the Khamu
the Khamu group belong to the austroasiatic family, are the first inhabitants of Laos whose language links them to the Mon and the Khmer. The Khamu live in the north of Laos, Vietnam and Thailand. In Laos where they are about 490,000, the group's territory extends from Phongsaly province to Pkasan in Bolikhamsay province. The arrival of the Lao from China in the Indochinese peninsula in the XIth century altered the agricultural landscape in Laos. To practice irrigation, the newly arrived people settled down in the lowlands and valleys. They probably drove away the Khamu who didn't master irrigation techniques , but were shifting cultivators.

MAIN CARACTERISTICS OF THE KHAMU

-roof of houses in wood tiles
-fenced village with family granaries grouped outside the village, adorned with flowers during the harvest
-importance of basket-work activities
-importance of hunting, gathering and blacksmith activities
-silver tobacco pipe
-presence of tattoo covering the whole body of some elders
-healing ceremonies during serious illnesses.
-rice beer drunk out of a jar with a bamboo straw
-consumption of dog meat
-a great sense of hospitality

the Akha
With 22 sub-groups and minorities, they represent about 50% of the Tibeto-Burman family in Laos

with a population of 62,000. They are concentrated in the provinces of Phongsaly (30,000) and Luang Namtha (26,000), but are also present in the north of Udomsay (4,200). In the early 1990's, the Akha were found in China in Yunnan (500,000), in Myanmar on the east of the Shan state (40,000), in northern Thailand (40,000). Originating from Yunnan and the Tibetan areas, their legend tells of a long migration transmitted orally during traditional ceremonies. These ethnic minorities are not well known by the Lao themselves. It is true that the vast majority of these vi llages still live in quasi-autarchy, relying on subsistence economy. In 1993, some Akha villages of Phongsaly did not use the national currency, the Kip, or at least preferred the French piaster. In 1995, the silver Indochinese piaster still represented the most often used currency of exchange in several remote villages. The Akha live following unwritten but formally recognized traditional codes of behavior. Each movement, activity or even thought of individuals must be measured and balanced in function of the desire, necessity, nature of the day, disposition of the spirits, traditional farming calendar, and ancestors' opinion. The code protects communities from acculturation, but it's lack of flexibility raises issues of adaptation especially concerning health.

ORIGINAL PATTERNS AND CULTURAL FEATURES

-Silver headgear and other sliver ornaments of the Akha women
-Akha traditional ceremonies, particularly the swing ceremony during New year
-the liberty and intimacy allowed to the young Akha before marriage
-Massage, a speciality performed by the women for the guests and husbands
-the gates of Akha villages (colorfully painted in Akha Pouly villages) marking the limits of the territory between ancestors, the village and the outside spirits looking after the vegetal and animal kingdoms
-the strictness of the Akha's code of behavior, in relation to the birth of twins considered shameful. The couple must abandon the newly-born twins in the forest, if not faces the exclusion of the community
-significant consumption of opium among the men, but also among the women
-houses built on the ground
-a low rate of literacy, especially among the women
-practice of polygamy
-teeth of the women stained in red by using a sap produced by an insect
-consumption of dog meat
-production of traditional clothes by spinning cotton, indigo dying, embroidery, and silver work(earrings, bracelets, headgear)
-a great sense of hospitality

THE TAI YANG
The Yang, inhabit northern Laos, northern Vietnam and southern Yunnan. In 1995, there were 17 Yang villages and approximately 5,000 persons in Laos in Phongsaly, Udomsai and Luang Nam Tha provinces.
The Yang inhabit the lowland or valley, between 400 to 800 meters high, near streams and irrigable paddy cultivation lands. They have often settled down on ancient Lue territories abandoned during the pillaging at the end of the XIX century. The Yang are part of the Tai family. They have been studied little in Laos. Several socio-economic surveys were carried out between 1992 and 1994 by Laurent Chazee, author of the very informative "the People of Laos, rural and ethnic diversities" -White Lotus.
The Yang of the village of Namma Nua in Phongsaly province come from Lai Chau in northern Vietnam. Other Yang come from Dien Bien Phu, Muong Lay and Muong So driven away by pilferage.

MAIN CHARACTERISTICS OF THE YANG

-A specific language close to Lao
-Practice of animism impregnated with Buddhism of Lue influence in case of a Lue community in the vicinity.
-New Year in February coinciding with the Vietnamese Tet, that can last one month consisting in: a family ceremony dedicated to the spirits of the wife's deceased parents. Offerings laid in an altar on stilt built outside the village; sword dances, alternated songs, sacrifice of pigs, game consisting in pulling a knitted rattan cord by two teams of boys and girls.
-Black cotton threads used during the Baci ceremonies instead of white thread in other ethnic groups.
-Rice ritual for village site selection as a test.
-Weaving and dyeing of cotton clothes and blankets
-High sense of hospitality