Village of LAWA

The Lawa have permanent establishments in such areas as Baw Luang, and locations which are closer to the Thai settlements. The more remote areas of plateau settlements may be changed every 10 to 15 years, as the lands around these villages are depleted. Generally, the Lawa depend on amount of wet rice lands that they have been able to acquire, as a deciding factor for permanence of their village. Substantial houses, like those of the Thai people around them, are seen in the more permanent villages. In fact, the entire village appears to be Thai settlement, with houses build in orderly rows, and narrow lanes between them. There are fences and enclosures around each home with small gardens and some fruit trees. These houses are made on sturdy piles, wooden floors and walls, and may have tile roofs.

The Lawa in more remote areas of plateau and elsewhere, also build houses upon piles, but use bamboo slat walls and thatch grass or leaf roofing. These homes are altogether poorly made, and compare with the relatively good houses that the Htin build. However, the villages are disorderly and there is poor sanitation. The locations are usually flat ridge, on elevations over 3000 feet. The Lawa of the plateau at Baw Luang are on an elevation of 3700 feet. Some of the Lawa villages may have some 15 houses, whereas several of them number over 100 houses in the permanent settlements. Baw Luang is the largest village, eith 230 houses, and has the new Chiangmai-Mae Sariang highway passing nearby

Trends of LAWA

Considering the long period of time that the Lawa have been in their general area, it must be said that their rate of absorption by the Thai people has been a very gradual process and continues to be such. Some circles, to be sure, have definitely been completely absorbed, such as the former village near Chiangmai city and near Vieng Pa Pao, Chiangmai Province, but the distinctive physical features of the Lawa will still be seen in such communities. In such a situation, none of the young people are able to speak the Lawa language and few of the older people will use the language among themselves However , in economic aspects , retaining their tribal affiliations and language Indeed , it is a fact that physically , the Lawa in this area have modified the Thai people around them as much as the Thai have modified them , through the mixing of their bloods . There are villages which consider themselves to be Lao-Thai , but the Lawa characteristics are so strong in them that one is immediately impressed that the village might actually be Lawa instead . the "pure" Lawa , who are racially very different from the Thai people .

certainly have more dominant genetic characteristics than the Thai people . While economic assimilation will undoubtedly be an eventuality , it will be a very long time before the physical characteristics of the Lawa people is lost completely Other than the trend towards greater assimilation with the Thai people , the Lawa do not show today any definite trends to move away from their areas . They are becoming more and more permanently established within the plateau region , and at the same time , more closely established with the Thai people , their customs and their economic systems .

Social Customs of LAWA

Assimilated Lawa practice many customs that the Thai people keep on special Buddhist occasions, to keep up with their Thai neighbors. Their own original customs and social events need more study, since do mush of it has been discontinued or is not practiced regularly. They are not, in any event, a great people for festivities. The more backward Lawa are people with rather unclean habits and chew betel excessively, but few of them have become addicted to opium. Those living closer to the Thai people chew betel as mush as the country Thai do themselves, and drink strong rice liquor on special occasions. There are considerable differences in the attitude that the different types of Lawa have for outsiders or visitors. On the other hand, the more civilized Lawa become the same friendly, cordial host that the Thai people are. The more remote members may at times be quite unfriendly, mostly out of ignorance, and are easily misunderstood because of their gruff language and ways. Even these, however, are not and aggressive or pugnacious people, as are their Wa counterparts. Most of them have learned and gained mush from the gentle.

In the near areas, the Lawa headman has been duly appointed by local Kamnan or through the Amphur's office. There are Lawa leaders who are themselves Kamnans and take and active part in the Amphur official activities. The remote Lawa continue to select their own nominal chiefs, usually according to the general will of the people within a given village. There are proportionately few villages with such practices today, since most Lawa circles are at least in tough with the local Kamnan. They are rather a law-abiding people who obey the Thai district officials, and there are few incidences of crime among themselves or with other tribes. Most of them understand and respect the Thai Government's laws and tent to place any complaints through proper sub-changwad channels. The uneducated Lawa might deal with their own criminals very drastically, ostracizing guilty members is a common punishment.

Economy of LAWA

The Lawa on the plateau have been iron smelters and miners until recent years. Today, some of them continue to be ironsmash, but none of the Lawa mine their own ore anymore, since iron and steel con easily be bought from the Thai people. Their principal economy, therefore has been agriculture in recent years, either of the swidden type or wet rice cultivation. Their ability to earn cash income is limited, like the Karens, since most of their agricultural production is used for their own consumption. The few Lawa within the larger settlements who have shops and small trading businesses, tend to raise the average in come of all Lawa to something over 1000 baht per year per family, otherwise, this average would be very much lower. There are very few families of Lawa who have moved to areas high enough in elevation to grow opium poppies, but the soil conditions of their area (the right banks of Mae Chem river) are so poor that very few crops can be produced satisfactorily. These Lawa move frequently, looking for high valleys that might have a few rai of paddy land to be developed. The more assimilated Lawa keep considerable numbers of pigs, cattle and buffaloes, some of which are sold for cash. They are not vigorous farmers, except where they have arable lands that can be used for wet rice cultivation. Few of the more distantly located Lawa are self-sufficient through their agriculture alone, and must depend upon jungle products to supplement their needs. In such areas, the Lawa still eat the flesh of dogs as well as most wild animals that they might catch or shoot.

There is a wide difference in the degree of the Law people have with non-Lawas. The more assimilated may either be the same as the country Thai themselves or have at least very close outside associations. The remote Lawa have as little contact as the Akha in some localities. They deal mostly with the Lao-Thai and Karens who live near them, having little or no contact with other tribes in the general region. In the more assimilated communities, intermarriage with the Lao-Thai is quite common, although even these Lawa are along way from being absorbed completely by the Thai. Some Lawa men become itinerant workers, like the Khamu, and wander far from their homes, invariably to return after some time.

Physical Description of LAWA

The typical Lawa is rather dark-complexioned(dark brown), with sharp facial features that do not show Mongoloid traits. They are on the whole a fine-looking race, and somewhat larger in stature than most other hilltribes (the average man is about 5' 7"). Many contrasts in physical types will be seen in any Lawa establishment. These less typical characteristics have resulted form mixing of their blood with of the Thai, and more uncommonly, the Karens. Many Lawa have the wavy hair and thicker lips that is acommon trait among the Wa. There us a tendency among the men, to have heavier beards and hair limbs. The men are generally lean and wiry in build, and the women are quite buxom. The dress of the more assimilated Lawa is identical with that of the Lao-Thai people around them, and only a few of them use their tribal dress today.

The unassimilated Lawa women dress in coarse homes puns of plain cotton materials, and use very little decorations or jewelry. The women wear blur or dirty-white blouses, which reach below the waist and have closed fronts and short sleeves. There may be few embroidered designs on he sleeves and hems, and a few beads might be worn around the neck. The skirts are wrapped around and reach just below the knees, with designs running in horizontal strips. Leggings are usually worn by the women who live in the more remote villages. Generally, the married women wear the blue tunics, and the unmarried girls a white color, but this is not a fast rule with all the Lawa. Their hair is pulled back, and made into a bun at the back. They never wear turbans, and have very few silver rings and bracelets. The men are rarely seen in their original homespuns. Today, Lawa men wear clothes like that of Thai, so that it is difficult to distinguish them from the Thai farmer.