ုံSilver Palaung Gallery

Originally from the Shan State in Burma, approximately 2,000 people of the Palaung, or Da-ang tribe migrated from Burma to Thailand around 1984. The Palaung people have their own language and culture which, like that of the Muser hilltribe, follows the ancient traditions of their ancestors. Their arrival in the Doi Angkhang, Fang Amphur area of Chiang Mai province initially caused some problems, as their migration was considered illegal. Eventually, they were categorised as a minority people and given the right to stay in 1986. The Paluang hilltribe make their living agriculturally, growing vegetables for which they receive the support of the Doi Angkhang Royal Project. A survey conducted in 1995 showed that at that time, a total of 1,937 Palaung people lived in four villages in Fang Amphur, Chiang Mai province. One of these villages is the Nor Lae Village, about 4 kilometres from Khob Dong Musur Village. The village is situated on the Thai and Burmese border and soldiers from both countries can be seen in the area.

These photos were taken near the Nor Lae Village. Living in raised houses, families are extended with married sons usually living with the parents. Villages have a headman, who usually comes from the largest family, as well as monks and a shaman for curing sickness. Only Palaung women wear costume. They wear a short bright (often blue) long sleeved jacket with decorated trim and a red tube skirt with narrow horizontal white or silver stripes. The women also wear large belts made of rattan and/or metal coils that protect them and let them go to heaven when they die. The Palaung are noted for their skill in raising crops. They are strict Buddhists who also believe in nature and animal spirits. Their villages must have a Buddhist temple or shrine as well as a shrine for propitiating the spirits.