From the top to the Bottom

From... The TOP Lahu Daeng, Mueang, Chiang Rai, Thailand 57000

To... The BOTTOM Orang Asli, Betong, Yala, Thailand 95110 P.S. In differences, there are similarities, and similarities may have some hidden differences.

Open your eyes to the beauty around you.

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open your mind to the wonders of life.

-Maya Angelou

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‘‘LET’S DISCOVER THEM THROUGH OUR JOURNEY’’

LAHU DAE ORA

NG

ASLI

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181 Rusamilae, Prince of Songkla University Pattani, Thailand 94000

Dear Adorable Readers,

Hi there! How is everything going with you? We trust that you are doing great, especially while reading this letter. It is a great delight to know that we all have the same interest. I can assure you that you would be surprised at the content of this letter if you read till the end.

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Well, we would like to share with you our pleasant moments in working on our project on Lahu Daeng and Orang Asli, two minority groups in the northernmost and southernmost provinces of Thailand. We visited them and were surprised their daily lifestyle, something completely different from what we have always known. A collection of their stories from our journey is recorded in the following pages of this letter.

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01

When two hearts become one love.

-Richard Patton 9

The beginning of life

In ancient time, childbirth of Lahu Daeng was in the care of a midwife in the village but today it is in the hands of a doctor who takes care of this group of people since the fourth month of pregnancy.

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On the other hand, Orang Asli people still practice original childbirth done by a midwife. Most Orang Asli, especially women can be midwives. After childbirth, mothers are lying near the fire and using herbs as medicine to equilibrate and rehabilitate the body of mother.

BIRTH MAY BE A MATTER OF A MOMENT. BUT IT IS A UNIQUE ONE. -Frederick Leboyer

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PRETTY CHAT

SHARE

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Chit chat

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Mr. Mayuni: Hello there!

His Love: Hello darling! Can you hear me?

Mr. Mayuni: No! I can’t hear your voice clearly, my dear.

His Love: Oh! Really? But I hear you clearly darling! What’s the matter with your phone?

Mr. Mayuni: I think there is nothing wrong with my phone, but my ear. It can only hear your heart not your voice. I miss you, my love.

His Love: I miss and love you more.

This is a short but sweet telephone conversation between Mr. Mayuni an Orang Asli, and his love conversing in his own language. Orang Asli utilizes two main languages for communication. They use their own language to communicate among the members of Orang Asli, while local Melayu is the language that they use to communicate with other people. Moreover, nowadays, Orang Asli has learned how to use a mobile phone as Lahu Daeng does.

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This is a group of Lahu Daeng children gathering to play together on weekend. Most of them study in Thai school, thus they can speak Thai fluently, especially, the northern Thai dialect, the language used to communicate with local people in that area. They always practice speaking Thai with their Thai teachers. However, Lahu Daeng language is the mother tongue that they use with their family and other villagers.

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At the front of home is the crystal cool canal, At the back of home is the bright green hill, 18

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At the over head of home is the beautiful blue sky, At the heaRt of home is the great warm family.

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Cozy home

There are many tribes across the northern hill of Thailand such as long neck Karen, Akha, and Yao. Lahu Daeng is also among them. In the past, Lahu Daeng lived in a temporary cottage made from big bamboo and covered with woven dried grass for about 4-5 years before traveling to locate in another place due to a decrease in the natural resources of neighboring areas. However, nowadays, Lahu Daeng lives in a permanent home with electricity, electrical appliances, and waterworks. Even though there are changes in habitation, the warm family relationship still remains.

Long time ago, Orang Asli lived in the plentiful jungle. They built their permanent home by using big bamboo and woven Etlingera, a local plant called Pud Yai

by Orang Asli and partitioned their home into a living room, bedroom, and kitchen at the front, in the middle, and at the back, respectively. Unfortunately, because the home was surrounded by natural resources, wild animals, especially elephants often came for food and destroyed their permanent homes. That is the reason why Orang Asli loves to have temporal homes.

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Presently, while travelling to find a new location, Orang Asli builds temporary homes to rest in the night time. A small home is made from bamboos as pillars and comfortable sofa, big fresh banana or Pud Yai leaves as roof, with the blowing wind serving as air conditioner. When the sun rises again, everyone moves to a new location. Finally, Orang Asli will settle and live at a new place for 1-2 months. The little cozy home is strongly made by a big bamboo and fine woven Pud Yai leaves.

The bamboo bed is woven with pieces of long cloth. The inside of the house is used for relaxation. At the front is a kitchen. These seven or eight little homes are gathered as a lively community. When we went there, we literally knew that “the size does not matter, but the relationship does.�

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Aladin's Orang Asli's

Kettle

in fairy-tale, in Jungle

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Methods of cooking 26

Lahu Daeng prefers cooking rice in bamboo tube because it produces sweeter and more delicious taste. Currently, they are more comfortable in cooking because they use equipment such as gas and a rice cooker. However, the traditional way like using bamboo tube is still in use to preserve rice and food.

Similarly, Orang Asli prefers eating cooked food. Previously, this group of people ate only sweet potatoes grilled on firewood because the people did not know how to cook. However, after they form a friendship with local people, this southernmost group learned how to cook more easily and conveniently with pot and kettle than cooking on firewood.

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05

G F

ood is

ood.

G M

-Katerina Tuna

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Enjoy eating

Like the local people, Lahu Daeng has breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Rice with Api-Eu, which is the mixture of onions, beans, tomatoes and chilies, are the great meal. It becomes the daily meal of the tribe because it is easy to cook and all of the ingredients are planted by the members in this group. Other preferable food Lahu Daeng eats are pork and chicken which are often eaten on a special day like Wedding Day. Moreover, this group of people carries food to work by putting it in a bamboo tube for preservation. In the past, as Lahu Daeng lived in the forest, it was not easy to find food. So, the people had flour as well as lettuces as the main course.

Unlike Lahu Daeng, Orang Asli dwelling in Betong, Yala, prefers eating once a day at noon, having sweet potato as the main course. It becomes the daily meal because it is easy to find in the forest. At the same time, Orang Asli eats fruit such as Khue Lae Dae, which is the favorite fruit of the group. Its taste and shape are like those of Chempedak. Later, this southernmost group is influenced by local people after they made friends with them. The local people introduced Orang Asli people how to eat rice. After that, Orang Asli sometimes eats rice with fish and other food.

Also, the people drink coffee and eat snacks. However, sweet potatoes are still the main course of these people.

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I will take care of me for you, if you will take care of you for me.

-Jim Rohn

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My herb, my health 34

Nowadays, Lahu Daeng people do not live in the mountain. This group has started taking medicines from the hospital. When a member in the group gets sick, this member goes to the hospital or buys medicines at the pharmacy. The way of treatment has obviously changed from the past when they used herbs such as opium, Mahok and others to treat flatulence, diarrhea and others.

However, Orang Asli empoys the traditional way of treatment using forest herbs and dew in the forest to help to restore their body. When they go to work in the village, they often get headaches and flu. The group members will get drugs from the local people in the village since they cannot go to the hospital because they are not Thai citizen.

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Normal things for you, special tools for them 37

Vital tools for daily life

There are many tools used in the daily life of Lahu Daeng. Since most of them are farmers, we generally saw agricultural equipment such as plough handles, sickles, and threshing baskets on every wall of Lahu Daeng’s home when we went there. Besides, this group of people also uses electrical appliances such as iron, portable fan, refrigerator, and kitchen tools, including firewood and knife. On the other hand, the people of Orang Asli do not use agricultural equipment nor electrical appliances since they have no occupation and every member moves to look for a new place every 1-2 months. However, the kitchen tools, such as firewood, knife, and sickle are used in their daily life.

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In this story book, we would refer to the woven bamboo basket and the blowgun with poisoned dart which are the major tools of Lahu Daeng and Orang Asli, respectively.

Woven bamboo basket is the main daily life tool of the hill tribes in northern Thailand. However the shape is different.

For Lahu Daeng, the lower boundary of basket is square, and round on the edge. It is light and strong. Many people may wonder what these are used for. Actually, this basket is mainly used to carry vegetables grown on the hills by the group members, sometimes herbs and firewood gathered in the forest too.

At the same time, the blowgun with poisoned dart is the main daily life tool of Orang Asli. It is the equipment for hunting. This equipment is composed of three parts: the blowgun, the poisoned dart, and the big bamboo tube. The blowgun is made from bamboo. The people of Orang Asli get the bamboo from the forest. After straightening it, it is cleaned by putting a long rattan into it. A poisoned dart is made from the sharp bamboo. After coating it with a poisonous substance extracted from Upas tree, they keep the poisoned dart to be used it with the big bamboo tube and the blowgun for food hunting in the evening.

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08

Dazzling dresses are colors of my life.

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DRESSING Style

In the past, Lahu Daeng wore red and black tribal dress,decorated with silver accessories such as necklaces and bangles. Nowadays, this group dresses like villagers and wears the tribal dress only on special occasions like a wedding day and New Year’s Day.

Previously, Orang Asli single women wore earrings made from white flowers wore bamboo comb to hold her hair and wore bangles while a married woman wore a rosary necklace. Men used tree bark and women used its leaves to cover their body. However, their daily life has been influenced by urban society.

Therefore, their cultures of clothing also change. Nowadays, this group wears sarongs, skirts, trousers and sandals in their daily life.

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My bride is as bright as a Chinese rose.

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All about love

The wedding ceremony of Lahu Daeng is held at the bride’s home. The ritual is performed by the shaman whoperforms the ritual. This ceremony is arranged only in the evening as it is believed the best time for arrangement. The couples pay 100 baht to the shaman as ritual fee. It is the rate that the shaman specifies for every couple. In the wedding ceremony of Lahu Daeng, there must be two boiled chickens and dowry. These beliefs were inherited from the group’s ancestors. Lahu Daeng believes that this group cannot arrange the wedding if the person hears the muntjak cry because it is an unfortunate sign for the couples. After they are married, the groom has to stay at the bride’s home and then move to the groom’s home later on. The length of stay at each partner’s home depends on the agreement of both families. Furthermore, Lahu Daeng can marry from other tribes.

In contrast, Orang Asli does not have a wedding ceremony because this group does not like to be involved in complicated things. If a man and a woman love each other, they can live together without any ceremony and there is no divorce between them because they believe that if they choose to stay together, it shows that they have a strong love for each other.

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Step by step

on the way of simple life

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Easy work, simple life

The daily routine of Lahu Daeng people is growing vegetables, opium and transplant rice seedling to feed themselves. By doing this, the husband and wife have agreed on who will be the one to work. If the husband goes out to work alone, the wife will stay at home to cater for the children and doing chores. For the kids, they will spend their whole day playing with friends and then they will go to the nearby waterfall to take a shower.

On the other hand, the daily routine of Orang Asli is very simple. Men will go out for hunting and finding food in the morning and return home at noon.

Women will stay at home for catering for the children. When the men arrive home, the women will serve them lunch and they both will spend the rest of the day to gether till they go to bed.

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Leader is leading and following.

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Walk together

The big name label on the walls of the house is never necessary if the owner of that name never does his own duty as mentioned on the label. Mr. Yotin Wuttiboonchai is the Deputy of Lahu Daeng’s village leader. He is the one who works so hard to develop the Lahu Daeng’s education. The villagers also respect the rights each other in the village.

On the other hand, the Orang Asli tribe does not like to have a leader nor a democratic system. They just help each other. They love to enjoy their own rights and freedom. However, they still respect each other in their group.

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the death comes without ign

s

and ound.

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Loss of life

Orang Asli people believe in life after death. This group of people believes in reincarnation. Therefore, the corpse is buried with a dart, a big knife, and a spade.

Orang Asli accepts that after the reincarnation, these belongings can be used again.

Unlike Orang Asli, Lahu Daeng does not believe in reincarnation at all. This group of people believes that death is the end of life. When people die, they do not put any stuff into the grave with them.

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Ready to learn Through your journey?

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…dressed in red hibiscus on the ear and walking around the forest with cloths made of leaves are the people of Orang Asli, meanwhile, living on the top of mountain and unable to speak the Thai language are the people of Lahu Daeng. This has been the imagination of many Thais over the years about these tribes. contrary to this belief, as a matter of fact, there is no such thing as red hibiscus on the ear of the Orang Asli people, and many of the Lahu Daeng people are able to speak Thai. We hopethis letter will make you know the reality about Orang Asli and Lahu Daeng ethnic groups.

Love and Care “From the Top to the Bottom Team” November, 2016

P.S. Note in your calendar plan of activities to visit them, and you will sure know even more than what you are ready here.

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About ''From the Top to the Bottom''

Lahu Daeng is one of the minority tribes in northernmost of Thailand. Today, Lahu Daeng is permanently settling at the foot of the mountain in Nanglaenai Sub-District, Mueang district, Chiang Rai Province. As a result of the fact that they settle near locals in that area, their way of life is now similar to that of Chiang Rai villagers.

Similarly, at the bottom is an ethnic group called Orang Asli. They are Negrito ethnic group that live together in a small community around the forest in southern of Thailand and Melayu Cape. We also met with a group of Orang Asli or Sakai people in Aiyerweng, Betong district, Yala Province.

In differences, there are similarities, and similarities may have some hidden differences.Therefore, by selecting “Lahu Daeng and Orang Asli” as a case study, our group intends to examine and compare the similarities and differences with regards to food, costume, belief, and activities in the daily life of these people. Our study will be published in a “Story Book” format with English descriptions of our experiences under the name “From the Top to the Bottom”.

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The messages... from the bottom of our hearts To YOURS “Yes, I knew them!” After finishing this book, I realize that I just knew both Orang Asli and Lahu Daeng. I would like to thank my parents who are always my powerful source of encouragement, and my advisors who gave me suggestions. A big thanks to you all my readers.

-Nasree Pitaksuksan

I am sincerely thankful to my advisors, parents, and friends for all their supports and encouragements. I am very lucky to be a part of this project, which is a big gift for me as a student. After the completion, I have learned that “Excellence is always Possible with Teamwork.”

-Amornsil Tongpeng

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Let me start by saying a big thank you to my teammates and advisors for their meaningful suggestions. Also, I am thankful for the accessory provided that facilitated our journey. I really appreciate all the moments you encouraged us. I am very grateful and proud to be a part of this successful project. I hope that readers will find this story book valuable.

-Nurha Mohkhwan

First of all, I am glad that we finished the project completely.Also, I would like to say thank you to all my advisors for supporting and directing us in the course of the project. I learned many things from this project like applying English skill in writing a story book. I have discovered that teamwork is needed if we want to accomplish anything. Moreover, I hope the readers will get true information and understand the actual way of life of the Orang Asli and Lahu Daeng people from our story book. Our story book will be more useful if the information is disseminated to others. Thank you.

-Yameelah Musorma 64

Praise be to God for leading us to a successful end of the project. I would like to thank the officers of Sub-District Administrative Organization in Nanglae, Chiangrai and those in Betong, Yala. Moreover, I would like to say a big thank you to my team members and supervisors.

This project would not have been completed without you.

-Susantee Muhamad

Since four months ago that I have started this project I have learned that team work is most efficient in achieving success. We solved all the problems we had together. Consequently, I am proud to present this story book. It could not have been completed without the assistance and support of supervisors, teammates, and participants. I would like to thank you all for your unstinting support.

-Kusaina Mueka 65

''Not all those who wander are lost'' - J.R.R. Tolkien

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From the Top to the Bottom

Project Authors

Miss Kusaina Mueka Miss Yameelah Musorma Mr. Nasree Pitaksuksan Mr. Amornsil Tongpeng Miss Nurha Mohkhwan Miss Susantee Muhamad

Project Advisors

Asst. Prof. Adisa Benjarattananon Miss. Wimonrat Rattanayat Mr. Chanan Patyaiying Dr. Yusop Boonsuk

Mr. Muhammatnatri Luemanah Mr. Ah-mad Madbenyeeman

Graphic Designer

Mr. Anas Yalanae

Photographers

lahu Daeng & Orang Asli