The Dara-Ang tribe usually live in the mountains. The
Burmese call them Pa-Long but they call themselves Dara-Ang which they
prefer because it is their own language, not Burmese language. In Asia
there are three different groups of Dara-Ang: Dara-Ang-Won, better known
as Black Dara-Ang whose dress resembles the Lahu tribe, Hleng-Dara-Ang
or red Dara-Ang and Lui Dara-Ang or White Dara-Ang. There are many
differences between these tribes such as the pronunciation of the
language and the stress on high or low tones. But although these small
differences in language and costume exist, these tribes can all
communicate with each other. Now the Dara-Ang live in Burma (Naam-Sung,
ChaingTung and Gueng city) China and Thailand. The main group living in
Thailand is the Red Dara-Ang. The colours of the clothes and the women's
skirts indicate which of the three groups that the person belongs to.
Now, Dara-Ang stay in the following areas:
1. Baan Pang DangNai and Pang Dang Nok, ChiangDao, ChiangMai
2. Baan Maejorn, ChiangDao, ChiangMai
3. Baan Huay-Pong, ChiangDao, ChiangMai
4. Baan Nor-Lae, Fang, ChiangMai
5. Baan HuayMaakLeam, Fang, ChiangMai
6. Baan Huay-KaeNu, Fang, ChiangMai
7. Baan huayWai, Mae-Eye, ChiangMai
8. Baan HuaySaikaw, Mae-Eye, ChiangMai
9. Baan Suntonpui, MaeSai, ChiangRai
The Dara-Ang population in Thailand is around 8,000
Tea plays a very
important role in the marriage ceremony of the Dara-Ang people. In fact
the wedding cannot take place without it. Following the beliefs of the
Dara-Ang people tea symbolizes engagement and communicates to the
society that the couple will be married. A Dara-Ang legend tells the
story of two teenagers who fell in love. The man was very poor and
didn’t have enough money for marriage. The couple used “Ya-Yer” or tea
leaf as a symbol of their engagement and give it as an offering to
announce their intentions to their ancestors. Throughout history the
Dara-Ang people have used tea as an essential element of the wedding
ceremony.
Tea is used as a symbol to
teach the couple about the nature of marriage. The leaves have
qualities of bitterness and sweetness, alluding to the fact that living
as a couple is both bitter and sweet. This shows that the pair must
endeavor to endure through life like the tea leaves and the tea. When
the bride moves to come and live with the bridegroom, a new room must be
prepared to welcome the new daughter-in-law. As children are born and
the family expands the older brother may move away to his own house
with his new family. He must ensure that his younger brothers can take
care of his parents. The Dara-Ang hold strongly to this tradition of
obligation to their parents because they believe in expressing the
gratitude towards their parents for bringing them up.
After a woman has agreed to marriage, the man
will return home for an auspicious meeting with the village fortune
teller. After that, the man will arrange the date of the wedding with
the bride.
The Dara-Ang people use boiled eggs to show
honor to the family of the bride. An egg is given to each relative who
attends during the three days of the ceremony.
In a Dara-Ang wedding, a separate ceremony is
arranged for both the man and the woman. Each of them invites friends
and relatives to share a meal. The man will pay all expenses involved
in the ceremony. If the man cannot afford this, the woman will pay and
the man must stay with her family.
When the marriage ceremony reaches its
last day, the bridegroom and the bride’s guide, “Por-Nang”, go to the
bridegroom’s house. When the bridegroom and friends reach the bride’s
house they must perform a ceremony called “Ga-Hmam” as they believe the
ceremony ensures that they will live in the house for a long time and
that bad spirits cannot separate the couple. Therefore, the “Ga-Hmam”
ceremony shows that they are a complete couple and is an important part
of the wedding. When the ceremony is finished, the bride is taken to
the bridegroom’s house along with the couple’s friends. When they
arrive at the bridegroom’s house, elders from the community come to
hold a ceremony. The elders give blessings to the bridegroom using tea
leaves and then boil the leaves and drink the tea all together
The day after the series of
ceremonies has finished, the couple go to the temple to gain merit.
From that time the couple will take a novitiate as their adopted child.
For example, if the novice has the Buddhist name “Naam-Sang”, the wife
will call her husband that Naam-Sang’s father and the husband will
call his wife Naam-Sang’s mother. This shows respect to one another.
The names that the couple call each other
change again when the wife gives birth. They then use the name of the
child they have given birth to to replace the name of the adopted
child. For example if the mother and father are originally called
“Naam-Sang” and they call their first child “Nim” then the mother and
the father will use “Nim” to call each other.
Generally, Dara-Ang people will marry between
the age of 16 and 20 years old, as this is the period of time is when
the woman is at reproductive age. A woman younger than this age is
called “Di-Pea” in Dara-Ang language, and a man is called “Ga-Yom”.
However, in Dara-Ang marriages there is often an age gap as womens
marry earlier than men. The Dara-Ang tribe divides into the following
age groups:
Women:
- birth to 3 years old - “Gong-Da”
- 4-8 years old - “Gro-Roy”
- 9-15 years old - “Gro-Ra”
- 16-20 years old -“ Di-Pea”
- 21-30 years old - Ya-Ba-Nueb” (meaning housewife).
- 31-45 years old - “Ya-Ba-Nueb-Kae”
- Over 46 years old - “Ya-Gud”
Old women who have not married are called “Di-Pea”Brui”, meaning spinster. Men:
Age groups are divided similarly to women
- birth - 3 years old - “God’Nga”
- 4-8 years old -“Gro’Roy”
- 9-15 years old - “Gro-Ra”
- 16-20 years old - “Ga-Yom”
-21-30 years old - “Da-Ba-Nueb” (meaning Husband)
- 31-45 years old - “Da-Ba-Nueb-Ga”
- Over 46 years old - “Da-Gued”
Old men who have not married are called “Ga-Yom-Brui” http://daraang.hilltribe.org
In March as the harvest season finishes, the Dara – Ang people
often give offerings in order to earn merit. They go to famous temples
such as Doi Suthep or Doi Tung or discuss the dharma (Buddhist
teachings) with famous monks. During April temples are decorated with
banana leaves and local objects that can be found in the village for
the Sonkran festival. The people pour water on the hands of revered
elders and ask for blessing from monks and an elder in the community.
In May some families send male children to be ordained as monks (this
is called “Boad Look-Kaew” in Thai language). This way the children
can learn and experience more about Buddhism. In June the shrine in the
center of the city and the city gate are closed. This time is around
the 8th of July in the Buddhist calendar which is calculated according
to the waxing and waning moon. When the shrine has been closed, there
is a strict rule that the people in the community can't marry. In July,
everybody prepares to go the temple to practice Buddhist teachings
during Buddhist Lent. The older people go to the temple to practice
Buddhist teachings, listen to sermons, observe religious precepts and
pray. They practice the dharma until the end of Buddhist lent in
October. At the end of October the city gate and the shrine in the
center of the city are opened. This is at the waxing of the moon on
around the 3rd of December by the Buddhist Calendar.
A ceremony is performed at the city gate to bring good to the
community. The Dara-Ang believe that if the community, family and
people in the village have been peaceful they will be rewarded. But if
there is disobedience, the people will be punished. For example if a
woman falls pregnant during the time that the city gate is closed, the
penalty is that she will be driven out of the community by gossip. This
is why the Dara-Ang people usually keep strictly to these beliefs
during the three and a half months when the city gate is closed
In November and December communities with Buddha relics or
pagodas perform a Poy ceremony, praying and then resting as they are
exhausted after the harvest season http://daraang.hilltribe.org
The first group of Dara-Ang who came to live in Thailand
settled at Baan Nor-Lae, Thambon MonPin, Fang District, Chiang Mai
around 1984. The group consisted of around 2,000 people. They
immigrated from Baan Doilai, MuangNai, and ChiangTung in Burma because
of the war between Wa, Shan and Burma, when Wa and Shan soldiers were
in the Dara-Ang area. Wa and Shan soldiers forced the villagers to
give them food and other goods which made the Burmese soldiers distrust
the Dara-Ang and consider them as loyal to the enemy. They then
rejected the Dara-Ang people and forced them to leave. The Dara-Ang
were flogged and forced to work for the army carrying weapons. This
caused the Dar-Ang to flee to the border between Thailand and Burma,
close to Baan Norlae which is now a village called HuayNamrin. They
lived in this village for one year before fleeing across the border
into Thailand at Baan Norlae. In 1985, the Dara-Ang tribe separated and
built villages in other place such as Baan Maejorn, ChiangDao
district, ChiangMai, Baan HuayHmaak Leam, Fang district, ChiangMai,
Baan HuayWai, Baan HuaySaikaw, Mae-Eye district, Chiang Mai
Wa and Shan soldiers
forced the villagers to give them food and other goods which made the
Burmese soldiers distrust the Dara-Ang and consider them as loyal to
the enemy. They then rejected the Dara-Ang people and forced them to
leave. The Dara-Ang were flogged and forced to work for the army
carrying weapons. This caused the Dar-Ang to flee to the border between
Thailand and Burma, close to Baan Norlae which is now a village called
HuayNamrin. They lived in this village for one year before fleeing
across the border into Thailand at Baan Norlae. In 1985, the Dara-Ang
tribe separated and built villages in other place such as Baan Maejorn,
ChiangDao district, ChiangMai, Baan HuayHmaak Leam, Fang district,
ChiangMai, Baan HuayWai, Baan HuaySaikaw, Mae-Eye district, Chiang Mai
When the villagers came to
Thailand they did not have occupations because they had only just
arrived. They moved to find work, then settled in these places and
formed villages. Now the Dara-Ang people have identity cards like the
majority of Thai people. However there are still people without
citizenship. This often happens because population surveys were done
while people are working outside their communities. This causes many
problems for them http://daraang.hilltribe.org
Following
the custom of the Dara-Ang tribe, a potential suitor who wants to
approach a young woman must wait until the work is finished. When he has
entered into the woman’s house he cannot go out again until the pair
have finished courting. This shows respect to the woman’s parents as he
is not disturbing them by entering many separate times. The man plays a
musical instrument to signal to the woman that he is coming. When
inside a woman’s house, the woman and the man sit opposite each other
and use eloquent and proverbial language to communicate. The rules of
courting according to
Dara-Ang customs are as follows:
1) When the man enters the woman’s house he must stay in the house for an extended time.
2) The man and woman cannot touch each other.
3) The couple cannot court outside the house.
If a young man disobeys these rules, for example
by touching a young woman, the parents of the young woman will call an
elder from the community to decide on the consequences. They agree on
the amount of damage and an appropriate fine which is usually paid in
money. However it sometimes occurs that Dara-Ang teenagers run away to
be together because they cannot endure the strict customs of their
community.
The
traditional dress of the Dara-Ang tribe is remarkable, just like other
tribes who live in the mountains as it emphasizes color and design. The
dress of this group emphasizes three colors which correspond to the
three sub-groups. These are red or “Hreng” in Dara-Ang language, white
or “Lui” and black or “Wong”
Usually men's clothing is
fairly simple. They wear a long sleeved shirt and pants and show
decorations on their head. The colors of the shirts are varied. Men's
dress becomes more elaborate as they get oder, beginning at “Gro-Ra”
when they are between 9 and 15 years old. If a man remains unmarried he
must show this by keeping his hair long and tying it on the side. When a
man marries he cuts his hair and leaves it untied. However it is now
scarce for men to wear the costume of the Dara-Ang tribe. In some
communities traditional dress has almost disappeared. This may be
because the men depend on the women to make their clothes, and it is
difficult to get the materials and a lot of work to produce the
garments. Therefore traditional dress may disappear in the future.
The Dara-Ang people hold firm to the
principle that respect must be shown to elders. Those seen as inferior
must obey, follow and show respect to their elders. In Dara-Ang culture,
young people are taught to show respect to their elders and follow
traditional ceremonies and way of life. The Dara-Ang mix Buddhist
teachings with their own traditions. These philosophies are used to
create the rules that the community must live by.
According to the power structure of
Dara-Ang communities, changes must pass a group of community
representatives or elders whose position is accepted in the society.
This is called “Kun” in Dara-Ang language, meaning committee. These
people have an influential position in administration and manage the
community. The committee is made up of:
1) Ja-Kung, the community leader.
2) Ja-Rae, the secretary
3) Da-Ra, managing public relations
When a situation
arises and it is necessary to reach an agreement, the committee sets the
regulations for the community. “Rae” acts as the announcer for the
committee and they meet at “Ja-Kung”, the community leader's house.
There they brainstorm and exchange information. The Dara-Ang tribe aims
for a balance of power in the community. Although “Ja-King”, the
community leader, holds power, the committee and community elders share
this power and can oppose decisions. This means that many points of view
are heard.
There are other skilled and
important members of the community apart from the committee. These
include the village blacksmith or “Dara-Rae” and fortune-tellers or
“Sa-Ra”. These people look after the community and treat sickness. They
are as follows:
1) “Sa-Ra-Snueb” - The person who has knowledge about herbs and treats muscle ailments.
2) A man who uses prayer and white magic to heal.
3) Ya-Bu-Mi - the midwife who delivers babies.
4) Da-Boo – The person with the knowledge to arrange ceremonies at the city shrine.
5) Da-Ya – The person who cares for the temple.