Older Akha woman, Northern Thailand, selling craft work


Similar to the Karen, many of the Akha Hill Tribe came to Thailand to escape persecution in Burma. Each Akha man is able to recite some 60 generations of the male linage of their family back to the “beginning,” and their migration routes have been similarly remembered. Like the other Hill Tribes they have a rich history of traditional embroidery and weaving, and are known for their distinctive headdresses laden with silver bells. The Akha women are probably the most decorative of all. They wear amazing ornate headdresses, heavy with beaten silver, dangling coins, tassels and pompoms. They wear distinctive leggings from knee to ankle, short skirts and patchwork and embroidered jackets with decorative sashes which hang down the front of the skirt. They love beads and old Chinese glass ones are treasured and passed on from mother to daughter.


Size: 3620px × 5760px
Photo credit: © Scenics & Science / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: akha, craft, ethnic, hill, northern, older, selling, thailand, tourism, tribes, woman, work