An ethnic minority group in Thailand, the Akha hill tribe is navigating an ongoing dilemma between remembering their cultural roots, and integrating into Thai society with all the benefits and costs that accompany life in the modern world.
Boiling oil sputtered as the noodles turned crispy. Instructor Niti Muelaeku, watching intently through a Zoom window, was at her culinary school in Chiang Mai, the student 700km away in Bangkok – her cooking classes just one of many things to shift online amidst the ongoing pandemic.
But even the Akha and other tribes people are pressured, explicitly or not, to assimilate into the dominant Thai culture, there remain structural barriers preventing them from accessing the mainstream.
Niti’s own identity as an Akha is complex, as, after living in the US for seven years, she considers herself culturally American.
For the first month I knew Nikorn, I didn’t know he was Akha. He didn’t introduce himself as Akha. He’s comfortable speaking Thai, and dresses with no sign of Akha
This article was written by TARA ABHASAKUN
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