Southeast Asia's cultures - Essay Example

Akha: Akhas are mainly found in Northern Burma, North Western Laos and Northern Thailand. They are believed to have originated in Tibet and Southern China. Their headdress is the distinguishing symbol for their tribe. They rear livestock. Hmong: With male dominated families and with distinguished styles and colors of clothing, this community is found scattered around China, Laos, Vietnam and Thailand. They wander and practice shifting cultivation. Rice, corn, and vegetables are cultivated.

The Shaman and the priest are very important. Lisu: They come from Southern China. Their culture is closely related to that of China. They too believe in the spirits and celebrate New Year making offering to ancestor spirits and guardian spirits. Lahu: They are spread around Laos, Burma and Thailand. They have migrated from Tibet. They practice hunting and even the name means hunter. Their men disappear into the woods for days together to hunt. They are a common family taking into consideration all the villages together.

If any person is not particularly pleased with the rules of one village he just moves to another. Yao: The Yao celebrate the New Year along with the Chinese. Their language is also Chinese. They speak the Mandarin language, and some are found in the Guanxi, Yunnan and Guangdong provinces of China. In the Southeast Asia, they are found in Laos, Vietnam, Burma and Thailand. Their women are skilled at needle work. The men are silversmiths. The main religions of the countries of Southeast Asia are Buddhism, Islam and Roman Catholic Christians.

There are also other religions like Animism, Protestant Christianity and Taoism. Some sections of the countries are non-religious also. In countries of Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam Buddhism and its other forms like Theravada Buddhism and Mahayana Buddhism forms the majority. The different Muslim sects like the