Hilltribes of Thailand
Hilltribe Visitor Etiquette
Thailand Hilltribes Research Institute Museum
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.

Villages of the Lisu group are to be found in the mountains of China, Myanmar (Burma) and northern Thailand. There are approximately 21,000 Lisu's living in Thailand's northern provinces of Chaing Mai, Mae Hong Sorn and Chiang Rai. They originate from eastern Tibet. Their houses are built on the ground, with dirt floors and bamboo walls around a central ridge. For many generations the main means of livelihood for many of the Lisu people has been the cultivation of the opium poppy. Some of these people have given up poppy growing, and are now seeking to supplement their income through the sale of skilfully produced crafts.

The Lisu make their clothing from gaily-coloured cloth stitched into outfits trimmed with row upon row of multi-coloured strips of cloth. The women wear brightly coloured costumes, consisting of a blue or green multi- coloured knee length tunic with a wide black belt and blue or green pants. Sleeves shoulders and cuffs are heavily embroidered with narrow, horizontal bands of blue, red and yellow. The more affluent wear massive amounts of hand-crafted silver ornaments for festive occasions.

Lisu men produce crossbows, musical instruments, bird and animal traps, and other items made of wood, bamboo and rattan. A few Lisu people have been converted to Christianity by western missionaries. The Lisu believe strongly in the spirit world, and their shamans, are used to "divine" the causes and cures of all problems and sickness. These Hilltribe people are perhaps the best looking of all the tribes, and they like to think of themselves "a little bit above their other Hilltribe neighbours". They are among the least bashful of these ethnic groups and in general adjusting well to the changes taking place in their society. The Lisu are believed to have originated in southern China and first appeared in Chiang Rai Province about 80 years ago.

Lisu have adopted much which is Chinese. For example, they celebrate their New Year on the same day as the Chinese.
Today Lisu are found living scattered throughout the nine northern provinces : Chiang Mai, Chaing Rai, Phayao, Mae Hong Son, Tak, Lampang, Sukhothai, Kampaeng Phet and Phetchabun.
The Lisu (Lisaw) like to settle near the tops of mountains, as close as possible to streams or waterfalls. Their houses never have more than one door and are oriented to stand parallel to the face of the mountain on which they live.
Each village has a spirit house, and each house has a small shrine to spirits an ancestors. In addition, because the Lisu are the "engineers" among the Hilltribes, most of their villages feature a large bamboo pipe, a conduit, that carries to the village water from the nearest source.