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

LAHU NYI (RED LAHU) RrJ.:~ FOR ESJ'A~I,.ISHING ft:. NEW VILLAGE 1.71
entirely uninhabited--without first eliciting the response of neighbouring hill communities.
Sometimes it may· be necessary for newcomers to acknowledge the political
'
suprema~y ohhe community which pioneered the area, no matter what ethnic affiliation
t~at pioneer community may have.
(In the are~ where I conducted my field-work, ~he
Lahu were regarded as the pioneers and a neighbouring Lisu community recopized the
headman.ofthe largest Lahu village as their hpav yav, a Shan, or Tai Yai, tjt~e, of
headm~~:tship; cf; Walker 1969:44-6, 1970b:l41-3).
It may also be necessary to seek
the approval of lowland officialdom before settling into a new area, since tJle ·hill
cquntry is in law, if not alway~ in reality, under the jurisdiction of the national gover,n,.
ment. 34
Seldom will a Lahu Nyi community risk e~tablishing a new village against the
wishes of potential neighbours, either in the hills or in the lowlands.
Given an area with good soils and friendly--or at least tolerant-.:.neighbours, the
community elders will tum their attention to the choice of an actual site for settlement.
Generally (there are exceptions) they look for a gently-sloping spur~ and there are both
practical and supernatural reasons for doing so.
Good drainage is one advantage of a
high site; on low-lying land, waterlogging is a major problem during the long wet season
(June to O~tober).
The more conservative Lahu Nyi cite another reason for avoiding
low-lying.area!l! they are pathways for the spirits or nev, who will be angered if their
movement is blocked by human habitations. Angry spirits, it is believed, "bite" (che,.
ve) offenders and make them sick.3S
The proximity of a perennial stream or spring is essential, as is. the pr~sence of
suitable building materials for the houses.
Since wood, as well as· grass and leaves for
~atching, is widely available. in the hill country, the main consideration here is whether
or not there is sufficient bamboo. nearby. Lahu material culture depends greatly on·
. bamboo; it is inconceivable for these people. to liveJn 8n are~ ~here it is uriobtain~;~.ble. ·
If the communi~y happens to. cultivate (as do m~t Lahu Nyi in Thailand) dry
rice for subsistence and opium poppy (Papavar somniferum) a~ a cash crop,36 then the
34~ . For an account of. the relations between hillmen (such as Lahu) ·and the government· in· Thai­
' ,;l11nd, see Walker (1980d).
35 .. For more information on .Lahu Nyi concepts of spirits and on their spirit-specialists, see
. Walker (1976a:379-:-83, 1976g:435-7 [this article is ma~red by the printers~ omissi.on of
.most ~f the tone marks]; 19l7c 210-12).
36. For an account of the production and use of opium among the Lahu Nyi I studied, see Walker
(1980a)". ·: . . . . .. · ··· · ··