The Journal of the Siam Society Vol. LXXI, Part 1-2, 1983 - Khamkoo

LAHU NYI (RED LAHU) RITES FOR ESTABLISHING A NEW VILLAGE 167
Where there is a haw- yeh..,, that building is clearly the ritual focus of the
village. On the twice-monthly festivals associated with the new arid full moon, the
haw- yeh.., becomes the centre of ritual activity, including dancing, in honour of G'ui..,
sha (cf. Walker 1975d:l39-142, 198lb). The Lahu ritual dance is vigorous and entails
much stamping of feet and springing into the air. For this reason many (but not all)
haw- yeh.., are built on the ground rather than on piles as are the ordinary houses.
When not in use the temple is closed, but access is not forbidden. A stout
wooden fence surrounds the building and encloses a front courtyard in which stand a
number of tall bamboos, each with a strip of white or yellow cloth on top. These flags,
called hto" pa_ (a loan-word from Shan), are believed to attract good fortune and
dispel all evil from the village. 3 I · White, representing purity, is the principal hue
associated with the all-pure G'ui.., sha; yellow, the colour of the Buddhist monk's robes,
has also come to be associated with G'ui.., sha by these Lahu, probably because of their
centuries of contact with Buddhist neighbours in the lowlands.
Also in the front courtyard of the haw- yeh" are a number of roughly carved
posts (Fig. 7) called kaw mo" taweh_ (etymology unknown). Some people (not Lahu
Nyi) have suggested that these posts have phallic connotations, but I believe they are
more likely to be additional symbols of G'ui" sha's royalty, probably copied from the
Tai lak muang or "city posts" which are "erected in the name of the highest political
authority", among other reasons (Terwiel 1978 : 159).
Fig. 7
Kaw mo" taweh_ sacred posts outside the
village temple
31. The use of such flags among the Lahu Nyi almost certainly derives from the practice of their
lowland Buddhist neighbours, the Tai peoples, who hang flags outside their temples. Among
the Tai such flags are called tung chai "victory flags" and are set up, according to the famous
Thai folklorist, Rajadhon ( 1967: 179), "to avert ill or evil spirits and secure good fortune".
This corresponds exactly to the Lahu conception of their hto" pa_.