Hill tribe (In Thai, made up of some combination of ชาว [chaao] or คน [khohn] for folk or people and เขา [khao] or ดอย [doi] for mountain [ดอย being the northern word for mountain])[1] is a term used in Thailand for all of the various tribal peoples who inhabit the Northern region of Myanmar (Burma).[citation needed] They now inhabit the remote border areas between Northern Thailand, Laos and Burma (Myanmar). These areas are known for their thick forests and mountainous terrain. The six major hill tribes within Thailand are the Akha, Lahu, Karen, Hmong/Miao, Mien/Yao and Lisu, each with a distinct language and culture.
The hill tribes have traditionally been primarily subsistence farmers who use slash and burnagricultural techniques to farm their heavily forested communities.[2] Popular perceptions that slash and burn practices are environmentally destructive, government concerns over borderland security, and population pressure has caused the government to forcibly relocate many hill tribe peoples.[3] Traditionally, hill tribes were also a migratory people, leaving land as it became depleted of natural resources or when trouble arose.
