The Lisu people, a hill tribe in Thailand

The Lisu are one of many hill tribes living in northwestern Thailand. 

This ethnic group is also found in China, Myanmar (Burma) and the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh.

Their origin is probably the eastern part of Tibet.

There are 30,000 Lisus in Thailand and 250,000 in Kachin State, Burma.

History of the Lisu people

According to testimonies and legends, the ancestors of the Lisu people lived along the banks of the Jinsha River and were subjugated by the two powerful "Wuden" and "Lianglin" tribes.

After the 12th century, the Lisu people came under the Lijiang prefectural administration of the Yuan Dynasty and later the Ming Dynasty.

Lisu couple, illustration of a Burmese manuscript, ca. 1900

During the 1820s, the Qing government sent emissaries to Lijiang, Yongsheng and Huaping, where Les Lisus lived in large communities, replacing the hereditary Naxi and Bai chiefs.

This transformed the feudal lordly system and allowed for greater control by the Qing court over the Lisu and other ethnic minorities.

For a long time, the Lisu were oppressed and had miserable living conditions, which led them to wage many struggles against their oppressors.

The Lisu began to emigrate from China in the 20th century.

The customs of the Lisu people

Lisu Village in Thailand

The villages Lisus are usually established near rivers, as water has special powers.

They have two types of houses:

• Some with a wooden structure, the four sides being made of 12 foot long pieces of wood, the roof being made of planks, look like boxes.
• Others have a bamboo structure, supported by 20 or 30 poles with a thatched or wooden roof. In the centre of the house is the hearth.

Traditionally, the Lisu live from agriculture, growing rice, fruit and vegetables.

Outside China they have also grown poppies to produce opium, although this practice is tending to disappear due to international pressure.

Despite this, a small proportion of Lisu still consumes opium.

Slavery existed in the Nujiang River region between the 16th and 20th centuries.

Slaves were considered family members or "adopted children".

They lived, ate and worked with their masters and could buy their freedom.

The masters could buy or sell slaves, but did not have the right to life and death over them.

In general, the women wear colourful knee-length tunics with a black belt, and blue, black or green trousers.

The sleeves and cuffs are embroidered with narrow blue, green and yellow bands.

The men wear baggy trousers, often in bright colours, and rather western shirts.

The language of the Lisu people

The Lisu language belongs to the so-called "Lolo-Burman" group of the Tibeto-Burman branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages.

In China, a written form was constructed in 1957.

The Lisu of Thailand have their own language which has developed over decades and has adopted words from the languages of their adopted country.

This makes it difficult for Lisu from neighbouring countries to communicate.

The Lisu of Thailand do not have a written language, so they pass on their history from generation to generation in the form of a song.

Today, singing is so time-consuming that it can take more than a week to sing.

Video on the Lisu people

wikipedia ; Photos: Lisu woman 1: ben339234; Lisu woman 2: Steve Evans; Lisu village photo: Gunther Hagleitner