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An
Akha Village
Page 4
click to enlarge
Two weeks in
Northern Laos, July 2006
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Page 1 Huay Xai - The
Mekong - Luang Prabang
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Page 2 Luang
Prabang: Temples
Page 3 Luang
Nam Tha - Map -
Notes -
Links
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Page 4 An
Akha Village
Page
5 Muang Sing - Huay Xai
Ban Nam Lai, an Akha village
Young Akha girls and
boys (maybe at the age of 13) are given some sexual freedom and
intimacy before marriage.
The small hut on stilts to the left is a "house of
love" where they can
meet privately.
If the meeting leads to pregnancy, it is considered fortunate - and
the couple can marry.
From Luang Nam Tha I
went on a two-day trek to Ban Nam Lai, an Akha village deep
in the jungle of Nam Ha National Protected Area.
We were four tourists on the trek who spent the night in a
traditional Akha hut.
NB: Klik på billedet for forstørrelse / Click on photos to enlarge
It has been said
that Luang Nam Tha has the largest number of ethnic groups of any
province in Laos. Whether or not this is true, the fact remains that
there numerous different ethnic groups living in Luang Nam Tha. Some
may call them hill tribes, but this is not a totally accurate
description as they do not all live in the hills. What can be said,
however, is that many of these peoples still live a life that is
virtually untouched by the modern world. They carry on their daily
life as they have done for centuries.
http://www.theboatlanding.laopdr.com/ethnic.html
The Akha
people are among the numerous mountain tribes that live in the
highlands of Northwestern Laos.
Most communities live in remote areas and their existence is largely
based on subsistence economy with only limited outside contacts.
They practise slash and burn farming, a simple agricultural method
whereby natural vegetation is cut and burned, and the clearing then
farmed for a few years until the soil loses its fertility, whereupon
farmers move on and leave the area to regrow.
NB: Klik på billedet for forstørrelse / Click on photos to enlarge
Girls doing
embroidery
The young Akha girls give a welcome massage
after a long and difficult trek
At night the villagers
slaughtered and barbecued a piglet and invited us for dinner.
The meal was followed by local whisky, a sing-song, and finally a
traditional massage before bedtime
The village chief and his wife
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The
slaughtered piglet
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·
Page 1 Huay Xai - The
Mekong - Luang Prabang
·
Page 2 Luang
Prabang: Temples
Page 3 Luang
Nam Tha - Map -
Notes -
Links
·
Page 4 An
Akha Village
Page
5 Muang Sing - Huay Xai
Last update August 06
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