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Hilltribe Visitor Etiquette
It is kind, but not necessary, to give gifts to the peoples you visit. Some suggestions or alternatives to sweets and cigarettes are - balloons and other inexpensive toys, cosmetics, medical supplies antiseptic, mild painkillers such as aspirin, food, fruit, clothing, sewing supplies and foreign coins.

Follow the advice of your guide, don't be afraid to ask questions. Respect the fact that you are a guest visiting the homes and villages of these people. By showing them that you are genuinely interested in them, your friendliness, sincerity and goodwill are the most precious gifts you can offer.

Lawa Girls, Lawa Village in Chiang Mai Province, Northern Thailand. The Lawa people are not really rated as a Hilltribe. It seems that they have inhabited Thailand since at least the eight century and they were certainly here already when the Tai arrived. They are believed to have migrated from Cambodia, but some archaeologists think their origins lie in Micronesia, perhaps more than 2000 years ago. With such a long cohabitation with the Thais, most Lawa villages are indistinguishable from Thai settlements and most Lawa speak thai as their first language. However, on the Bo Luang plateau Lawa Girl, Lawa Village in Chiang Mai Province, Northern Thailand. between Hot and Mae Sariang and the southern part of Mae Hong Sorn province about 14,000 Lawa still live their traditional life.
Their economy is based on subsistence agriculture, with rice grown on terraces according to a sophisticated rotation system.
Unmarried Lawa girls wear loose white blouses edged with pink. Around the neck distinctive strings of orange and yellow beads are worn. After marriage these brightly coloured clothes are replaced with a long fawn dress, but the beads are still worn.
The Lawa are animist's, but many of them have adopted Buddhism. The Lawa are only found in Thailand. They are believed to be the first settlers in Northern Thailand. They are linguistically closely related to the Mon-Khmer and have largely been absorbed into Thai society.

Working Lawa Girl, Lawa Village in Chiang Mai Province, Northern Thailand. Since "Lahu", the name of their tribe, means "hunter", the Lahu (Mussur) obviously pride themselves on their skills in hunting and trapping. They are also famous for their knowledge of herbal medicine.
The Lahu are an independent people, physically larger than the members of the other tribes, but rather than their greater stature leading to aggressiveness, they love entertainment and the easily life.
Lahu women wear several kinds of distinctive dress, although the men clothe themselves pretty much uniformly. The women wear colourful turbans and like to sport beautiful earrings, usually of silver. This is another mountain-top tribe with their houses on stilts, and a "basement-corral" for their many domestic animals: chickens, pigs, ducks, and buffaloes.