| Vol 4 | November 2008 | •  Find out more about The Mirror Foundation   •  Learn from the hilltribes   •  Mirror has introduced a new waste management system designed to increase recycling, reduce garbage, improve the environment, and make a profit...   •  Visit the Virtual Hilltribe Museum   •  in 1998 only 19% of the total primary school hilltribe students continued on to secondary school   •  Akha people believe that a spirit lives in their heads, so they wear hats to stop it from escaping.   •  in 2005 only 51% of hilltribe children were enrolled in primary school, as opposed to the national enrollment average of 87%   •  Read about the Thai Citizenship Project  

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When visiting hilltribe communities we ask that you are sensitive to and respect their culture. The following is a list of do's and don'ts that may be helpful to you.

PLEASE DO:

  1. Dress conservatively. Wear conservative clothes to respect the customs of the villages. If you go swimming, keep in mind that wearing a bikini or bathing suit may offend the villagers--shorts and a t-shirt are more appropriate.
  2. Remove your shoes. Always take off your shoes before entering a house.
  3. Ask first. It is more polite to ask before taking photographs of anyone or anything, so that villagers do not feel exploited. If you do take a photograph, ask for an address so that you can mail the pictures to the villagers.
  4. Show respect. Each ethnic group has its own traditions that have been passed down through many generations. Respect their rules, values, and beliefs.
  5. Support cultural conservation. Express interest in localcustoms, beliefs, languages, traditional clothing, etc. to foster cultural pride. Buy local goods and handicrafts to supplement the community’s income.
  6. Be clean. Take your garbage with you-- hilltribe communities have limited capacity to treat excessive garbage.
  7. Give back. If you wish to donate more to the villages you visit, ask for information from your guide or host, or donate directly to the community donation box. We ask that you give to the community as a whole rather than to one specific family.

PLEASE DON’T :

  1. Indulge in public displays of affection. Do not display affection to members of the opposite sex like hugging, kissing or holding hands. The hilltribes have strict sexual separation between men’s and women’s roles and showing affection to members of the opposite sex can make people feel uncomfortable. It is seen as a sign of great disrespect to the elders and a blasphemy to the spirits that protect the forest and the village.
  2. Speak inappropriately. Do not talk about sex in public and especially in holy places. Do not engage yourself in any controversial conversations involving religion or politics. Even the most benign opinions could potentially offend your hosts.
  3. Form romantic attachments. Think twice before becoming involved with someone of the opposite sex (like flirting or dating). Your actions may have more serious consequences than they would in your culture.
  4. Touch without asking. Do not touch any object that looks remotely sacred, as this could be offensive to the gods or take away the sacredness of the object.
  5. Contribute to the problem. Do not (in the hilltribe villages or elsewhere) buy or offer to buy sexual favors. Prostitute solicitation is illegal in Thailand and contributes to the enormous and terrible problem of trafficking in persons.
  6. Do drugs. Bringing drugs into villages or accepting them from villagers endangers both you and your village hosts. Also, as a foreigner, you should be aware that you are setting an example. Villagers, especially children, may look up to you and could be tempted to follow your example. For this reason, we also ask you to not smoke cigarettes in front of children and teenagers.
  7. Give handouts. Do not give money to children or to people who beg, as this contributes to the cycle of dependence we are trying to break down.

A bit more about the cultural protocol with the Akha

When staying with local residents, you should sleep where you are told. Akha typically have strict separation between where men and women sleep. Additionally, sexual relations in their homes are against their traditions and are considered a blasphemy to the spirits who protect the house.

Be VERY careful when taking pictures in villages. The Akha believe that unless the photograph is returned to the person whose picture was taken, their soul has been stolen, causing serious illness or death.

Please ask your guide about taboo words in the Akha culture. For example, conversations about hail, flowers and twins should be avoided. Additionally, do not ask a man, a woman or children the name of their spouse or parents.

A bit more about the cultural protocol with the Lahu

Do not touch the altar that you will see in Lahu bedrooms. This altar is connected to the ancestral spirits of the household and is a very sacred object.

 
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