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Although formal aspects of the Akha Way are based primarily on the Akha relationship with the ancestors, in everyday life they are continually concerned about unseen spirit forces. According to Akha myth, human beings and these 'spirits' originally lived together in an idyllic relationship. All animals, wild and domesticated, also lived togeth
er in perfect harmony. Human beings tilled their fields in the daytime, and spirits tilled theirs at night. Trouble broke out, however, when spirits began to steal chicken eggs from people, and people began stealing cucumbers from spirits. As the conflict grew it was finally decided they should separate-people living in villages and spirits in the jungle. In order to provide a clear demarcation between the human and spirit realms, it was decided that 'village gates' should be erected at the upper and lower ends of an Akha village.
In compliance with this myth Akha still maintain such village gates. If they follow the ritual requirements fully, they pass through one of the gates each time they enter the village, in order to decontaminate themselves from the spirit powers in the jungle. The gates are sacred, and must not be defiled by anyone, whether villager or outsider. Should someone do so the elders will fine him, since such contamination necessitates a special offering to purify the gates.
The main gate is usually located on the path at the upper part of the village. The primary function of the gate and the wooden figures associated with it is to 'protect the village from hawks and wildcats, leopards and tigers, illness and plague, leprosy and epilepsy, vampires and were tigers, and all other bad and wicked things' 
The village gates are renewed each year under the direction of the village priest. Young men go out, cut timbers, and erect two new posts and a crossbar just beyond the posts erected the previous year. Through time a tunnel of progressively rotting timbers accumulates from the earlier gates leading into the village. Wooden replicas of guns, crossbows, and birds, along with several bamboo taboo signs are placed on the crossbar of the new gate to prevent spirits from entering. Some Akha have modernized their gates with the addition of miniature airplanes and helicopters. Visitors should not touch these gates or anything related to them. If not planning to enter at least one house, one should not go through the gate or walk through the village, but travel, if possible, on a path which leads around it.
Ancestors: An Akha perceives himself as being the link between his ancestors and his progeny. He hopes that after his death his descendants will care for him with offerings as he has done for his ancestors. The place for the ancestral offerings is the ancestral altar. It consists either of a section of bamboo tied to a roof support close to the main housepost on the womans' section of the house, or else a small shelf built in the same place. The altar contains the first three heads of rice cut in the previous harvest. A basket containing paraphernalia used for the ancestral offerings is kept beneath the altar.
The offerings feed' the ancestors so they in turn will 'feed' or care for the family by providing abundant rice, wealth, good health, and everything else necessary for the continuation of the line. A small chicken and four other items of food and drink are included in each offering. Five small bowls containing these elements are set on an offering table and placed before the ancestral altar. The ancestors are then invited to come and partake.
The man making the offering politely turns his back so the ancestors can 'come down and eat'. Then he calls the family members to come and participate. The one officiating, usually the household head, takes a morsel of each item offered and eats it. Other members of the family are then given a morsel of each offering, which they receive with both hands held together and bring to their mouths to eat. Anyone who has ever killed another person is barred from taking part in the ceremony-indeed is not even supposed to be in the village at the time.
At the completion of the ceremony the one who has made the offering strikes a gong several times. Extra rice cakes might be placed on the mat over the fireplace and later fed to relatives and friends who come to visit during that offering period. Having eaten, they in turn pronounce a blessing on the household.
Each ancestral offering ceremony must begin on a day auspicious for the village priest. A day of the Akha twelve-day week on which any member of the priest's family was born or died is not auspicious. The most important time for ancestral offerings are New Year, rice planting, the village swing ceremony and rice harvest.
Myths :Akha myths speak of a great all-powerful being whom they call 'Apoe Miyeh'. The first part of the name means 'male ancestor', which may help non-Akha to understand their concept of this being. At times it is difficult to distinguish whether they are attributing a given quality or activity to Apoe Miyeh or to the ancestors. 
Akha believe Apoe Miyeh created the first beings from whom all people descended. According to one myth he called representatives of the various tribal groups to his abode, and gave out 'books' instructing them in his way. The book he gave the Akha was written on the skin of a water buffalo. On the way back to their village the Akha saw several mysterious signs which they attributed to the fact that they were carrying Apoe Miyeh's book. Therefore, they roasted the buffalo skin and ate it. On that day, say the Akha, they lost their book, but they continue to have Apoe Miyeh's wisdom in their stomachs.
Other myths tell of Apoe Miyeh's dealings with the Akha cultural heroes, including instructions he gave them on how to make the ancestral altar and how to perform offerings to the ancestors.
Akha believe that Apoe Miyeh continues to be involved with them to this day. It is by means of his power, for example, that their rice is 'cleansed', thus insuring a good crop. They are careful not to offend Apoe Miyeh. If a person were to say that a new-born baby is ugly, then Apoe Miyeh would feel they do not appreciate his gift and 'take the baby back'.
Akha often refer to themselves as those who 'carry the Akha Way'. The have no word for 'religion', but the term 'Akha Way' covers it-and much more. It includes a
ll their traditions and ceremonies. The Akha Way determines how they cultivate their fields and hunt animals, how they view and treat sickness, and the manner in which they relate to one anther and to outsiders. It is all embracing. Any who become Christians, or for any reason discontinue the observance of the Akha Way, expected to leave the village.
The Akha Way is delineated in their mythology, proverbs, and traditions. The manner in which they carry out the Way may vary from clan to clan and village to village, but the main theme is the same: each is a link in a great chain, a part of the Akha continuum, which must be maintained at all cost.
There is an aura of sacredness about an Akha house, for in it is kept the ancestral altar, which is the focus for all ceremonies relating to the ancestors. Consequently there is a prescribed way in which household items must be brought into a mew home. First all the paraphernalia to do with the ancestral altar must be taken in, along with the three-legged iron cooking stand on which their rice is cooked. After that other household furnishings can be moved in.
Houses are usually built up on posts, although sometimes the side on the upper slope of the mountain is built directly on the ground, while the down-hill side is elevated. The space under the house affords a convenient shelter for the animals, as well as storage space for firewood and equipment. In case of two-level houses, the cooking and eating area is on the ground, and the family sleeps on the elevated portion.
Akha houses have no windows, and the roof is constructed in such a way that the eaves come down very low on both sides. This results in a dark interior, but keeps out the wind and rain, and provides a work space outside under the eaves. There are two main sections , the men's and the women's, with a shoulder-high partition between the sections extending as far as the central house beam. One area is for sleeping, the other for work and various activities. The ancestral altar is hung on the woman's side of the partition.
Each house has two open fireplaces for cooking. The one in the men's side is used primarily for cooking meat and brewing tea, while rice and vegetables are cook
ed on the woman's hearth. Usually there is a third fireplace on the woman's side where pig food is cooked.
It is improper for an outsider to walk through an Akha house, entering one door and leaving by the other, just as it is not acceptable for a person to go directly through an Akha village without entering some home and having at least a drink of water. Food or drink will always be offered in an Akha home, and it is important for the guest to partake, even if only a token amount. Otherwise it appears that the visitor is an intruder-perhaps even a thief. Male guests should not enter the women's section of the house unless invited to do so by the head of the household. Women visitors, on the other hand, can enter the men's section along with other visitors.
er in perfect harmony. Human beings tilled their fields in the daytime, and spirits tilled theirs at night. Trouble broke out, however, when spirits began to steal chicken eggs from people, and people began stealing cucumbers from spirits. As the conflict grew it was finally decided they should separate-people living in villages and spirits in the jungle. In order to provide a clear demarcation between the human and spirit realms, it was decided that 'village gates' should be erected at the upper and lower ends of an Akha village.
