Lisu Hilltribe

 
The Lisu have a legend quite similar to that of many other tribes in Southeast Asia. Long ago there

was a giant flood.  There were only two survivors: one man and one woman. These two were brothe
r and sister. They survived by living off the meat inside a giant bottle gourd. Once the water had
receded, the pair set out in search of other survivors, but to their dismay, they found no one. They
became convinced they must be the last remaining man and woman in the world. They realized that if
they did not reproduce then mankind would disappear off the face of the planet forever. Still, they
couldn't get over the fact they were brother and sister. Finally, they decided to to consult the spirits.
Seeing a grinding stone and a mortar on top of a hill, the pair determined to separate the two parts and
roll them down opposite sides of the hill. When the grinding stone reached the base of the hill it refused
to stop rolling. Instead, it persisted in rolling all the way around to the other side of the hill and reuniting
with the mortar, ending up in exactly the same position it had been when on top of the hill. It did not
matter what objects the pair used to test their fate, the results were identical each time. The older
brother and younger sister agreed that God must have given his blessing to the union. Soon they had
produced a son and a daughter which marked the new birth of the tribe.

http://lisu.hilltribe.org/english/

HIstory of Lisu hilltribe

The Lisu have a legend quite similar to that of many other tribes in Southeast Asia, of how long ago there was a giant flood.  There were only two survivors: one man and one woman. These two were brother and sister. They survived by living off the meat inside a giant bottle gourd. Once the water had receded, the pair set out in search of other survivors, but to their dismay, they found no one. They became convinced they must be the last remaining man and woman in the world. They realized that if they did not reproduce then mankind would disappear off the face of the planet forever. Still, they couldn't get over the fact they were brother and sister. Finally, they decided to to consult the spirits. Seeing a grinding stone and a mortar on top of a hill, the pair determined to separate the two parts and roll them down opposite sides of the hill. When the grinding stone reached the base of the hill it refused to stop rolling. Instead, it persisted in rolling all the way 'round to the other side of the hill and reuniting with the mortar, ending up in exactly the same position it had been sitting in on top of the hill. It didn't matter what objects the pair used to test their fate, the results were identical each time. The older brother and younger sister agreed that God must have given his blessing to the union. Soon they had produced a son and a daughter which marked the new birth of the tribe.

	What "Lisu" means
	Lisu earned their name as the tribe that is alive with color. In fact, the Lisu are considered to use the greatest variety of colors of all the hill tribes. Their confident decision-making and independence is reflected in the way the Lisu use powerful combinations of colors, one on top of the other, to decorate their costumes. Often referred to as "Lisor," they refer to themselves as "Lisu." The word "Li" comes from the word "eelee," which means custom, tradition, or culture; "su" means "person." The combined meaning is: a group of people who share a deep pride in their customs, traditions, and culture. The Lisu are a people who love order and independence. The established social order is flexible, allowing room for change and diversity. Different cultures and customs are not dismissed out of hand, but new things must pass through a democratic decision-making process before being accepted. Processes like these make Lisu good managers, in general, and have allowed the Lisu have been quite successful at adapting to change.

Background
The Lisu are a people with a hunger for understanding about life. Their language falls into the Yee (Lo-Lo) language group--part of the larger Tibet-Burma family of languages. About 30% of the language comes from the Chinese Ho dialect. Originally, the Lisu were from the area near head of the Salawan waters and the Mekong river, located in northern Tibet and the northwest portion of Yunnan province in the People's Republic of China. The Lisu immigrated into Thailand around the year 1921 (Christian Calendar). This first group of migrants was made up of only 4 families. They settled in a village now known as Huay San in the capital of Chiang Rai province. Later, in that same year, 15 more families made the journey. As the Lisu have no written language of their own, a group of missionaries interacting with this first group, helped to create one using English characters to represent the Lisu sounds. Some Lisu are now Christian. About 5-6 years after the initial move into Thailand, the group separated, with one group remaining behind and the other moving to Doi Chang in the township of Mae Saruay in Chiang Rai province.        The Lisu divided into two sub-groups: the striped Lisu and the black Lisu. Almost all Lisu residing in Thailand are of the striped Lisu sub-group. As for the black Lisu, they are spread out across China, Burma, India, and Thailand. The Lisu in Thailand are scattered across nine different provinces: Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai, Mae Hong Son, Phayao, Tak, Kampaengphet, Phetchaboon, Sukhothai, and Lampang. Originally, the Lisu divided themselves into six different family dynasties: honey (bia-seu-wee), wood (seu-pa), fish (gua-pa), bear, rice bug, wheat, and hemp. The honey dynasty is the largest of these family lines, but is itself divided into three smaller sub-dynasties. There are nine family lines branching off from inter-tribal marriages with the Chinese Ho: Lee, Yang, Yao, Woo, Kao, Ho, Joo, and Jang. The two largest of these lines are the Lee and Yang line.        Religiously, the Lisu worship their ancestors and the great Spirit. They have two religious heads: the cultural leader (meu-meu-pa) and the ceremonial leader (nee-pa).
Population         In mid-1983 there were approximately 18,000 Lisu spread out over 110 villages in Thailand. In 1958 a survey concluded there were only about 7,500 Lisu, meaning their numbers multiplied at a rate of 3.6% per year over the course of 25 years. Most of the expansion accounts for new immigrants to the country, rather than births. For perspective, in 1983 there were 250,000 Lisu in Burma and about 500,000 in China. Hundreds of families crossed the border and settled in the northeast. Interestingly, there are no Lisu in Laos or Vietnam. The Lisu in Thailand are divided up across the different provinces as follows: 47% in Chiang Mai, 23% in Chiang Rai, 19% in Mae Hong Son, with the other 11% scattered across Phayao, Tak, Kampaengphet, Phetchaboon, and Sukhothai. The Lisu now living in Thailand are quite different from their relatives in northern Burma. This may be due to the fact that the Lisu began in China and divided up and separated out over many different generations. This is not to mention all the inter-marriage that occurred between the Lisu and the Chinese Ho, to the point that these Lisu began referring to themselves as Chinese-Lisu.       A survey conducted in 1997 by the Hill Tribe Research Institute found there were 30,940 Lisu living across 151 villages in 5,114 households. This accounts for 4.11% of all the hill tribe peoples living in the country. 23% are in Chiang Mai, 19% in Chiang Rai, 11% in Mae Hong Son, and the rest are spread out across Phayao, Tak, Kampaengphet, Phetchaboon, and Sukhothai. The past and current organizational structure in a Lisu village: Kwa-Too (Leader of the community): This person is elected to the position by the villagers. Meu-Meu-Pa (Ceremonial leader): The holder of this position is chosen by way of ah-bpa-mo (a fortune-telling ceremony). Each village can have only one Meu-Meu-Pa. The ceremonial leader's responsibilities are to act as a medium between the great Spirit and the villagers, and to announce and conduct ceremonies to observe the various sacred days of the year. Nee-Pa (Spirit doctor): This individual is elected and appointed by the spirits of the ancient ancestors of the family dynasty and is responsible for maintaining the connection between the spirit world and the world of humans. Cho-Mo-Cho-Dtee (Head elder): An elder in the village who is respected and revered by all the younger members of the village. Presently: Kwa-Too (Leader of the community): Now the official village headman. Meu-Meu-Pa (Ceremonial leader): Still appointed in the same way as in the past. Assistants to the village headman (1-2 assistants): Appointed by the headman. Official representative to the Tambon Administration Organization: This position is an appointed one and the appointee is responsible for general administration work in the village and managing and maintaining a budget from the government. The village committee. Advisor: Cho-Mo-Cho-Dtee (Head elder). Nee-Pa (Spirit doctor): Responsible for performing miscellaneous ceremonies.         As for the Lisu Village Organization (Tribal Organization), its role was not all that clear in the past, but was best known for its work in bringing distant relatives of the same family dynasty together. In other words, the organization was not an official one, but was known and respected among the Lisu. In the past, it had a long list of roles and responsibilities in Lisu society. Now, distant relatives continue to come together to perform various ceremonies of importance to the family. http://lisu.hilltribe.org

Live style : Marriage

Lisu people cannot marry their relatives.

Choosing the match
In the evening Lisu women will cook the rice, and the following morning the men will come to help, and spend time teasing each other. Some couples exchange bracelets or other symbols to show they love each other, and they will keep them in their pocket near their heart. When they have to go to work in the field, the women will tell the men and all of them will wear full dress, and sing impromptu songs. Tradition explains that Lisu men are similar to the trunk of tree and branch, and the women are similar to the leaf - when the trunk feels that the leaf is threatened by someone, the trunk will protect the leaf as much as it can.

The wedding Lisu men will give money to the brides’ parents; the man’s parents give all of the money that the women’s parent asked for. For Lisu, the money given to the bride is more than other hilltribes because when they marry, the woman stays in the man’s house and does everything in their family, work hard.

When the couple agrees to marry, the men bring release for the women from her own family. His family comes to talk with hers, to ask for the hand of the girl and make decisions and agreements, such as if his parents can give the money after the couple live together. If they do not have enough money though, the women’s parents will bring their daughter back home. Her parents will set the day for marriage and will have the ceremony at their house before noon. They have the ceremony in front of an ancestor’s mantle in the house. The couple kneels in front of the ceremony leader, and the leader tells the ancestor about the new member in the family.

The ceremony leader takes the water on the mantle to the couple for prosperity and, when the ceremony is completed, he collects money from the guests to give to the couple. Water is also put in the bowl which the groom symbolically drinks for wealth. The money is then poured into the groom’s hand, which he, in turn, pours into the wrap cloth on the bride’s head. At night, they have a dancing ceremony, holding hands with each other to create a circle, while a group sings two songs. The main song in the ceremony is sung in front of the ancestor’s mantle, while the second song separates women and men who sing in response to each other.

http://lisu.hilltribe.org

Live style : Giving a name

Naming a Lisu Child (“Chajuaduer”)
The Lisu people hold a name ceremony for newborns as they believe that newborns must be named within three days being born. If a family fails to name their child in this time, a spirit will name and claim the child as its own. The child’s life would then be in danger.

The Lisu Child-Naming Ceremony (“ChaJuaduer”) The Lisu parents prepare an offering of boiled pig parts that they take to the village shrine. The offering is presented before the shrine together with joss sticks, two glasses of water and two bowls of cooked rice.     The joss sticks are lighted to announce the child’s birth. The parents then ask that the shrine god protect the child. A coin is tossed and lots cast to select the child’s name. The family presents the same offering to the shrine in their home following which, every family member of the newborn child places money in a water bowl to bless the child. This is done in the hope that the child grows up to be healthy. The elaborate ceremony concludes with family members tying the child’s wrist with a holy thread.

The Six Names of a Lisu Each Lisu individual is given multiple names. Unlike one’s nickname, these names must stay with the individual for his or her lifetime. Using a newborn Lisu female for example, The Lisu will choose her name during the HleeJeeMe Saelee ceremony (this translates to the “Name Sirname” ceremony). The first name is determined by the child’s status in her family. If she is the first-born child, her first name would be “Amee”. If the child is adopted, her adoptive parents will name her after a wild animal. The child will then be named after either her strongest or weakest character trait. In addition, she will have a nickname determined by a noticeable character trait such as bravery. The Lisu word for bravery is “Awosuema” which literally means “to like to catch butterflies”. Finally, this newborn child will have a government name such as Kamolrat.

	Examples of Lisu names. Names that are listed at the top are used more frequently than the names listed at the bottom.
	Male Lisu names ABePha ALepha AHsaPha AHseePha AHwuPha AHluPha ASuePha APhaPha	Female Lisu names AHmeeMa ALeMa AHsaMa ASeeMa HwuMa AHluMa ASueMa APhaMa

http://lisu.hilltribe.org

Life style : Dreams of Pregnancy and Their Significance

Dream before Pregnancy       The Lisu people believe that dreaming is a way of communicating. Dreams are significant and there are explanations to certain dreams especially for women. Lisu people believe that if a woman dreamed of herself conceived in her dream, it means that she is really pregnant. The woman will normally be able to remember the dream. Dreams during Pregnancy       If Lisu women have dreams during pregnancy, some of these dreams may have certain meaning to their lives. Some of these dreams would be able to inform pregnant Lisu women of the sex of their unborn child. For example, if they dream about going hunting for animals or going for a battle, it would mean that her child is most probably a male. In another case, if the woman dreams of working in a farm and collect fruits and vegetables, her child is probably a female. If Lisu woman dreams of herself collecting rotten fruits, it would mean that her child is retarded and abnormal. These are some of the superstitious believes of Lisu people.

There are signs to show if the unborn baby can be born healthily or unsuccessfully. If the Lisu mother dreams of herself vomiting, crying or passing out blood as urine, it would mean to Lisu people that the fetus is dead. If the Lisu woman dreams of a baby coming to say goodbye or the baby walks towards an endless road, it will mean that the baby is leaving the mother and he/she is dead. The Lisu people believe that whether the baby is healthy or not depends on the deeds of his/her parents. If the parents did a lot of sins, the Lisu people will feel that the baby will receive all the punishments for his/her parents and born abnormally.

 Highland Mapping Development and Biodiversity Management Project / IMPECT

http://lisu.hilltribe.org

Life style : Taboo for Lisu’s pregnant

Who has pregnant do not underestimate or insult such as the older or handicap person and also the general people because they believe that her baby has handicap also. Lisu teach their lineage that do not laugh at other people because it will retribution with them, do not wait until the next world (Lisu call Jumae)

The place that the pregnant woman cannot go. Lisu believes that during pregnancy, the woman is very vulnerable to any bad  because they tend to be more tired physically and mentally than others. Pregnant women are no longer considered virgins since the child is brought about by sexual relations between the parents. Lisu thus forbids pregnant women to enter spiritual places where ceremonies and rituals such as Thanksgiving to the forest (Mi Gwu Gwu) are conducted, and to attend them. When such ceremonies or rituals are conducted, the pregnant women cannot go to that place because of the gods dislike people who have defects, are unhealthy or unclean, and if the gods are angered, they can take the life of the person away. Also, around Apha Moo Hee (the village shrine), women cannot enter because this area belongs to the god (Apha Moo Hee)  who perfers men over women.

Lisu also believes that places that produce alcohol from corn are holy and are taken care of by gods.such that the alcohol producesd is pure and concentrated. If a pregnant woman passes this area, it is believed that the alcohol produced will be of low concentration and impure because pregnant women are not considered virgins, which affect the purity of the alcohol. Pregnant women cannot go near funerals because they believe that the spirit of the deceased will take their souls away. To prevent this, the shaman will protect the people by hitting vegetable on the coffin so as to browbeat the spirit do not come to take the weakened people.

Food and drug for the pregnant. Lisu believes that pregnant women should avoid using medicine of food that can affect the fetus because the fetus receives the nutrients required from the mother. This is to prevent the mother from falling sick and harming the fetus. Lisu are very particular about pregnancy. Food forbidden during pregnancy. Taro, tomato and sugar cane. The Lisu believe that it make the fetus fat and thus

http://lisu.hilltribe.org

Life style : Vocation

Farming     The Lisu consider their main source of livelihood to be farming. It is like the heart and soul of a Lisu. Thus, the Lisu take special care in choosing a site for farming. They will select a site where the soil is fertile, ensuring a high yield. In searching for a site to farm, a Lisu will look for land that is densely forested, where the earth is black and moist and not far from a stream or other water source. If possible, a Lisu will try to find a place like this close to the village to cut down on commute time. Once a suitable place has been found, the farmer will cut down the trees, clearing the land. The area will then be left alone for a few days while things dry out, after which time the farmer will set the field ablaze. Any unburnt debris will be collected and the field will again be left to sit for a few days. When the farmer returns a ceremony will be performed to make an offering to the spirits of the forest, the mountains, and the pathways, to ask permission to use the field and to ask for a good harvest. Following the ceremony, the farmer will pull out all the weeds and begin tilling the earth in preparation for planting the seeds. The planting will be done in May, during the rainy season. The Lisu's main crops are rice and corn, followed by other fruits and vegetables such as tomatoes, cabbage, chili peppers, sesame seeds, ginger, potatoes, and various different kinds of beans.

Rice planting season (Ja ya mee)        As the first rains of the rainy season fall to the ground in early May, the Lisu begin preparing themselves for the hard work ahead, as the planting season is upon them. The Lisu will await the rain to start planting their corn and rice. Once the soil has been prepped as described above, the planting is fairly easy. The only things needed for the job are a small spade and seeds. The seeds will be planted by a male and female team, with the man walking in front and digging the holes and the woman dropping the seeds in behind. The man will use a long bamboo shaft with a small metal spade attached to the end of it. He will plunge it into the ground and then pop it up lightly, creating a small hole. The woman, carrying a bag of seeds over her shoulder, will insert about 3-5 seeds and leave the hole open. When the rain comes, the dirt will erode and cover up the seeds on its own. This work is always done in pairs and is often accompanied with singing and playful conversation, keeping the atmosphere fun and light.

September is the season for planting opium (Ya pee)       At the beginning of August the corn will be harvested, leaving the land free to plant opium, which will be done around September. The two crops are planted in rotation with one another and complement each other well as the dead corn stalks serve as a shelter for the young opium seedlings, protecting them from the sun's intense rays. Later, the corn stalks will decompose and become fertilizer, providing nourishment to the growing opium plants. Planting opium is hard work and requires close attention, making sure the plants don't grow too closely together, choking each other and fighting for diminishing nutrients. If too many plants are grown on too small a plot of land, the farmer will get diminishing returns as the soil can't properly sustain the whole lot. The plot must be continually weeded and the ground tilled over in order to ensure healthy growth, beautiful, hardy flowers, and a good harvest of opium. The season for harvesting opium (Ya pee)     After the rice harvest in November and early December comes the season for harvesting opium poppies, collecting their hallucenogenic sap. It is at this time that the poppies are in full bloom and the fields are bursting with a spreading array of red, purple and white opium flowers. The harvesting will be done in the late morning, when the sun has been up for awhile. Under the hot rays of the sun the sap will flow more freely and dry faster once collected. A special scraper is used to get at the sap, which is made of 3-5 small, sharp, and pointy knife blades wrapped tightly together. Holding the poppy flower in one hand, the scraper is used to cut lines from the heart of the flower up to the tips, following the natural lines of the flower. Careful attention must be taken when scraping to use just the right amount of pressure. Scraped too hard, the sap will flow out too fast and drip out onto the ground. Scraped too softly, the sap just won't leak out at all. It takes a lot of practice before becoming expert in the art, and only the best will be allowed to do the scraping during harvest time. The sap from the poppies is milky white in color and thick. Once the flower has been scraped, the sap will ooze out and collect at the heart of the flower. The flower will then be left out overnight for the sap to dry to a tacky consistency. During this process the sap will turn brown in color. The next day a crescent moon-shaped knife blade will be used to scrape the hardened sap off the flowers and onto a sheet of paper where it will be collected for safe storage.

http://lisu.hilltribe.org

Life style : Manners

Teaching children to love good manners Don't look down upon or disrespect that which you do not understand and don't argue with adults or elders--It is a sin. When visitors come to the house you must not be loud or whiny. When visitors come to the house you must not eat at the same table as the adult guests. When visitors come to the house you must go play far away and not disturb the adults while they are talking. When visitors come to the house the daughter of the house must help her mother make food for the guests. If you walk in front of an adult you must bend down and lower your head, passing by quietly. When visitors come to the house get a chair out for them to sit on and serve them water, or invite them into the house. If you have to sweep while visitors are at the house, you must sweep very lightly, taking care not to let any dust blow onto the guests.

Taught to help others      In general, children are taught to help others and to be generous and kind to those who don't have enough to eat or a place to live. Children are taught never to think maliciously of others or to be jealous of them. Thinking evil thoughts towards others may actually hurt us rather than the other person. If we always think badly of others it will make us wary of others and we will be unhappy. Wherever we go no one will want to be our friend. One of the main vehicles for teaching these lessons are fables, legends and witty stories about people who think maliciously towards others. The stories are meant to capture the hearts and imagination of the listener, making them sympathize with the characters. The more vivid the story, the more it will strike at the listener's conscience, making them want to be good people. Lisu teach their children to do good. In Lisu this is called, " La ko ma moo nee mua," which means, "don't think maliciously towards others." Whether you do good or bad, and whether someone sees you or not, remember the spirits are always watching. Thus, you should not steal from others or think maliciously of them, regardless of whether they realize what you have done or not, because the spirits are always watching us. Children will be told this often, before bed and during play, helping shape them into caring and conscientious adults.

Teaching children about the Ah bpa mo hee (Spirit house)      Chldren are taught how to behave during sacred ceremonies held at the Ah bpa mo hee (Spirit house). Boys will be taught that they can run around in the area surrounding the Ah bpa mo hee. Girls will be taught they are not allowed to go and play around the Ah bpa mo hee. Boys will be allowed to go with adults to participate in special ceremonies and they will be taught how to carry out each of the ceremonies. Ceremonies generally begin with lighting incense sticks. Respect should then be paid to the spirits. In this place one must be polite in speech, thought, and action; not thinking maliciously of others. Cutting down trees in the area surrounding the Ah bpa mo hee is prohibited, as the Ah bpa mo likes tranquility and shade. How to act during the New Year's Festival      As the New Year approaches the Lisu will take extra special care to be on their best behavior and to keep the area around their houses meticulously clean. This is because the Lisu believe that during this time an angel will come down and inspect how orderly everything is. Those whose houses are clean--and only those people--will be blessed with, "the enduring presence of the spirits of gold and silver." In other words, these houses will thrive financially and will never be found lacking. The members of these households will prosper in their work. Any houses found in a disorderly state will be cursed and the inhabitants will find themselves poor and destitute. In general, everyone is expected to help do their part to keep the house clean. The Lisu believe that the spirit of silver and the spirit of gold desire cleanliness. The spirit of silver and the spirit of gold will not remain in an unkept house. If this weren't enough of a reason to clean your house, during the New Year's celebrations it can be expected that relatives will come from all around to visit your home, filling your house and doing their own little assessments of the cleanliness of your place. Children are told in advance that when they have visitors to the house they are forbidden from whining or begging.

Teaching by doing and direct experience      Children must pay close attention to both their parents and the elders in the village to learn the right ways to act and respond to real world situations. These elders are full of the wisdom and knowledge that years of experience in life bring. As children follow their parents and other elders through the routines of daily life, they naturally absorb these lessons. Following their parents out into the fields, for example, they not only learn how to farm, and how to behave in the field, but most importantly how to respect the spirits. Once a year the Lisu must perform a ceremony, known as ah mee nee goo. Performed before the seeds are sown, the purpose of this ceremony is to implore the spirits to bless the harvest and make it plentiful. A chicken will be sacrificed to the ah mee nee (spirit of the fields) to pay homage and as a sign of reverence and respect. The children, who naturally love to follow their parents out into the fields, will participate in the ceremony and learn from direct experience how the ceremony is performed and why it is important. Through activities such as these, children learn both how to farm and how to respect the spirits.

Being taught how to work in the fields and how to raise animals How to farm: Parents take their children out into the fields from a very early age to show them how to feed and sustain themselves. The children will help with the easier tasks. A certain proverb speaks to the logic of this: "Go and watch someone else working, don't go and watch someone else eating." The point is, children should be taught how to take care of themselves. To do this they should watch how others are able to provide for themselves and keep food on the table. Children should not just watch someone enjoying a hardy meal. This is because no one anywhere is able to eat without working. How to feed animals: Children are given responsibility for feeding the family's animals. Generally, this will either be chicken, pigs, or both. The children will feed the chickens on corn and rice husk, and the pigs on corn. The pigs will be fed once in the morning and once in the evening. On days when children go out to help their parents in the field, they will be expected to help carry the food for the pigs back from the fields. This might be corn, banana tree, or grass. The weight of the sack will be varied according to the size and strength of the child. By training children to raise and take care of animals they are able to take part in helping their parents feed the family.

Children are taught what to do if they get lost in the forest    In the past, the forests surrounding the villages were thick with vegetation and, once inside, it was often impossible to see a way out. The Lisu believe that if you are lost in the forest and can't find your way home you should take off your shirt, turn it inside out, then put it back on again; you will then find the way out. Of course it's better if you can remember the path you came on, leaving markers along the way to signal the right way. Children are taught how to implore the spirits of the pathways, of the forest, and of the mountains     Before going out to hunt or to sleep overnight in the forest, a Lisu must first ask permission from the spirits of the land, the pathways, the forests, and the mountains. The request will also ask the spirits for protection from evil things, not allowing anything to befall them as they go about the hunt or are sleeping. The person asking for the spirit's permission will roll tobacco into a cigarette and light it. The cigarette will be accompanied by incense sticks and placed in the house to burn, pointing in the direction of the place in the forest where the person will be hunting or sleeping.

Information from IMPECT

http://lisu.hilltribe.org

Life style : Lisu entertainment

Pretending to work in the fields.      Lisu children copy the character of their parents. The kids pretend to be a family or community with a father, mother and child. They act like parents to teach the lineage about earning a livelihood. It’s like the real community, and also has a seller family which works in their own field. The kids act the same as their parents’ work in the field, such as mowing the grass using wood instead of a blade. At noon, lunch is eaten in the field, and also songs are sung responding to the next field over. In the evening, vegetables are picked from the, which the woman cooks while the man chops firewood and pounds the rice. After dinner, they all go to sleep until the following morning when a cockerel crow is made to tell people to start work again. Also, Lisu have a celebration to comfort the child, and to assume a name for the child. This game tells about the way of Lisu living and daily life.

Link the word. This is an enjoyable game. Divide players into two groups (there is no specific number necessary). The first group will start the questions and the second respond.

The first group example. Go bow tong tong Ar ma nga. Ar bow. Arseayear. Luto rseayear. Buesue. Arseayea Hweapa. Arseayea. Chuemaarseayea. Hyachue. Arseayar. Lumepu. Arseayea. Artha. Arseayea.

The second group example. Arbow. Lu bow. Boesuegowker. Hwearphasa. Chumakua. Hyachuehugear. Lumepugea. Artaseur. Gumesea. Arhnachuear. Uchuegajea. uchuetemaarga. Ngea. Argatema unabe. Desea. Unabedengeangua

Life style : The black magician

     The black magician in Lisu is called the Neepha, and is the ceremonial leader of the village. To become a black magician, the villager will be in communion with the ancestral spirit. Some dream about their ancestor, are sick with fever, and maybe say strange things in their delirium.
          The Lisu people believe that the person destined to be the black magician must take responsibility for the role; otherwise they face continuous unknown sickness. The Neepha will understand, and can recite, the ceremonies of the village because they can connect to the ancestral spirit.   

The Neepha can be young or old, but the person that the ancestor chooses is usually a man. Each village will have 1-2 Neepha, although if it doesn’t, then the villagers will invite one when the village has a ceremony. Before a ceremony, the house owner changes the water in the altar cup and prepares the leaf that is used in all Lisu ceremonies. After everything is prepared, the Neepha will give worship by igniting the joss sticks and candle in front of the altar. Then in a trance-like state, the internal spirit of the Neepha is in communion with the ancestral spirit, although he is unaware of it. Once the recital is complete, the Neepha will return to his body without remembering anything.

Life style : The Tools of the Lisu People

The Lisu is a tribe that lives in hilltop-dwelling that thrives on the natural resources that the rainforest offers. With the help of homemade tools, the Lisu people spend a large part of their time tending to paddy fields as well as planting fruits.

	A knife or”Ata” is usually used in the farm or when cooking.
	A bamboo basket or “Katoo” is used to carry objects such as firewood, vegetables and utensils.

	A spade or “Agulague” is used to cut low-lying grass in paddy fields and coffee plantations.
	A rice winnowing fan helps the Lihu remove bits of grass when harvesting rice grains.

	A bamboo table or “MeeJu” supports food during mealtimes.
	A chicken cage or “AyaKudu” that is made from bamboo and is used to hold chicks.

	A bird trap or “Yajyajudu” catches birds by using worms as bait.
	A rat trap or “Apujudu” that is used to trap rats which are either seen as pests or as a food source.

	A birdcage or “Yayakuedu” that is made of bamboo.้
	A bamboo tray or “Wama” that is used to carry food or to lay out food for drying.

	A hammer or “Achu” which is used to chop wood.
	A knife sheath or “Atagudu” which is used to hold knives.

A shovel or “Tucha” used to dig pits when planting or transplanting rice.

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Life style : A The way of life in the Year

Lisu community is agriculture, have a plantation in the hill. The Lisu have many ceremonies but have an interval. When the Lisu have a ceremony, they will help each other and take for respect such as a cremation, the wedding or in each family ceremony. Agriculture have a time table because has a specific time. Now Lisu mix a farm like fruits with coffee such as other an occupation.

Month	The way of living	A Tradition	Picture
January - February	To clear undergrowth by burn	New Year ceremony (KohSeYee)
March - April	Start to do a farm	Repair the shrine ceremony.
May - June	Plants a corn , rice and vegetable and start to harvest the produce , vegetables.	Merit ceremony.
July - August	Mow the grasses in the farm and harvest the produce.	Thank given the god.
September - October	Mow the grasses again for planting the second time.	-
October- November	Harvest the rice and the other produce from the farm.	-
December- January	Harvest and find other place for planting and start to weaving, sew the clothes for new clothes. Prepare equipment for New Years Ceremony.	-

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Life style : The History of Lisu alcohol

The First process of alcohol product       The process to make Lisu alcohol is not complicated at all. The ingredients of the Lisu alcohol include sticky rice and corn. The sticky rice will be combined with the corn and soak for 4 to 5 months. The rice and the corn that mix together will be fermented and alcohol will be produced by the soaking process.

The Second process of the alcohol product       The Lisu people will boil and then distills out the alcohol from the fermented rice corn mixture. The Third process of the alcohol product       Other than the first and second production processes, they can add certain herbs to the fermented mixture and produce herbal medicine which can be used for curing illnesses. The Lisu people will usually make this Lisu alcohol together with their family members. They believed that this alcohol can be served to relatives and friends when they come visiting. Serving them Lisu alcohol will signifies their form of kindness and hospitality to welcome visitors. While consuming the Lisu alcohol, the Lisu people would be able to gather together and share their joy and experience together with one another. Lisu alcohol also has great significance as an offering to their ancestors because the Lisu people believed that offering Lisu alcohol to the dead is a way to communicate with the spirits.       This Lisu alcohol has another use. It serves as an herbal medication which can be used to cure illnesses. The Lisu doctors will use the alcohol brewed and mix with other herbs to use it to cure sickness because the Lisu alcohol is very nutritious.

The ceremony and belief       Lisu believed that the alcohol is a pure and holy liquid which is a great source which is usually used during holy ceremonies. Traditional and sacred rituals hosted by the Lisu shaman will involve the use of Lisu alcohol to pray to the spirits during the rituals. Birth and Holiness of Alcohol       The Lisu people worship their ancestors and will serve alcohol to invite the ancestors to be a witness for the new born baby of the family. They believed that it is a respect to the dead to introduce new member of the family to them. The Lisu family will pour a mixture of water and the Lisu alcohol onto the new born baby. It is done because the Lisu people believed that this holy alcohol mixture will protect the baby from harm.

New Year festival       The Lisu people will celebrate their harvest of their cultivation during New Year. During New Year, Lisu people will sew and make new clothing for the family members to be worn during New Year ceremony. The purpose of the ceremony is to thank the god for protect their cultivation and land and to seek for continual blessings for the new coming year. They will offer food and the holy Lisu alcohol to the ancestors and other holy spirits in the village. Each household will use their own alcohol that they made during the ceremony. Funeral ceremony       The Lisu alcohol is also used in the funeral ceremony for the Lisu people. When a person dies, the relative of the dead will go into the forest to find suitable wood material to make coffin for the dead person. Before they make the coffin, the Lisu people will offer the Lisu alcohol to the holy God and spirits in the village to seek permission to make the coffin. This serves to protect the people making the coffin for the dead too. After which, the family of the dead will ask a man of no blood relation to carry the coffin to get cremated. Sustain their health by the alcohol’s herb       Lisu alcohol has medicinal properties which can be beneficial to our human skin and muscles which can absorb the nutrients of the alcohol readily. The herb to connect the simple fracture       Lisu people use herbs and combine it with their Lisu alcohol to make medicine which can be used to cure bone fractures. The herbs collected will be grind into small pieces and will mix with the alcohol. This special mix of medicine is believed to relax the muscle and relieve the pain of the fracture. This mixture can be consumed or applied on skin. Young children who do not con sume alcohol will use a cloth to soak into the mixture and apply it on the affected area. A fire will be set up to keep the cloth warm and it is very effective. The Herb for blood replenishment, vitamins and improve appetite       After giving birth, Lisu women have to consume herbs and Lisu alcohol that they brewed because they believed that the alcohol are useful to women and provide the nutrients for them. Expellants herb       When the Lisu people get bites from the poisonous snakes, they will apply the Lisu alcohol on the biting area to eliminate the venom. The alcohol also helps to relieve inflammation and burning pain caused by the venom. The Lisu alcohol also serves as an disinfectant and can be used to clean the wound or cuts.

The process to make the flour for fermentation from Herb The first step is making the flour for fermentation. Soak rice around 5-7 days until the rice swell and become fluffy. Dry the swell rice. Pound rice. The second step is preparing herbs. Clean the herbs. Pound and cut the herbs. Crush and dry away the herb smell. Boil the herbs until it macerates. Filter out the waste from boiling mixture. The Third step is kneading the flour for fermentation. Mix rice and herb together. Knead and make it flat. Put in the rice straws around 7 days since the flour has yeasts. Then, dry the flour and keep it in a basket or put on the shelf over the stove.

The equipment for boiling alcohol. A big stove A big steamer A big pan strings Wet pack The substratum that made from wood. Jar to put the alcohol Tray Mortar or grinder Jar The process to boiling alcohol. The first step is fermenting the corn’s alcohol. Boil corn until softens. Sieve the flour fermentation and grind.  Mix the flour and the corn together. Ferment the mixture in the jar and cover it. Leave it around 3 days. Move the jar a little and leave around 15 days, and then boil to get the alcohol.

The Second step is ferment the alcohol Put the water in the big pan and put the steamer on the pan. Put the substratum in the steamer Put the corn and flour mixture to fill ? of the steamer. Put the substratum to receive the alcohol in the steamer. Put the pan and put some water on it. Put the pan on the top of the steamer. Put the jar to for the alcohol that from the straw.

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