The Karen costume for women is very attractive and distinctive. Unmarried girls wear loose white V-necked shifts, decorated with Job’s Tear seeds at the seams. Married women wear blouses and skirts in bold colours, predominantly red or blue. Men wear blue baggy trousers, with typically red-striped shirts, a simplified version of the women’s blouses. Black Karen men wear black shirts with a red cummerbund or head scarf.

Karen houses are not usually large.  Adult children usually leave the home when married - there is no extended family housing in most Karen villages. Houses are on stilts, made of bamboo or teak. Central steps lead to a porch, with a store room or kitchen to one side, a living area and bedroom on the other. Beneath the house is a working area, often with a foot-operated rice pounder.

The Karen have strict laws against immorality. They are matrilineal societies, so that two married women do not live in the same house. In some villages, the punishment for adultery is death. The village chief has great power over his community, and is regarded as the spiritual as well as the administrative leader.

Blue Hmong women wear beautiful pleated skirts with parallel horizontal bands of red, blue and white, intricately embroidered. Jackets are of black satin, with wide orange and yellow embroidered cuffs and lapels. The hair is tied in a large bun. Men wear baggy black pants and jackets embroidered in a similar way to the women’s, closing over the chest with a button at the left shoulder. White Hmong women wear black baggy trousers with a long wide blue cummerbund with a central pink area which hangs almost to the ground. Their jackets are simple, with blue cuffs. A brimless blue cap is worn by some groups.

Hmong villages are usually at high altitudes, below the crest of a protecting hill. Houses have a dirt floor and a roof which extends almost to the ground. They live in extended families, with two or more bedrooms. There is a large guest platform. The headman has little power, since the Hmong are fiercely independent people who take orders from no one. Before marriage, promiscuity amongst the young is normal. Marriage is followed by a trial period before the bride price is paid. Hmong men are expected to do most of the work within the family. Men do the heaviest work, but in practice this means they do little, and expect to be supported by their wives. The Hmong historically grew much opium, and addiction rates in some villages are high, mainly among older males.

Hmong clothing is much in demand in Thailand, and the Hmong have proved in the last few years to be good business people. Hmong women will be seen at markets throughout Thailand selling their handicrafts. Although like the other tribes generally poor, some families have become quite wealthy.

Some build the more expensive and comfortable Thai style houses, but in general the Hmong have retained their traditional way of life.

There have been few converts to Christianity or Buddhism amongst the Hmong. They are strict animists, whose shamans use dramatic methods to contact the spirits. Every house has an altar with a piece of paper covered in cock’s feathers affixed with chicken blood.

The women’s costume consists of broad horizontal striped leggings, a short black skirt with a white beaded sporran, a loose fitting black jacket with heavily embroidered cuffs and lapels. The headgear, which is rarely removed, is a conical wedge of white beads interspersed with silver coins and topped with plumes of red taffeta. The man’s costume of plain black pants and a lightly embroidered loose jacket is much less impressive. The different subgroups of Akha have slightly different costumes and headgear.

The Akha generally live at high altitudes, in a position offering good views over the surrounding country. Their houses are on low stilts, with a large porch leading into a square living area with a stove, usually at the back. The roof is steeply pitched. They are deeply superstitious, their religion prescribing exactly how each action should be performed. Any deviation from the correct ‘Akha way’ is believed to lead to disaster. All birth abnormalities, even twins, used to lead to the killing of the newborn by the elders of the tribes. This custom is now being curtailed, however.

Every Akha village is entered through ceremonial gates, decorated with carvings of “human” life to indicate to the spirit world that beyond here only humans can pass. Outside the gates are wooden sculptures of copulating couples, and the gates may be decorated with a wide variety of “human” artefacts - weapons, tools, and nowadays cars and airplanes. To touch these carvings, or to show any lack of respect, is punishable by fines or the donation of animals for sacrifices. The gates are replaced every year, so every village has a series of gates, the older ones in a state of decomposition and disrepair.

Peculiar to the Akha, there is a giant swing in each village. Every year, in August, there is a “swinging festival”, in which the headman, followed by the rest of the village, take turns using the swing. The reasons for this practice are unknown. Many Akha villages still grow opium, generally not of high quality. Opium addiction, especially amongst the older men, is a serious problem. The King’s Royal Project has contributed greatly to the alleviation of this problem.

The women wear brightly coloured costumes, consisting of a blue or green parti-coloured knee length tunic, split up the sides to the waist, with a wide black belt and blue or green pants. Long hair is tied at the back. Sleeves, shoulders and cuffs are heavily embroidered with narrow, horizontal bands of blue, red and yellow. At New Year festival, in mid- January, dazzling displays of wealth are worn, including waistcoats and belts of intricately fashioned silver and hats with multi-coloured pom-poms and streamers. Men wear green, pink or yellow baggy pants and a blue jacket opening vertically.

The Lisu live at moderate to high altitudes. Their houses are built on the ground, with dirt floors and bamboo walls around a central ridge. They live as extended families, the number of bedrooms depending on the family size. Unmarried girls have a private bedroom after puberty. Every home has an altar at the back of the communal living area with a shelf holding vessels and incense sticks honouring their ancestors.

Although promiscuous, courtship and marriage are highly stylized, involving a high “bride price”. There are twelve clans of Lisu, and marriage should be between members of different clans. The Lisu believe strongly in the spirit world, and their shamans are used to divine the causes and cures of all problems and sickness.

Many Lisu villages were involved in the opium trade, and are reputed to have grown the best opium. Addiction rates are declining, and the Lisu are responding well to alternative cash crop production, but the link between  wealth and opium is still strong. A Lisu headman has little power over his community, with the clan system generally over-riding his authority.

There are four tribes within the Lahu - Black, Yellow, Red and She-leh. The Black Lahu are the most reserved, but wear the most distinctive costumes. Women wear a black cloak with diagonal cream stripes. The top of the sleeve is decorated in bold colours of red and yellow, at the whim of the seamstress. Red Lahu women wear black trousers with white edging and vivid sleeves of  broad red and blue stripes. Amongst the other Lahu tribes, traditional costume has been supplanted by the Thai shirt and sarong. Lahu men wear a plain black shirt and baggy black trousers.

Lahu villages are at high altitudes. The Red Lahu are the only tribe to build a central Animist temple, surrounded by banners and streamers of white and yellow flags. Houses are built on high stilts with walls of bamboo or wooden planks, thatched with grass. A ladder leads to an open central living area, with a store room to one side and living quarters to the other. There is one large bedroom, partitioned off as necessary according to family size. The main room has a central fireplace.

A high proportion, about one-third, of Lahu have been converted to Christianity, and many have abandoned their traditional way of life as a result. Animist Lahu believe in one spirit with overall control all the others, and they are rather predatory in search of a marriage partner, but divorce and adultery are common.

Their villages are widely scattered throughout the northeast, with concentrations around Nan, Phayao and Chiang Rai. They are a very peaceable and friendly people, who pride themselves on cleanliness and honour. The costume of the women is very distinctive, with a long black jacket with lapels of bright scarlet wool. Heavily embroidered loose trousers in intricate designs are worn, and a similarly embroidered black turban. The teeth are commonly capped with gold. The skull caps of babies are very beautiful, richly embroidered with red or pink pom-poms. On special occasions, women and children wear silver neck-rings, with silver chains extending down the back decorated with silver ornaments. Men wear a loose jacket which buttons diagonally across the front, with embroidered pockets and edgings.

Yao villages are at high altitude, built usually of wooden planks on a dirt road. There is a guest platform of bamboo in the communal living area, and two or more bedrooms. Girls of marriageable age have a private bedroom in which they can entertain suitors.

Some Yao grow opium, although in general the incidence is declining. The Yao are now integrating into Thai life. Their exquisite embroidery is a very saleable commodity, and their willingness to adopt new crops gives hope for their future prosperity within Thailand.

With such a long history of cohabiting with the Thais (the legendary king Mengrai who unified Northern Thailand was probably half Lawa), there has been large scale integration, so that most Lawa villages are indistinguishable from Thai settlements. However, in an area of about 500 square kilometres between Hot, Mae Sariang and Mae Hong Son, they still live a largely traditional life, although even here the majority have adopted Buddhism and Thai-style houses.