Tribal People with Crafts Skills, Issue 2

Each tribal group has its own distinctive crafts, most obviously observed in their clothing and jewelry. Their fine skills can also be seen in their musical instruments, basketry, tools, utensils, weavings, needle-works and applique.

The missionaries working among tribal people in late 1960s geared to the improvement of the economic situation of tribal people by founding non-profit marketing agency together with the Karen and Lahu Churches in Thailand in 1973. Thai Tribal Crafts has become a non-profit self-help trade organization for benefit of tribal people of Northern Thailand since then.

Doi Wiang, the Lahu village located in Fang district of Chiang Mai province, about 180 kilometer north of the provincial city of Chiang Mai, is the home of 30 Lahu basket weavers. They grow annual crops of rice, beans and chili for their consumption and most of the time they are making variety of basketry which the sell through Thai Tribal Crfats for the family income. About 80% of their annual earning come from sale of baskets through Thai Tribal Crafts.
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Products made by Lahu people in Doi Wiang Village.