Akha

Akha, Ban Ano, MuangLaa

Source: Elder people and village authorities

The village of Ban Ano has still a very authentic way of life of the Akha ethnic group. They build their houses on high elevation in the cool climate. It is quiet and peaceful, and the Akha like living along with the nature. They are very hospitable towards other families and village members, very generous and respectful, and welcome all guests. They believe that those families who receive visitors regularly receive good luck.

The Akha ethnic group transfers their own traditions since their ancestors up to today. The most important festival is the Akha New Year, followed by the Akha Gate Festival and the Akha Swing Festivals. Wedding traditions are also very unique, and also many religious rituals. They believe in Animism with many different spirits, and superstition. They believe that if twins are born, or if a handicapped baby is born, that it means bad luck to the family, and children with a handicap are not supposed to be treated.

Every 12 days, during the whole year, an offering ceremony takes place for the different spirits such as the house spirit, village spirit, rice field spirit or forest spirit.

Akha people have their own traditional songs, music and dance. They have special instruments by using the leaves to whistle, banging the gong, playing the flute, and a cut bamboo stick to pound to the ground in a rhythm. Another local instrument is similar to a violin.

The origin of the Akha people in Ban Ano is from China. The leader of the group at that time was Mr. Apeo. In 1806, they migrated from China to North of Vietnam to the districts of Muang Phen and Muang La (recently called Dien Bien Phou, Son La and Lay Chou). Many years later, they decided to move from there because the nature changed and it got difficult to do agriculture and to find food in the nature. Also, that area became politically unstable. The son of the former leader Mr. Apeo, Mr. Asea, led the group to move in 1831. They crossed the Ou River to Phongsaly province in Laos and settled in Chom Van, Muang Khua district. In 1862 they moved to Yan Toe area. From there, they slowly continued moving toward Ano area in Oudomxay province. After the village leader Mr. Asae passed away, his son Mr. Ano took over. They moved to the village called Ban Saen Luang in 1864. In 1882 they split the village into two villages and renamed both into Ban Ano.

Nowadays, the ethnic group in Ban Ano, still keeps their culture and traditions alive.

The AkhaGate Festival is celebrated for 2 days every year. The traditional ceremony is meant to be to preying for ancestors who passed away, and to respect the religion. The Festival starts at the first gate of the village entrance, which is the most sacred gate that can protect the village from the bad things that would come and disturb villagers.

Day 1:

Preparations for the festival take place. Young people go to the forest in the morning to cut the trees to make the gate. The main gate is installed before the entrance to the village and decorated in Akha style. The gate is painted with big animals like tigers, elephants and also humans. They believe that while they paint the pictures, they invite the spirits and ancestors to come into the pictures to protect the village and make them more happy and prosperous forever.

In the afternoon of day 1, they bring a pig and a pair of chicken (one rooster and one hen) to the main gate. They slaughter them and use the blood of the pig and the chickens to paint the gate. They will cook the meat later. Around 7 o’clock in the evening, elder people will bring one special and rare white chicken (called “kai don”), will slaughter it and cook it. The meal is then offered to the spirits, either in the corner of their house or near the main gate (“head” of the village), to make them aware that they celebrate for them.

Day 2:

Early morning, the heads of the family and the head of the village including elder people go to the riverbank or the spring, to the same place where villagers go daily to collect water. They bring the special white chicken and also a special red colored chicken to slaughter, and cook, and offer it at that place. They prey to the spirits and ancestors to keep this water available forever, that no drought will be happening.

Later in the second day, villagers continue to do offerings for their agriculture land,

upland fields, gardens and farming land. The head of the village informs the villagers to go there to collect some soil from each place for each family to do the ritual. The head of the village requests the villagers to build a simple and small hut in the forest near the village, next to a big tree, and next to the shed where they store rice/crops, on the same day. The location should be selected by elder people. Later, the elder people take all the soil that was collected before, and put it into the new hut, which will become the new rice storage shed. Then, they also offer two chickens and one dog. They collect special grass called “three lions grass”, and tie it to the hut, to make the harvest more valuable. They then do the ceremony, they prey to the spirit of the land and ask to protect their area and their land, and protect their harvest, to make sure that the harvest of the crop is prosperous in the future.

After this ceremony, during the following three days, the villagers are requested to stay inside the village, and no people from other places can get into the village. If people from the outside still come into the village, they are requested to pay a contribution to the village. After these 3 days, the villagers are free to go out to their fields and plant for the new season.

Akha Swing traditional ceremony (“Xing Xaa”), Ano village, Muang La District

Source: Elder people and village committees

This is a traditional ceremony of the Akha ethnic group, in Ano village, Muang La. Since many generations, word-of-mouth goes that the Swing ceremony is one of the most important traditional ceremonies of the Akha ethnic group. One of the religious believes of this ceremony is that it makes them receive the good things, and makes the people in the village happy, healthy and they can release the bad things, to go away from the family and the village. They still believe in the spirit of ancestors that can help their grandsons and granddaughters to stay healthy and to have a good harvest. They organize the Xing Xaa ceremony every year after September when the upland rice is sprouting. They select the festival date with consultation of the religious head (Lao Kou) in the village chief. Two religious heads lead the ceremony, and the village chief encourages the villagers to participate.

The first day is for preparation. Villagers go looking for the best and strongest vines in the forest to sit on and to use as swings. They also collect wood.

The second day, the ceremony starts. During the celebration, they also look for the best place where they want to install the swing. The religious heads dig holes into the soil to install the poles, and also set up the swing, with the help of the villagers. After completion, the first person who sits on the swing should be the religious head. This is when he opens the ceremony and sends out good wishes to the participants, while swinging. This contributes to the happiness of the participants and to better production of their crops. After this, all villagers can sit on the swing one by one, in a given order. They believe that when you sit on the swing you can chase away all the bad things. After the ceremony finishes, each person goes to their own families, and they continue the festivities in their own house. They prepare duck, chicken or pork to use as offerings for praying to the ancestors and spirits. They hope that the ancestors and spirits will protect their families, make them happy and healthy and chase the bad things away. After this, they go back to the swing.

The swing stays in the village for one or two weeks for swinging. They then have a break from swinging, and later can use it again. Only then they dispose of the swing. While disposing the swing, all families should go back to their own houses and close the door, but then leave the houses until the next day. They worry that the bad things would come back to their families if they stay in the house during this time. This Xing Xaa ceremony is completed for that year, and the next event would come up again in one year.