The Lahu ethnic group originated in southwest China, and subsequently migrated into Thailand from northern Myanmar. Most of their settlements are concentrated close to the Burmese border in Chiang Rai, northern Chiang Mai, and Mae Hong Son province. There are four sub-groups of Lahu here Black, Yellow, Red, and She-leh. The black Lahu are the most reserved, but wear the most distinctive costumes. Among the other Lahu tribes, the Thai shirt and sarong have replaced their traditional costume. Lahu men wear a plain black shirt and baggy black trousers.
Lahu villages are often at higher altitudes. The Red Lahu are the only group to build a central animist temple, surrounded by banners and streamers of white and yellow flags. Houses are built on high stilts with walls of bamboo or wooden planks, thatched with grass. A ladder leads to an open central living area, with storeroom to one side and living quarters to the other. There is one large bedroom, partitioned off as necessary according to family size. The main room has a central fireplace.
The Thai call the Lahu tribe Musur, which means “hunters”. Indeed, they were largely a hunting community until a lack of game and primary forest forced them into a more agricultural means of existence. For this reason, the Lahu language has almost become a lingua franca, spoken throughout the mountains by other groups since, amongst the Lahu, hiring out their labor to other groups has become common. The future seems uncertain for this group, and the Lahu as a separate and independent culture face great challenges at this point in their history.