Lahu Sheleh People

The Lahu language is part of the Tibeto-Burman language family and, although there are no historical records, it is thus believed that the Lahu people originally came from the Tibeto-Burman borderlands. Today there are Lahu people living in the Yunnan province of China, as well as in Burma, Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam. The Lahu divide themselves into 5 subgroups, the Black, Red, Yellow, and White Lahu, and the Lahu Sheleh. There are stories that say that some Lahu groups fled across the Kachine State of Burma and settled in India as result of rebellions against the Chinese, but today there are no records of Lahu settlements in India. Other groups moved south into the Shan State in Eastern Burma. Some of these Lahu, however, kept moving because of the constant threat from local warlords. A significant number of Lahu eventually arrived in Thailand, including the Lahu Sheleh that settled in the vicinity of Suan Lahu at least 45 years ago.
Neighboring Suan Lahu there are two Lahu Sheleh villages, Doi Mot and Huay Nam Rin, which are now permanent, although their inhabitants were semi-nomadic in the past. The Thai government no longer allows hunting or the growing of opium poppies, so these two traditional sources of livelihood are now restricted, and at the same time exposure to lowland culture and market economies has increased. These three factors, coming in the last few decades, have had a heavy impact on Lahu life. 
Nevertheless the Lahu Sheleh people value and honor their culture by practicing traditional rituals every day. Their spiritual traditions includes a supreme being, Guisha, and they are animist in the sense that they also honor many local spirits.  In order to be effective, the rituals must be conducted in the proper way. If they are not, and if the spirits are annoyed, there will be punishment, a spiritual perspective similar to the idea of Karma.
The Lahu, lacking a written language, still have a strong oral tradition. Ekkai is the hero of many Lahu stories, or perhaps the anti-hero, since the Lahu are not so proud of him and his clever, devious ways. The legends about him reveal the Lahu people’s past and their reactions to war and conflict. Lahu tea has long been revered, and in ancient times the Lahu supplied tea to the Chinese traders that travelled the Silk Road. Many stories tell of Ekkai tricking these Chinese traders and making them angry.
Preserving Lahu culture while negotiating the daily influences of the lowlands is not an easy or straightforward undertaking. One small example of recent compromises between the old and new concerns the traditional dances that take place in the evenings. Many Lahu women are now actively following popular Thai TV dramas, and since these were overlapping with the evening dances, female participation at the dances had dropped off precipitously. As a result, the dances now start a little later.
Suan Lahu’s supports the Lahu Sheleh as they make their way through the challenges and opportunities that arise when they interesect with the lowlands. How do we realize desired change while safeguarding valuable resources and cultural identity? The answer is evolving each day.