Akha people
ethnic group in Southeast Asia
Akha refers to an ethnic group who speak the language of the same name. They mostly live in Burma and China. They also live in countries such as Thailand and Laos. They live in small villages of a high elevation, usually in mountains.
.svg) Flag of the Thai Akha people. | |
 An Akha woman with her child in Thailand. | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 680,000 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Burma, China, Thailand, Laos | |
| Languages | |
| Akha | |
| Religion | |
| Christianity,[1] Animism,[2] Buddhism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Karen people, Hani people |
Their close ancestors are the Hani people and the Karen people.
They had made their way from China during the early 20th century. Civil war in Burma and Laos had led this ethnic group to move to Northern Thailand. Because of this, there are now about 80,000 people living in Thailand's northern provinces, such as Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai.[3]
References
change- ↑ "Asia Times - Christian conversion threatens hill tribe culture". Archived from the original on 2003-08-31.
- ↑ http://www.akha.org/content/aboutakhalife/akhaoverview.html
- ↑ Chiang Mai's Hill Peoples in: Forbes, Andrew, and Henley, David, Ancient Chiang Mai Volume 3. Chiang Mai, Cognoscenti Books, 2012.
