About 1,300 years ago, before the Mon brought civilization to the Ping river-basin, the ancestors of the Lua had already established their homeland. The Lua, or "La-wee-ah," as they refer to themselves, are part of the Austronesia family. It is uncertain where the Lua originated from, but it is generally believed that they emigrated from the southern regions of Thailand or from Cambodia.
Similarities in language, body structure, and dress have led to the belief that about 2,000 years ago the Lua were part of the same ethnic group as the Wa located in the northern region of Myanmar (Burma) and Southern Yunnan (China).
The Lua migrated into Thailand and settled in Chiang Mai. Approximately 900 years ago Mon from Lopburi--whom established the kingdom of Lamphun and Lampang (Thailand)--attacked the Lua, forcing them to retreat into the mountains. The Lua became a hill-dwelling people from that point on.
Later, in the 13th century AD. the Thai migrated into this region and defeated the ruling Mon and established friendly relations with the Lua. The Lua believe their ancestors once resided in Chiang Mai and built Wat Jedi Luang before the Thais emigrated to this region. The Lua had their own royal lineage of which the final king was Khun Luang Wilang Ga. When Queen Jamtaywee of the Mon kingdom of Nakorn Mon Rik Punyachai (Lamphun, Thailand) attacked the Lua and chased them into the hills, a few small groups of Lua managed to remain behind in the lowlands, though these peoples almost completely assimilated to follow Thai culture, customs and traditions, leaving little trace of their own rich and distinct native heritage.
The Lua language is part of the Austro-Asiatic family of languages and has been influenced from Mon and Khmer. There are many different language groups among the Lua, but they can be generally separated into two large groups: the Wawu--spoken amongst Lua in the Ping River Basin region, such as Baw Luang village--and the Ang ga--spoken in the West of Mae Sariang District in the province of Mae Hong Son, Thailand. Differences in language follow in accordance to the distance between villages from one another. There is enough similarity that Lua from different villages can understand one another. Many words from the Northern Thai dialect have also been adopted into the Lua language.
The Lua have spread themselves out over six different provinces within Thailand: Chiang Mai, Mae Hong Son, Uthai Thani, Suphanburi, Chiang Rai, and Lampang.
Presently, most Lua villages remain in remote mountain regions, far away from their Thai neighbors. A given village is made up of around 20-100 households all built in a line along the ridge of the mountain. The house will be lifted high off the ground, similar to a Karen house, but the roof will differ. A Lua roof will include two long pieces of carved wood crossed over one another at the gable. The roof itself will be made of thatch or old banana leaves and will run down almost all the way to the ground. Tha area surrounding the village is used for gardening. The land used for farming will be separated from the village by a line of old-growth forest, which is used to protect the village from burning down when the fields are set ablaze.

The Lua are a monogamous people; a husband with multiple wives is not permitted. After marriage, the woman must go to live with the man. Respect and remembrance is paid to the ancestral spirits on the father's side of the family. Children are counted as being part of their father's family lineage. More similar to the nuclear families of today's western societies, Lua households are generally made up of husband, wife and children. The oldest male in the family must go off and build a new home for himself and his wife when he gets married. The last male child to be born will receive the family inheritance, but also be expected to take care of his parents for the rest of their lives.
Responsibilities within the household are divided according to age and sex. The women are expected to gather firewood and water, mill the rice, and make the food and clothing. The men are expected to repair and maintain the house, build fences, plow the fields, and hunt for animals. As for responsibilities on the farm, it is considered to be the responsibility of both sexes to help one another out. All family members of working age are expected to participate. Almost all roles of responsibility within the special ceremonies of the Lua are considered to be the male's domain. www.hilltribe.org