THE YAKHA: CULTURE, ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT IN ...

Chapter Five: The Household Environment
5.1 Introduction
Chapter Three looked at the formation of the Yakha as an ethnic
group through contrasts and comparisons with other groups present in the
social environment. The spirit world introduced in Chapter Four
reflected these social relationships and understandings, and pointed to
a wider environment with which, as we shall see later in this thesis,
the Yakha also interacted.
This chapter extends Berth's conception of the social environment in
other directions, Here we look at the social environment as made up not
just of ethnic groups or spirits, but of other members, lineages and
clans (or whatever subdivisions are appropriate) of one's own ethnic
group, i.e, the social environment within the group labelled Yakha. The
focus will be on the household as the forum for the formation of clan,
lineage and kinship identities. The physical structure of the house
also mediated Yakha relationships with other castes and ethnic groups,
making it a focal point for the creation of both intra- and inter-group
identities.
Apart from the physical and social structures of the household
environment , the Yakha househo 1 d was also an economic uni t , Aspects of
Yakha production and consumption will also be considered here, It is
the economic hardships faced by most families, and the ways in which
people set about trying to cope with these, that set the scene for the
discussion of agriculture and migration in subsequent chapters.