{"id":286,"date":"2020-07-04T12:56:25","date_gmt":"2020-07-04T12:56:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.boten.com\/?page_id=286"},"modified":"2020-08-21T16:14:36","modified_gmt":"2020-08-21T16:14:36","slug":"hmong-people-of-boten","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.boten.com\/hmong-people-of-boten\/","title":{"rendered":"Hmong People Of Boten"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Over the centuries, Boten served as a\npassageway for ethnic groups migrating from China into north-eastern Laos. Some\nTai Lue sprang up in and around Boten, while most moved into the mountains and\nriver valleys in Luang Namtha Province and beyond.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>

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Today, some 20 diverse ethnic groups live\nin Luang Namtha. The most common are the Akha and Khmu, who account for about\nhalf of the province\u2019s population. Each has its distinct traditions,\nlifestyles, beliefs, and clothing, and you can visit their villages on a day\ntrip to Luang Namtha Town, a 55-km drive from Boten. The more adventurous can\ntrek to ethnic villages and experience culture and way of life on an overnight\nhomestay. <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>

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The Akha<\/b> live in the mountains, and\nfollow a cultural code called Akha Zang, the \u201cAkha Way\u201d. This defines traditions\nand laws, as well as how they farm, hunt, treat illnesses, and relate to each\nother and outsiders. Women wear black cotton miniskirts, tight-fitting bodices,\nembroidered jackets, and intricate head-dresses. Villages feature tall swings\nand gates marking the boundary between the human and natural worlds.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>

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The Khmu<\/b> migrated to Laos thousands\nof years ago. They practice animism and spirit worship, and rely on the forest\nfor growing rice, hunting and gathering, and producing woven rattan and bamboo\nbasketry, tools, and net-bags. When visiting a Khmu village, taste their Lao\nhai (jar wine).<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>

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The Hmong<\/b> have established hilltop\nvillages in mountainous Luang Namtha, and are skilled at hunting, mixing herbal\nmedicines and raising animals. Intricate embroidery and heavy silver jewellery\nadorn their clothes, and some villages create batik designs using beeswax and\nindigo dyes. The Hmong New Year in December\/January is a popular nationwide\ncelebration. Women wear their finest clothes, courting couples toss mak kone<\/i>\n(small fabric balls), people dance and drink, and villages hold competitions\nlike top-spinning.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>

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A small number of Lahu<\/b> (\u201ctiger\nbreeder\u201d) live in Luang Namtha, having moved into Laos from China. They\npractice a distinct form of ancestor and phi<\/i> (spirit) worship related to\nnatural phenomena, the forest, houses, and livestock. Rituals and celebrations\nrevolve around the agricultural cycle, marriage and house-building. The Lahu\nNew Year occurs in January\/February.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>

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The Lanten<\/b> migrated from China, bringing\ncultural practices and beliefs based on Taoism mixed with ancestor and spirit\nworship. They mostly live along streams and rivers, and can easily be visited\nthroughout Luang Namtha. The Lanten wear pink-trimmed indigo-dyed cotton\nclothes, and produce cotton cloth, ceremonial masks and bamboo paper, on which\nmen record religious texts with ancient Chinese characters.  <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>

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The Tai Daeng<\/b>, who migrated from\nChina, specialise in silk weaving, and visitors can see the entire process from\nboiling cocoons to working a vertical loom. Aside from weaving, the labour\ndivision tends to be equal between men and women, with both engaged in\nploughing, rice farming, fishing, cooking, caring for babies, and cleaning.\nMany Tai Daeng combine animism <\/span>with Buddhism, and villages usually have a\ntemple.<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>

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Ancestors of Luang Namtha\u2019s Tai Dam<\/b>\nmigrated to the Nam Tha valley from north-western Vietnam in the late 19th\ncentury. Unlike Buddhist Tai groups, the Tai Dam worship phi<\/i> and their\nancestors. Women wear colourful head-scarves and tight-fitting shirts with\nsilver buttons. They make potent lao lao<\/i> rice alcohol, and produce fine\nsilk and cotton textiles.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>

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The Tai Lue<\/b> began migrating to Luang\nNamtha\u2019s Sing District from southern China in the 15th century. They are known\nfor their stilt houses with long sloping roofs, strong lao lao<\/i> liquor,\nand intricate silk and cotton textiles. Tai Lue practice a mix of animism and\nBuddhism, and most villages have a temple and monks, as well as a sacred pillar\nwhere they hold rituals for natural spirits.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>

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The Yao<\/b>,\nalso known as the Mien, are highland people, who originated in China. Their\nhouses are made of durable hardwood, and known to be large and sturdy. They\ngrow rice and corn, and gather wild jungle products such as resin and honey. Young\nmen study Chinese characters to express Yao concepts. Yao men wear earrings and\nembroidered tunics, while women dress in elaborate costumes with bright red\ncollars. The Yao are influenced by their ancestors, as well as their animistic and\nTao beliefs.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Over the centuries, Boten served as a passageway for ethnic groups migrating from China into north-eastern Laos. Some Tai Lue sprang up in and around Boten, while most moved into the mountains and river valleys in Luang Namtha Province and beyond.   Today, some 20 diverse ethnic groups live in Luang Namtha. The most common […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"content-type":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.boten.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/286"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.boten.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.boten.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.boten.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.boten.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=286"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.boten.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/286\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.boten.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=286"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}