The Hill Tribes of Northern Thailand

In the mountains around Chiang Mai live the Karen, Hmong, Akha, Lahu, Lisu, Mien, and Lawa peoples, often grouped together as Thailand’s hill tribes. Each carries its own songs, instruments, and ceremonies, passed down by ear from one generation to the next.

Pictured above: Karen singer and community leader Gerse-Tu plays the tenaku (Karen harp) and panpipes during an ATWR recording session in northern Thailand, 2019.

Why now

Many of these traditions now rest with a small number of elders. At the same time, many young people in hill tribe communities are stateless, living without Thai citizenship, which limits their access to education, work, and even travel between provinces. As young people leave their villages in search of opportunity, songs that were never written down can disappear when the elders who carry them pass on.

Karen elder Bookoo Sandoh sitting cross-legged on a floral mat, singing and playing the tenaku (Karen harp) in his home in Khun Tae Village, northern Thailand — Karen elder Bookoo Sandoh sings and plays the tenaku (Karen harp) at his home in Khun Tae Village, Chiang Mai Province, 2019.

Our approach

We document traditional music with the communities, not just about them. That means recording and filming elder musicians in their villages, paying them for their time, and making sure every recording is shared back with the community before anything is made public.

Bookoo Sandoh playing the tenaku while ATWR records him with microphones and a camera on a tripod — Recording Bookoo Sandoh in his home. Every session is filmed and recorded with the musician’s consent, and the recordings are shared back with the community.

ATWR executive director Andrew Murphy crouching beside a Karen elder wearing a head wrap and beaded necklaces on the porch of her home — Andrew Murphy with a Karen elder at her home in Khun Tae Village, Doi Kaeo, Chom Thong District, Chiang Mai, 2019.

Karen singer Bookoo Sandoh performs “Tahkoti Takohgo,” a song about protecting one’s hometown, accompanied by the tae-nah harp. Recorded by ATWR in Khun Tae Village, Doi Kaeo, Chom Thong District, Chiang Mai.

Who we work with

We’ve traveled to northern Thailand to meet and record musicians in hill tribe villages. On the ground, we work with our local liaison Suriya Kalasin, a humanitarian professional with more than 25 years of experience in Southeast Asia, including direct work with Karen communities, and with two Thai partner organizations: the Legal Status Network Foundation, which works with stateless communities, and the Inter Mountain Peoples Education and Culture in Thailand Association (IMPECT). In the U.S., we’re connected with the Karen Organization of Minnesota, so this music also reaches the Karen, Hmong, and Mien families who have made new homes here.

ATWR executive director Andrew Murphy and local liaison Suriya Kalasin standing together on a deck in front of rice fields and mountains in northern Thailand — ATWR executive director Andrew Murphy (right) with local liaison Suriya Kalasin in northern Thailand, 2019.

Help us raise $8,500

Andrew Murphy and Suriya Kalasin walking down a village road toward cloud-covered mountains in northern Thailand — On the road to the villages with our liaison Suriya Kalasin.

This campaign funds a focused return trip to the Chiang Mai highlands. Your support will pay for:

Airfare, lodging, and local transport in northern Thailand
Local coordination with our liaison, Suriya Kalasin
Field recordings and film of elder musicians in their villages
Honoraria for the musicians who share their songs
A short documentary film, about 25 minutes, along with individual performance videos
Editing and post-production for the film
Copies of everything returned to the communities we record

Thank-you gifts include ATWR CDs, necklaces from Nepal and the Solomon Islands, and traditional Karen shirts from Thailand.

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