Chiang Rai History in Wood

While heading towards the Hill Tribe Museum, several tall totem columns in a park struck my eye. They were intricately carved, some places in rather high relief. Inside a roofed enclosure several young men were passionately carving several more totems, each engaged in different steps of the process. On the one wall, detailed sketch plans were hung. One worker put down his chisels and explained to me that the totems portrayed Chiang Rai’s long, proud history. They were selling smaller pieces to help finance their ambitious project. In many ways, their passionate dedication reminded me of Khositphipha, another local artist who is putting his incredible artistic talent and visionary ideas towards the construction and decoration of the White Temple. If I recall correctly, I believe there were about 20 totems planned. With only about five completed or in process, it will take quite some time to complete these works of art using traditional carving methods.

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Chiang Rai Night Market

Like its larger neighbor, Chiang Rai also has a night market. Its offerings weren’t nearly as plentiful or as varied as that in Chiang Mai. In addition to souvenir t-shirts, sun glasses, etc., one could also buy bags/purses made by the Hmong and Lisu. Its large food court was a favorite place for eating. Although there were plenty of repeats in toned-down Thai food, I did spot (but did not try) the wiggling variety. Later on, there were music performances on the food court’s stage. For those with larger food budgets and a quest for a more peaceful ambience, the Centrepoint restaurant also supplied quiet guitar music.

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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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Chiang Rai City

Located 180 km (111 mi) north of Chiang Mai, the city of Chiang Rai (pop 62,000) has more of a laid-back feeling. About 13% of its population are members of various hill tribes, including the Karen, Akha, Lisu, Lahu, Yao, and Hmong. The city itself felt less touristy, but the many signs in front of businesses revealed that there was a large market for hill tribe, trekking, and Golden Triangle tours. Tattoo and massage parlors were also plentiful, catering to tourists.

I stayed at a quiet guest house with a pleasant garden from where breakfast was served. It was a perfect place to begin a leisurely morning, checking my email and “chatting” with people on Facebook – all from my iPod touch and the guest house’s free wireless.

Although Chiang Rai had its fair share of Buddhist temples (including a few that were replicas of those in Chiang Mai), I found few to be as beautiful or as impressive. No Donald Ducks eating noodles with chopsticks, though… Churches were visible in town and in the outer parts, with hill tribe people comprising a fair amount of the area’s Christians.

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Golden Triangle, Thailand

Prior to finishing our journey in Chiang Rai, Tee drove us up to what is known as The Golden Triangle. From this vantage point in the northernmost province of Chiang Rai, one has a view of three countries; Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand. In fact, the Mekong River (which separates it from Laos) delineates half of its northern border. Mountains separate it from Myanmar. At one time, the Golden Triangle was once a production and distribution center for the opium trade. Now, the Golden Triangle is largely a tourist trap.

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Akha Appliqué and Forest Ceremony

Alas, it was time to leave. After the mother-in-law of the village head showed me the beautiful appliqué work she was working on to form a pair of leggings, we thanked everyone for their hospitality and moved onward.

 On the way back to Chiang Rai, Tee stopped at a nearby village where he showed me an altar that had been constructed as part of a forest ceremony. Accompanied by the symphony of cicadas, the ceremony had recently been performed to honor the forest spirits and ask them for protection. Despite the conversion of many Akha to Christianity, traditional beliefs and/or practices still are present.

In the forest, Tee captured one cicada and demonstrated how loudly just one single insect could “sing” with their timbals. It was amazing how much quieter the symphony was with just one of its members momentarily silenced; I had incorrectly envisioned thousands of cicadas all joining in the song. Tee’s own family enjoyed eating cicadas. During February through April, the children would collect this delicacy, using gum-tipped poles to lance the insects and collect between 1-3 kg (2.2-6.6 pounds) per day. 

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Arrival at Lisu tribe festival

The next morning after more rice, greens, dried soybeans, and of course more tea, we said goodbye to our hosts and moved onward into the hills. Tee’s father came along, as he wanted to visit some relatives and friends in the hill village. On the way, we stopped to pick up a village resident friend of Tee’s father. Both older individuals shared a fondness of chewing paan, had their teeth blackened, and talked animatedly in the Akha language.

On the way to the Akha village Tee spotted a cloth sign fluttering in the breeze that promoted an annual festival of the Lisu hill tribe people. Able to speak some Lisu, he was able to inquire of some Lisu people walking alongside the road that the festival was indeed happening today. It was the last day of the three-day festival, but there should be some things going on. Traveling on a narrow hilly dirt road, we passed by some trucks with Lisu people in the truck bed who were traveling away from the festival location. Tee explained that some Lisu people would have traveled for over five hours to attend the festival, with some perhaps even coming from Burma (Myanmar). Yesterday, over 3,000 Lisu were in attendance. The school grounds in the village of Ban Doi Lan (meaning “million mountains”) was the site of the festival. Tee introduced me to one Lisu woman who spoke fairly good English. She was one of the organizers of the festival and saw it as a key opportunity to celebrate and promote the Lisu culture. Like Tee, she expressed a concern for the disappearance of her culture and language. One of her ambitions involved utilizing the internet as a tool for educating others about the Lisu culture and as a way for Lisu people to keep in touch with each other.

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More about the Akha Hill Tribe

Here are some things Tee told me about the Akha people: The Akha hill tribe people are originally from China who then moved to Burma (due to political and human rights issues), with some coming to Thailand as refugees. Currently about 60-80,000 Akha people live in Thailand and over 200,000 in Burma. Four generations of his family have lived in Thailand. Tee expressed concern over the disappearance of the Akha culture, particularly with the young generations. Tee’s own nephews and nieces do not know how to speak the Akha language, as Thai is mandated to be the language of instruction at school. Like many Akha familes, Tee’s family is Christian. He feels that a deep reverence for nature (influenced by the Akha tribe’s traditional animist religion) should still be followed. Through a radio program at the college where Tee teaches, he seeks to have the different hill tribes hear talks in their own language, as well as discussing important topics.

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First Night in an Akha Village

On the first night of my hill tribe tour, I stayed at the family home of Tee, the man from the Akha tribe who was taking me around. His village of Kong pa Kam (meaning “hot spring”) was located about 40 km south of Chiang Rai. About 98 families (Akha hill tribe) lived in the village. Tee’s parents, brother, and the brother’s family lived in the house. The front of the house looked more finished and modern (even had a hot shower, computer and TV). The kitchen was dark, made of cement, and very simple. Cooking was mainly over a fire with ashes. Several women helped prepare the meal, which included some greens, rice, fish, bamboo shoots, fresh chili peppers, mangoes, watermelon, ground dried soybeans with chilies, and pork soup with greens. Eating was done with chopsticks; I’m not sure what I feel more awkward with – eating with my fingers (India) or with chopsticks (Thailand). Later we had tea over a campfire, whose heat source came partly from bamboo pieces. The fire felt rather nice in the cool evening as we sat on low stools whose seats were woven out of bamboo strips by Tee’s father. In the open-air bamboo structure right next to the fire, one could see the large stack of woven chicken egg-laying baskets Tee’s father was making for a large order. Only when it got too dark did Tee’s father stop cutting and preparing bamboo strips that would be used for more baskets.

On the farm they had many chickens (the roosters crowed incessantly, which was particularly not welcomed in the wee hours of the morning). A large bamboo open-air shed was ready for several pigs, but none were in the pens at the moment. Various crops were grown. Tee pointed out the grapes (for eating) fields in the distance. In a simple shed there was a tractor and a truck.

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White Temple Toilet

Even the toilet facility at the White Temple in Chiang Rai was flamboyant and unusual. Note the "his" and "hers" painting on the back.

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The White Temple, Chiang Rai

Located about 13 km from Chiang Rai, this modern temple was begun in 1998 and is designed by Chaloemchai Khositphipha. (The nine-building plan may take until the year 2070 to be completed and involves many people in order to keep things going). Even from a distance, one could see this was not any ordinary temple. The stark-white scene was encrusted with details and rather flame-like in appearance. To reach the main bridge, we had to walk above a semicircle filled with outstretched white hands, some of which held up skulls or bowls. For a temple that is supposed to remind one of heaven, this part certainly felt like hell! Past two enormous curved fangs were two sword-wielding guardians. Other goulish monsters were also visible. A young worker was busy attaching thin strips of mirror mosaic onto the bridge, making it reflect in the light. White fish swam in the water below.

The interior was equally strange. Unfortunately, photography was not permitted, so I had to take in the sight with only my eyes. Like the exterior, the interior was unfinished. Murals were in progress. The entrance wall mural was the most finished. Near the top, a portrait of Buddha looks serenely downward. Below was a surreal, modernistic scene, a collage of various items. The Twin Towers burned and billowed with smoke after being hit by the plane. Superman flew above. Spiderman scaled skyscrapers. Keannu Reeves of The Matrix stood defiantly. Two monsters emerge from a building. Flying saucers race through the sky, sharing the space with Manga-style figures. The eyes of an elephant revealed Bin Laden in one and Bush in the other. One worker was busy applying rust-colored paint of a background near the bottom of a side wall. Seated in the front of the temple was a lifelike statue of an old seated monk.

The site contained several other buildings, including two which housed artwork by the Chiang Rai native. Originals or reproductions were for sale. One could also buy books, T-shirts, postcards, etc. of Khostiphipha’s work. Proceeds go towards the completion of the temple. Like those in the temple, these paintings were very fanciful and rather surrealistic. Many included messages of suffering or heaven. Some recurring themes included Ganesh, Buddha, world peace, materialism, and global warming. One painting had cartons of McDonald’s fries floating in outer space, accompanied by cans of Pepsi and other modern junk. In another, Bin Laden and George Bush straddled a missile. The highly gifted artist displayed adeptness in a variety of media, including wood cut prints, sculptures, graphic drawings, oil paintings, lithographs, and others.

For a partial explanation of the symbolism behind the White Temple, visit http://www.tourismchiangrai.com/e-ctmc/index.php?option=rongkhun.

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Photos posted: Chiang Rai

After spending a couple of days in Chiang Mai, I went up to Chiang Rai, even closer to the northern border in Thailand. Most of my time was spent on a hill-tribe related tour. Here is a link to the Flickr photos I posted. Travelog writings to follow in the next couple of weeks...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/melissaenderle/sets/72157623804521954/

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