LEXICON/Etnologie%20&%20Bergvolkeren%20Tekst.htm#Akha Akha people and other minority groups of Thailand]
* [http://www.chiangraiaccommodation.com/?c=content&id=22 History of Hill Tribes in Northern Thailand]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Akha — Die Akha (auch Aka, auf Thai Ai Ko) sind eines der zahlreichen Bergvölker Südostasiens. Die Akha kamen aus der Grenzgegend von Birma und Yunnan nach Südostasien, wo sie heute in Nord Thailand, Laos und Vietnam siedeln, aber chinesisch als Hani… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Akha — noun a Loloish language • Syn: ↑Hani • Hypernyms: ↑Loloish * * * ˈäkə noun (plural akha) Usage: usually capitalized : the most southerly group of Lol …   Useful english dictionary

  • Akha (Sprache) — Akha (ภาษาอาข่า) Gesprochen in China, Birma, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam Sprecher rd. 500.000 Muttersprachler Linguistische Klassifikation Sinotibetisch …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Akha River House — (Чианграй,Таиланд) Категория отеля: 3 звездочный отель Адрес: 423/25 Moo 21, Amphoe Mueang Ch …   Каталог отелей

  • Akha Hill House — (Ban Doi Hang,Таиланд) Категория отеля: 1 звездочный отель Адрес: 97 Moo 7, T. Doihang, Amphoe …   Каталог отелей

  • Akha language — language name=Akha nativename= familycolor=Sino Tibetan states=Myanmar, China, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam speakers=449,261 fam2=Tibeto Burman fam3=Lolo Burmese fam4=Loloish fam5=Southern fam6=Akha fam7=Hani fam8=Ha Ya nation=… …   Wikipedia

  • Akha Teej — Mariage d enfants au Rajasthan Au Rajasthan, au nord ouest de l Inde, existe une coutume de donner en mariage de très jeunes enfants. Lors de l Akha Teej, la fête des moissons, au début du mois de mai ont lieu des mariages collectifs de jeunes… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Akha — noun A Tibeto Burman language spoken in Burma, China, and neighboring countries …   Wiktionary

  • Akha — Ạkha,   Kaw, Ko, mongolides, zur tibetobirmanischen Sprachuntergruppe der Lolo zählendes Volk; siedelt als Hackbauern mit Brandrodung in Höhen von 500 1 800 m über dem Meeresspiegel in den Bergen von Südyunnan (China), im östlichen Birma und im… …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Akha — ISO 639 3 Code : ahk ISO 639 2/B Code : ISO 639 2/T Code : ISO 639 1 Code : Scope : Individual Language Type : Living …   Names of Languages ISO 639-3

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”