Hill Tribe Museum & Education Center, Chiang Rai

A very worthwhile place to visit in Chiang Rai (particularly for those considering hill tribe tours) is its Hill Tribe Museum & Education Center. Although the signs were a bit yellowed and some of the display items could have used a good dusting, the explanations were informative and organized artifacts representative of the different local hill tribes. Both the approximately 20 minute film and display signs gave a rather unsanitized view of how the hill tribes are routinely exploited by the Thai government as well as the tourism industry. It also helped dispel some myths about the different hill tribes. The center actually runs its own hill tribe tours, with the proceeds actually going towards the hill tribes, instead of exploiting them. If I find myself in the region again, I will definitely consider their authentic, educational, and humanistic tours – even if they are a bit more.

After a tour of the museum, take advantage of the air conditioning, fairly good food, and entertainment at the Cabbages & Condoms restaurant, located on the ground level of the building.

Photography was not permitted inside the museum.

Here are some facts I gleaned from the center:

There are 950,000 hill tribe people in Thailand. About 200,000 live in the Chiang Rai province. The Karen people are the largest group, with about 47% - or 440,000. Originally their homes were built out of bamboo, but now lumber is also used. White clothing signifies that the wearer is unmarried, whereas the colored costumes signify marriage. The Karen are known for their weaving skills. The Karen’s history is mostly oral – much of which has sadly been lost. The Karen hill tribe is one that has been particularly exploited, with the Padaung being brought to Thailand to be put on display as “freaks” or “oddities” as the longneck people.

The Hmong, originally from South China, form about 17%, or about 155,000. They tend to have large families. The Hmong grow rice, corn, and soybeans. As there are quite a number of Hmong people now living in Wisconsin, I had a particular interest in this group. Their beautiful needlework/cross stitch textiles as well as their storycloths were quite captivating. At about 105,000 people, the Lahu tribe has about 11% of the total hill tribe population. The museum described the Lahu as fishermen and cultivators of rice. Black and turquoise were favorite colors of the Lahu.

The Akha, with 70,000 people (8%), are one of the smaller major tribes of Thailand. At about 3,000-4,000 feet above sea level, the Akha cultivate corn, rice, soybeans, coffee (recent), and some opium. Poverty remains high for the Akha and other hill tribes.

The Yao hill tribe people comprise about 5% of the population, or about 45,000 people. They are known for their opium growing and expertise at animal rearing. The Yao costume is particularly intricate and may take an entire year to make. I was also impressed by their detailed woven baskets. 

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