Thai hill tribes mix technology with tradition

By Kate McGeown
BBC News, northern Thailand

Every day, in a small building nestled amid the lush green valleys of Northern Thailand, a group of young hill tribe people is hard at work.

At first glance, their labours could hardly be further from the region's traditional pastimes.

These young people are producing a website, complete with articles in both Thai and English, as well as audio and video footage, quizzes and discussion forums.

Young hilltribe people and the challenges they face

In pictures

But this is a website with a difference: it is dedicated to issues which matter most to the hill tribe communities - arguably the poorest and most discriminated minority group in Thailand.

The young producers of the website - the Virtual Hilltribe Museum - hope that by mixing modern technology with ancient culture, they can reach out to their peers and persuade them to be proud of their heritage, helping to stem the gradual erosion of hill tribe traditions.

"We can't make things go back to the way they were before, but we have to find a way to mix old and new together," said Atee Chermeu, who writes articles about his own tribe, the Akhas.

"Writing this website it really important to me because our culture is disappearing, and it's in danger of dying altogether," said Atee's colleague Somchai Jasee, a member of the Lahu tribe.

"At the moment, whenever an elder dies, it's like an entire library has disappeared," he added.

Homogenisation of culture

There is little doubt that the hill tribe people of Northern Thailand are rapidly losing their unique way of life and gradually assimilating into Thai society.

The Virtual Hilltribe Museum aims to foster pride in tribal culture

In the last few decades, whole villages have been uprooted in government resettlement programmes, bringing hill tribes into closer contact with the majority Thai population.

Deprived of land, there is now a serious lack of opportunities for young people who want to stay in their villages.

And that assumes any of them actually want to stay. Access to the trappings of modern life - with TV, films and the internet - has led many hill tribe people to feel ashamed of their cultural roots.

"In the cities, even people from the same village will greet each other in Thai," said Arthit Gatu, an ethnic Karen who works at the Virtual Museum.

"If you ask them why, they say it's because they're embarrassed to be Karen."

The website aims to redress this balance, encouraging ethnic minorities to take pride in their cultural identity as well as educating others about the hill tribe traditions.

The site's readers - mainly young people working in the cities - can read a series of articles addressing issues which affect hill tribe people today. These might include living away from home, cross-tribal marriages and advice on obtaining full Thai citizenship.

Jonathan Morris, an American ex-Peace Corps volunteer who was instrumental in setting up the website said the discussion forums were a particularly popular part of the site.

"Maybe the readers just don't have any other forum to say what they want," Mr Morris said.

One of the most heated debates on the site focused on a popular Thai song, and exemplifies the misunderstandings which sometimes arise between the hill tribes and majority Thai population.

The song tells the story of a hill tribe woman who teaches young Thai boys about sex. Although it has no basis in fact, Thais often assume it is true, and even representative of hill tribe behaviour.

Accepting the inevitable

One criticism which has been levelled at the Virtual Museum is that, by using modern technology, the website team could actually be exacerbating the move away from tradition.

But Mr Morris said: "You can't preserve a culture by making people dance and wear traditional clothes. These changes are coming, so why not be prepared. Why not use it to your advantage?"

"It's a lost cause to expect people to carry on their traditional lifestyles, but it is still possible to preserve their ethnic identities."

It's a losing battle to preserve these traditions. I'm just delaying it, but I'm not expecting to win Alberto de la Paz, Curator of Chiang Rai Hill tribe Museum

Alberto de la Paz, the curator of a hill tribe exhibition in the nearby town of Chiang Rai, has an even more pessimistic outlook.

"Change is inevitable," he said. It's a losing battle to preserve these traditions. I'm just delaying it, but I'm not expecting to win."

However daunting the task, websites and museums are at least providing hope.

But to survive as distinct cultural groups, the tribespeople themselves have to want to safeguard their heritage, and find a way to reconcile the old with the new.

And there are signs that this is already starting to happen.

"I recently went to a full moon ceremony in the village where I grew up," said Kamonthip Saelee - an ethnic Lisu.

"People started dancing even though this particular ceremony is not meant to include any dances," she said.

"My dad told me that this year they'd decided to include the dancing because people enjoyed it. And perhaps that's the key - to keep finding new ways to make our cultural practices fun and interesting."