There are 2 dominant landmarks/symbols in an Akha village - the Sacred Gate & the 'Swing'.
The Swing Ceremony is unique to the Akha tribe. It falls in August or September each year depending on when that particular village will harvest its rice. Determined by the village priest, the date can change often making planning difficult.
The Swing Ceremony is a sacred thanksgiving ritual & form of ancestral worship. Through the ceremony & its associated merry-making, feasting, singing & dancing, the Akha show respect & gratitude to their ancestors, who, in turn, give well-being, welfare & crop abundance to their descendants.
The ceremony also marks a 'rite of passage' for Akha girls passing into womanhood. Its this later component that makes the ceremony so very spectacular - the girls of the village come dressed in their finest hand-made/hand embroided clothing/costumes. Indigo dyed cotton cloth jackets skirts & 'leg wraps' are embroided in intricate patterns of every possible distinctive colour. The most ornate of headware made from silver (they weigh around 5kgs each) & colourful beads adorn their heads. The girls laugh their heads off as they launch each other on the swing - individually, in pairs, seated, standing.......
Phamee Akha headdress:
U Lo Akha headdress:
Dressed to kill:
2009
We headed off from Chiang Mai shortly after sunrise, northward bound for Chiang Rai then on up to Doi Tung & the Queen Mother's magnificent gardens.
I'd established a good contact when we visited the Royal Villa & gardens, a 'girl from the mountains' whose family had migrated from Burma several generations ago (like the hill-tribes we'd visit today had done). Through her I'd been able to determine which Akha village was our preferred destination & in turn she'd been liaising with the tribal headman & village priest to ascertain when their Swing Ceremony would take place, & to ensure we were welcome to attend.
The 'chosen area' was that magnificent stretch of road marking the border between Thailand & Burma. Steep, narrow, twisting & incredibly spectacular it is little used as it weaves in & out of the two countries. At times one passes through 'border controls' where armed forces from Thailand look across over armed military from Burma & visa-versa; an area/region where, at the time of reporting, the Shan Independance Army were fighting the Burmese Army, fighting which had led to 30,000 refugees fleeing over the Chinese border.
We were heading to the Phamee Akha, a village with a spectacular setting high up in the limestone cliffs looking out over the fertile plains of Chiang Rai province. We arrived to find the older men of the village finalising the installation of the swing, with the ceremonies to start later in the day, but determined to have no 'down-time' we headed to Phahee Village, somewhat higher up the mountain but in an equally impressive setting.
They were, to say the least, surprised to see us, but what a spectacle lay before us the only two outsiders to stumble across the event.
I'll let the photos do the talking..........
Phahee Village:
The village headman's son checks the swing:
One-up seated:
Two-up seated:
Two-up standing:
Those from the hill-tribe who participated together with a well-travelled GT Rider:
The Swing Ceremony is unique to the Akha tribe. It falls in August or September each year depending on when that particular village will harvest its rice. Determined by the village priest, the date can change often making planning difficult.
The Swing Ceremony is a sacred thanksgiving ritual & form of ancestral worship. Through the ceremony & its associated merry-making, feasting, singing & dancing, the Akha show respect & gratitude to their ancestors, who, in turn, give well-being, welfare & crop abundance to their descendants.
The ceremony also marks a 'rite of passage' for Akha girls passing into womanhood. Its this later component that makes the ceremony so very spectacular - the girls of the village come dressed in their finest hand-made/hand embroided clothing/costumes. Indigo dyed cotton cloth jackets skirts & 'leg wraps' are embroided in intricate patterns of every possible distinctive colour. The most ornate of headware made from silver (they weigh around 5kgs each) & colourful beads adorn their heads. The girls laugh their heads off as they launch each other on the swing - individually, in pairs, seated, standing.......
Phamee Akha headdress:
U Lo Akha headdress:
Dressed to kill:
2009
We headed off from Chiang Mai shortly after sunrise, northward bound for Chiang Rai then on up to Doi Tung & the Queen Mother's magnificent gardens.
I'd established a good contact when we visited the Royal Villa & gardens, a 'girl from the mountains' whose family had migrated from Burma several generations ago (like the hill-tribes we'd visit today had done). Through her I'd been able to determine which Akha village was our preferred destination & in turn she'd been liaising with the tribal headman & village priest to ascertain when their Swing Ceremony would take place, & to ensure we were welcome to attend.
The 'chosen area' was that magnificent stretch of road marking the border between Thailand & Burma. Steep, narrow, twisting & incredibly spectacular it is little used as it weaves in & out of the two countries. At times one passes through 'border controls' where armed forces from Thailand look across over armed military from Burma & visa-versa; an area/region where, at the time of reporting, the Shan Independance Army were fighting the Burmese Army, fighting which had led to 30,000 refugees fleeing over the Chinese border.
We were heading to the Phamee Akha, a village with a spectacular setting high up in the limestone cliffs looking out over the fertile plains of Chiang Rai province. We arrived to find the older men of the village finalising the installation of the swing, with the ceremonies to start later in the day, but determined to have no 'down-time' we headed to Phahee Village, somewhat higher up the mountain but in an equally impressive setting.
They were, to say the least, surprised to see us, but what a spectacle lay before us the only two outsiders to stumble across the event.
I'll let the photos do the talking..........
Phahee Village:
The village headman's son checks the swing:
One-up seated:
Two-up seated:
Two-up standing:
Those from the hill-tribe who participated together with a well-travelled GT Rider:
