View source for Hill tribe (Thailand)

{{Short description|Various ethnic minorities mostly living in the Thai highlands}}
{{more citations needed|date=December 2013}}
'''"Hill tribe"''' ({{langx|th|ชาวเขา}}, {{IPA|th|tɕʰāːw kʰǎw|pron}}; [[Northern Thai language|Northern Thai]]: จาวดอย, คนดอย, {{IPA|nod|tɕāːw dɔ̄ːj, kʰōn dɔ̄ːj|pron}}; 'mountain people/folk')<ref name=dictionary>[http://www.thai-language.com/id/226017 English-Thai dictionary entry for "hill tribe"]</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Tumsorn|first1=Maneewan|last2=Chansiriyotin|first2=Supaporn|title=Northern-Central Thai Dictionary (Rev Ed)|date=1986|publisher=Peace Corps/Thailand|location=Thailand|url=http://www.livelingua.com/peace-corps/Thai/Northern-Central%20Thai%20Dictionary.pdf|access-date=5 June 2014|language=en, th}}</ref> is a term used in Thailand to encompass some of the [[Ethnic groups in Thailand|ethnic groups]] who mostly inhabit the high mountainous [[Northern Thailand|northern]] and [[Western Thailand|western]] regions of [[Thailand]], including both sides of the border areas between northern Thailand, [[Laos]] and [[Burma]], the [[Phi Pan Nam Range]], the [[Thanon Range]], the latter a southern prolongation of the [[Shan Hills]], as well as the [[Tenasserim Hills]] in [[Western Thailand]].{{Citation needed|date=October 2025}} 

==Terminology==
In the 19th century, the tribes living in the mountain ranges were the largest non-Buddhist group in Thailand. Their mountain locations were then considered remote and difficult to access.<ref name="Sukrittaya"/> In Thai official documents, the term ''hill tribe'' (''chao khao'') began to appear in the 1960s. This term highlights a "hill and valley" dichotomy that is based on ancient social relationships existing in most of [[Thai Highlands|northern]] and western Thailand, as well as in [[Sipsongpanna]] and [[Northern Vietnam]]. For the most part, the [[Dai people|Dai]]/[[Tai peoples|Tai]]/[[Thai people]] occupied the more fertile [[intermontane basin]]s and the valleys, while the less powerful groups lived in the poorer, higher elevations. This dichotomy was often also characterized by a master/[[Serfdom|serf relationship]].<ref>Kusuma Snitwongse & W Scott Thompson eds. ''Ethnic Conflicts in Southeast Asia'', Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (October 14, 2005) {{ISBN|978-9812303370}}, pg. 157</ref> 

In 1959, the [[government of Thailand]] established the Hill Tribe Welfare Committee under the [[Ministry of the Interior (Thailand)|Ministry of the Interior]]; nine ethnic groups ([[Akha people|Akha]], [[Hmong people|Hmong]], [[Mal people|Htin]], [[Iu Mien people|Iu-Mien]], [[Karen people|Karen]], [[Khmu people|Khamu]], [[Lahu people|Lahu]], [[Lisu people|Lisu]] and [[Lua people|Lua]]) were officially recognized as ''Chao Khao'' or “Hill Tribes” at that time.{{sfn|Morton|Baird|2019|p=12}} By 2004, these groups and other ethnic minorities like [[Kachin people|Kachin]], [[Palaung people|Dara’ang]], [[Mlabri people|Mlabri]] and [[Shan people|Shan]] came to be called ''Klum chatiphan Chao khao'' or “Ethnic Hill tribes”.{{sfn|Morton|Baird|2019|p=12}}

The International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs views 'hill tribe' as a derogatory term, and considers these groups to be [[Indigenous peoples]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Thailand - IWGIA - International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs |url=https://iwgia.org/en/thailand.html |access-date=2025-10-05 |website=iwgia.org}}</ref> "Highland Thais" is a more recent term also used to designate groups living in the mountainous areas.<ref name="Sukrittaya">Sukrittaya Jukping, ''Mae Khru Khong Chaat: A Study of Women Teachers of Thai Hilltribe Children.'' University of Iowa, 2008, {{ISBN|9780549750161}}, pg. 3</ref>

== Social issues ==
The hill dwelling peoples have traditionally been primarily [[subsistence farmers]] who use [[shifting cultivation]] techniques to farm their heavily [[forest]]ed communities.<ref name="Highlanders-Intro">{{cite book |last=Geddes |first=W. R. |title=Highlanders of Thailand |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=1983 |editor=John McKinnon and Wanat Bhruksasri |location=Kuala Lumpur |chapter=Introduction}}</ref> Popular perceptions that [[Slash-and-burn agriculture|slash-and-burn]] practices that form part of this cultivation method are environmentally destructive, governmental concerns over borderland security, and [[population pressure]] has caused the government to forcibly relocate many hill tribe peoples.<ref name="Border Lanscapes">{{cite book |last=Sturgeon |first=Janet C. |title=Border Landscapes: The Politics of Akha Land Use in China and Thailand |publisher=University of Washington Press |year=2005 |location=Seattle}}</ref> Traditionally, hill tribes were a migratory people, leaving land as it became depleted of resources. Cultural and adventure travel tourism<ref>{{Cite web |title=Trekking with Hill Tribes in North Thailand |url=https://www.alienadv.com/activityDetails/1204/Trekking-with-Hill-Tribes-in-North-Thailand/ |access-date=2016-06-02 |website=www.alienadv.com}}{{dead link|date=December 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> resulting in visiting the tribal villages is an increasing source of income for the hill tribes.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Gallery: Thailand's 'longneck' women, a controversial tourist attraction {{!}} CNN Travel |url=http://travel.cnn.com/bangkok/life/gallery-thailands-longneck-women-controversial-tourist-attraction-154136/ |access-date=2016-06-02 |website=travel.cnn.com}}</ref>

The mountain peoples are severely disadvantaged by comparison with the dominant [[Thai people|Thai ethnic group]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Mukdawan |first=Sakboon |title=Rights to culture: Heritage, language, and community in Thailand |publisher=Silkworm |year=2013 |isbn=978-616-215-062-3 |editor-last=Barry |editor-first=Coeli Maria |location=Chiang Mai |pages=213–237 |chapter=Controlling bad drugs, creating good citizens: Citizenship and social immobility for Thailand's highland ethnic minorities |oclc=837138803}}</ref> A 2013 article in the ''[[Bangkok Post]]'' said that "Nearly a million hill peoples and forest dwellers are still treated as outsiders—criminals even, since most live in protected forests. Viewed as national security threats, hundreds of thousands of them are refused citizenship although many are natives to the land".<ref name="Thainess">{{Cite news |last=Ekachai |first=Sanitsuda |date=2013 |title=Time ripe for whole new take on 'Thainess' |url=https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/366720/time-ripe-for-whole-new-take-on-thainess |work=Bangkok Post}}</ref> The [[Ministry of Social Development and Human Security (Thailand)|Ministry of Social Development and Human Security's]] 2015 ''Master Plan for the Development of Ethnic Groups in Thailand 2015-2017<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |url=http://www.harvardasia.co.th/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/503.pdf |title=แผนแม่บท การพัฒนากลุ่มชาติพันธุ์ในประเทศไทย(พ.ศ.2558-2560) |publisher=Ministry of Social Development and Human Security |year=2015 |location=Bangkok |pages=1, 29 |language=th |trans-title=Master Plan for the Development of Ethnic Groups in Thailand 2015-2017 |access-date=2020-03-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210312033022/http://www.harvardasia.co.th/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/503.pdf |archive-date=2021-03-12 |url-status=dead}}</ref>'' listed 13 mountain peoples and recognized problems in five areas, namely a lack of rights and uncertainty in housing, a lack of rights in legal status, a lack of stability in life, and weaknesses in bureaucratic planning. It sought to provide a planning framework to address these issues. The ''Master Plan'' was not renewed after 2017; it was 'subsumed' into planning by the [[National Security Council (Thailand)|Office of the National Security Council]] and by the [[Ministry of Culture (Thailand)|Ministry of Culture]].<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://tbinternet.ohchr.org/_layouts/15/treatybodyexternal/Download.aspx?symbolno=CERD%2fC%2fTHA%2f4-8&Lang=en |title=Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. Reports Submitted by States Parties under Article 9 of the Convention. Combined Fourth to Eighth Reports Submitted by Thailand under Article 9 of the Convention, Due in 2016: Thailand |publisher=United Nations |year=2019}}</ref>

==Main groups==
[[File:Akha Dress.JPG|thumb|Akha tribeswoman wearing traditional dress, northern Thailand]]
[[File:Lisu.jpg|thumb|Lisu women, northern Thailand]]
[[File:Hmong New Year Girls.JPG|thumb|Hmong women celebrating New Year]]
[[File:Thailand Hill Tribes.jpg|thumb|Long-necked Karen woman with child]]
[[File:Akha Funeral3.JPG|thumb|Akha exorcist at a village funeral]]

The nine main hill tribes officially recognised by the government in Thailand are the [[Akha people|Akha]], [[Lahu people|Lahu]], [[Karen people|Karen]], [[Hmong people|Hmong]], [[Yao people|Mien/Yao]], [[Lisu people|Lisu]], [[Lua people|Lua]], [[Lawa people|Lawa]], and [[Khmu people|Khamu]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=The Indigenous World 2025: Thailand - IWGIA - International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs |url=https://iwgia.org/en/thailand/5678-iw-2025-thailand.html |access-date=2025-10-05 |website=iwgia.org}}</ref> The [[Palaung people|Palaung]] are also sometimes included under this umbrella in official documents.<ref name=":1" /> Each of these groups has a distinct language and culture.

===Akha===
{{main|Akha people}}
The Akha are closely related to the [[Hani people|Hani]] of China's [[Yunnan]] province.<ref name=Hilltribe>{{cite web|url=http://www.hilltribe.org/akha/|title=The Akha|publisher=HillTribe.org|access-date=3 May 2012}}</ref> They are also known derogatorily in [[Thai language|Thai]] as the ''Gaw'' or the ''E-gaw''. The Akha are one of the dominant cultural influences in the area. There are two to three million Akha and Akha-Hani in total, 70,000 of whom live in Thailand. The Akha speak a language in the Lolo/Yi branch of the [[Tibeto-Burman]] language group but have no traditional written language.

Although many Akha, especially the younger people, profess [[Christianity]], ''Akha Zang'' ('The Akha Way') still runs deep in their consciousness. The Akha are a shamanic group that share the ancient universal archetype that the Goddess spins a universe where nature is not distinguished from humankind. They embody the essence of its consciousness into a holistic continuum where there is no dichotomy between themselves and the natural world. The Akha Way, a prescribed lifestyle derived from religious chants, combines [[animism]], [[ancestor worship]], shamanism and a deep relationship with the land. The Akha Way emphasizes [[rituals]] in everyday life and stresses strong family ties and the hymn of creation; every Akha male can recount his [[genealogy]] back over fifty generations to the first Akha, Sm Mi O.

===Lahu===
{{main|Lahu people}}

===The Hmong===
{{main|Hmong people}}

===Yao===
{{main|Yao people}}
===Karen===
{{main|Karen people}}
The K’nyaw ({{Langx|ksw|ကညီ}}), known to many as Karen and to others as [[Kariang]] or Yang, are one of the largest hill tribes in [[Southeast Asia]]. The approximately 320,000 Karen in Thailand comprise half of the country's total hill tribe population.{{Citation needed|date=October 2025}}

===Lisu===
{{Excerpt|Lisu people|paragraphs=1|templates=}}

===Palaung===
{{main|Palaung people}}

== Recent Citizenship Reforms and Statelessness ==
As of June 30, 2025, the Thai government has launched a groundbreaking initiative dramatically speeding up the citizenship process for stateless ethnic minority groups, including many hill tribe peoples. Under the new policy, ethnic minorities previously waiting years to obtain Thai nationality can now receive citizenship within five days of applying. This effort targets nearly half a million stateless individuals scattered across Thailand, with the northern province of [[Chiang Rai]], part of the Golden Triangle region long inhabited by hill tribes, having the highest number of stateless people—around 90,000. This reform aims to address long-standing bureaucratic inefficiencies that left many natives without legal status, restricting their access to healthcare, education, and legal protections.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Thailand Dramatically Speeds Up Citizenship for Stateless People |url=https://washingtondc.thaiembassy.org/en/content/2025-8-6-5?cate=64c93aa8fd9aa70789629292 |access-date=2025-10-08 |website=สถานเอกอัครราชทูต ณ กรุงวอชิงตัน |language=th}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Thailand - November 2024 {{!}} The Global State of Democracy |url=https://www.idea.int/democracytracker/report/thailand/november-2024 |access-date=2025-10-08 |website=www.idea.int}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Ethnic groups in Thailand]]
* [[Highland People Discovery Museum]]
* [[Hill people]]
* [[List of hill tribes of Thailand]]
* [[Southeast Asian Massif]]
* [[Thai highlands]]
* [[Zomia (geography)]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

== Sources ==
*{{cite journal | last=Morton | first=Micah F. | last2=Baird | first2=Ian G. | title=From Hill tribes to Indigenous Peoples: The localisation of a global movement in Thailand | journal=Journal of Southeast Asian Studies | publisher=Cambridge University Press| volume=50 | issue=1 | year=2019 | issn=0022-4634 | doi=10.1017/s0022463419000031 | pages=7–31}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.hilltribe.org Virtual Hill Tribe Museum]
* [https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g297920-d456343-Reviews-Hill_Tribe_Museum-Chiang_Rai_Chiang_Rai_Province.html Hill Tribe Museum (tripadvisor)]

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[[Category:Ethnic groups in China]]
[[Category:Ethnic groups in Laos]]
[[Category:Ethnic groups in Myanmar]]
[[Category:Ethnic groups in Thailand]]
[[Category:Hill people]]