While I was a guest at Phu Lang Ka Lodge in Northern Thailand this past November, I was invited by the owner of the lodge (Kevan) to attend a special memorial tribute by the Yao and Hmong hilltribes to the belated Princess Galyani, the King of Thailand’s elder sister. Universally loved by the people of Thailand, she died on January 2, 2008 after a long struggle with cancer. Among the Hilltribes in particular, Princess Galyani was considered a very special lady – she was revered for her acts of kindness and for her many contributions towards their welfare.

This Special Hilltribe tribute took place at the community school at the nearby village of Pong in Phayao Province on November 21. Organized by the director of the school and his staff, this tribute drew Hmong and Yao from the outlying villages and communities. The director of the school coincidentally happened to be Kevan, the owner of Phu Lang Ka Lodge as well as the President of the Yao people of Thailand. The tribute at the small village of Pong in upcountry Thailand was quite different than the lavish funeral and cremation ceremony that was staged in Bangkok a couple of days before. Watched by many Thai people on TV, over 100,000 people attended the official Funeral ceremony for Princess Galyani.

Sharing the large grassy field of the community school, the Hmong and Yao conducted their own independent tribute/memorial to Princess Galyani – the Yao were congregated on the north end of the field while the Hmong were on the south end. I guess separate tributes were allowed for the Yao and Hmong because they have a different set of traditions and customs regarding the afterlife and rituals for the dead. In addition, this allowed the Hmong and Yao to conduct their tributes in their own tribal language. Looking around me, I noticed that the most of the people in attendance were outfitted in their own traditional tribal dress - the women in particular wore some very exotic and colorful outfits.

I spent most of time on the Yao side of the field, where Kevan introduced me to some Yao dignitaries who had immigrated from Phayao to the USA. One of his friends, who was now living in Salem, Oregon, explained to me some of the unique Yao customs and traditions pertaining to death and the afterlife.

Motioning to a group of people who were pounding away at something at a nearby table, he said - these people are making imitation silver coins (spiritual monies) from paper which will be used to pay the Toll keeper at Heaven’s Gate for the Princess’s entrance to the other side. Pointing to another group of people, they are making gold bars which will offered to the spirits to insure the Princess has a comfortable existence in the afterlife. The newly minted silver coins and gold bars are then fed to a burning fire to finish the transaction with the spirits/gods. In Yao culture, he explained, a man’s worth is not measured by his material wealth but by his spiritual wealth.

The Special Hilltribe Tribute to Princess Galyani really opened up my mind - it is an experience that I will never forget.

Kevan, the proprietor of Phu Lang Ka Lodge, is an extraordinary man. As the elected president of the Yao (Mien) people of Thailand, Kevan and his wife, Nong are very active in the community and play an instrumental role in the preservation of Yao culture and heritage. The Yao originate from the highlands of Southern China - over the years they have migrated and established communities over most of Southeast Asia. Numbering approximately 50,000 in Thailand, the Yao (Mien) people live for the most part in the northern provinces of Nan and Phayao and are one of the most successful and well educated of all the hilltribe groups.

Kevan is also the director of Ban Mai Pang Ka, a small community school that is funded by the government, at the nearby district of Pong. The school has about 320 students (ages 4-16) and is attended primarily by Hmong and Yao children from the surrounding villages. While most of the kids take public transportation to the school, about 70 children live at the school during the week - on a room and board basis - to return home on the weekends to be with their parents. About 65% of the children are Hmong and 30% are Yao. For the schoolchildren, the education is free and the Government pays for the salary of Kevan and his staff of 19 teachers.

Kevan and his staff organized a very impressive 2 day tribute, this past November to the recently deceased Princess Galyani, the king’s elder sister. On Thursday, November 20, there were ceremonial marches by the school children; then on Friday, both the principal hilltribe groups in the area - the Hmong and the Yao - staged their own separate tribute for the belated Princess, who during her lifetime had contributed much of her time and energies towards the improvement and welfare of Thailand’s hilltribes. Yao dignitaries from Oregon (USA) - friends of Kevan and Nong - showed up to pay their respects as well. Very well done, Kevan!

More on this Special Tribute in a subsequent post

The small nature lodge at Phu Lang Ka is a family affair - Kevan’s two daughters, Irene and Nissana and his son, Sattapat help him out with the responsibilities of running the lodge. He and his lovely wife, Nong maintain a beautiful home in Chiang Kham, a small city located about 33 KM away from Phu Lang Ka.