Culture

How do they live? The Lahu live in quite small villages, usually with only three or four families. Their houses are usually built on slopes and hillsides. In the past, they were semi nomadic, only staying in one location for a few years, before moving on in search of more fertile fields. They often lived in temporary houses near their fields, with roofs made of leaves. They were said to move whenever their roofs turned yellow. In more recent times, many Lahu have adopted a more sedentary lifestyle, learning how to sustain fields by fertilization and crop rotation. Lahu houses were formerly built on stilts. But more and more houses are being built level with the ground. Exterior walls and interior partitions are traditionally built of woven bamboo. They are also famous for weaving bamboo mats and chairs. But some copy the building practices of the neighboring Ha Nhi villages, and build walls of clay.

The interior of Lahu houses does not have a standard layout. But the one thing that is almost universal among the Lahu is a fireplace that serves as the heart of the home. It is where the meals are cooked, the house is heated and where the head of the family sleeps. This is also where the altar to the ancestors is found, usually fixed on the wall at the head of the bed.

Lahu society is based upon the nuclear family, which is patriarchal. Lahu men are more considerate of their wives than is typical among other people groups, however. Marriages are monogamous, and family lineage is reckoned through the male line. But young people are free to chose their mates. But each village may have several lineage, and each will have several branches. Each branch has a family name, usually that of a bird or other animal. A few names, such as Po, Vang, Phan and Giang, result from borrowing from other ethnic groups. Normally, marriage between people of the same branch is prohibited, but is sometimes allowed for distant cousins. Another restriction is that a man may not marry a sister of his brother's wife.

Marriage. The New Year festival is the favorite time for courting. When a young girl consents to marry, the young man sends a go-between to ask her father's permission. When the father's permission has been given, the time of bride service must be fixed. This varies from two to eight years, and involves the young couple working for the bride's parents as a form of dowry. Following the agreement with the parents, a betrothal ceremony is held, involving the go-between, the parents, the village elders, and usually (but not always) the young couple. The engaged couple has strings tied around their wrists and they are regarded as husband and wife. The marriage is not official, however, until the actual wedding ceremony is held. The wedding often must wait for some time until enough food and other supplies can be collected to feast the entire village. The grooms family, for example, has to provide squirrel meat to the family of the bride. Unfortunately, divorce is somewhat common among the Lahu, especially during the first few years of marriage.

The Lahu have a distinctive musical instrument, called a naw, which is a musical gourd pipe. The pipe consists of a gourd with five bamboo tubes of different lengths, tuned to the pentatonic scale. At the base of each tube is a cleverly crafted reed, which makes the distinctive sound. These pipes are made in different sizes, small ones to produce high registers, and large ones to produce deep, rich tones. They also use bamboo Jew's harps (a hta) which are tuned to harmonize in duets and trios. Young men and girls use both the Jew's harps and gourd pipes to "talk to each other" when courting. They also use drums to provide rhythm for their dances. Children like to sing in groups while tapping on a tree trunk to keep time.

Livelihood Agriculture, especially slash and burn corn production, is the basis of the Lahu society. But hunting and gathering are also important. They hunt with crossbows, as well as flintlock rifles and traps. Besides corn (maize) they grow gourds (pumpkins), beans, upland rice, sweet potatoes and other vegetables. They do not plough their fields. They break up the soil with small hand tools and plant seeds in a hole made with a digging stick. Each plot of land is cultivated for one or two years, then left fallow for two or three years. This cycle is repeated for two or three cycles, then the land is abandoned and a new area is burned off. Like the Nung, gathering of forest products, such as bamboo, rattan and wood, are important activities. They also eat mushrooms, wild tubers and other wild plants. The Lahu prefer sticky rice when they can get it. They do raise domestic livestock such as chickens, other poultry, pigs, and horses. They also fish in ponds and streams with nets. The weaving of baskets and iron work are specialties of the Lahu.