From The Science Nomad's Backpack
Good life : Good design - Lessons from the Lahu
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Two Lahu women elders warm themselves while the community meets at the dancing circle |
I Stayed at a fantastic off grid - eco-lodge, and with their help organised a short trek out into the hills, see the real country, to sleep out, and visit some of the remote hill tribes.
Of course I expected some great experiences, in the jungle, the trekking, the food, the skill of my guide, and the warmth of the villagers. I was not disappointed, but these are stories for another time and place. Yet the more profound insights that I was left with were diverse examples of what might - in a formal western context - be called great design.
I will share 3 examples, that span the traditional, the individual, and the cultural/community level.
My cup spillith over - NOT.
Those of us which have the chance to spend time in Asia, know - on some superficial level, the significance and prevalence of bamboo, as food, as construction material and emblem. Its use as scaffolding, its migration into renewable bicycle frames, its status as a biological composite material testifies to its values and properties. But have YOU ever tried to cut down even a small piece of bamboo with a machete? My guide - of course - makes this look so easy - a few well placed swings and the material for our shelter is ready. I'm reasonably handy with and axe, and so was keen to give it a try. A few minutes later I was surrounded by piles of splintered bamboo. ( this wasn't wasted , i carved them into chop sticks - but that wasn't my goal, and we didn't need THAT MANY ). My guide, with a kind and patient expression came over and with sign language ( my Lahu is even poorer than my Thai , and I have no Thai) .. he indicated a certain angle to cut at.. It felt like a completely different material. My work wasn't tidy, but at least I wasn't standing in a pile of ever increasing matchsticks. Even his sharp machete would not cut perpendicularly through this composite material. Its tensile strength is just to great, hit hard enough it will split length ways, but not yield. In the time it took me to gain some vague competence in just felling a piece of bamboo, my guide had cut and cleaned and prepared a complete dinner setting for 5 of us ( minus the chop sticks.. they were my contribution). Long bowls from large bamboo, with the dividing septum left to seal the ends, and the cups. such clever cups. we were camping on a river bank, and the soil was loose, a little sandy. While we boiled water in a bamboo pipe, sitting next to the fire, my guide produced the following master works in outdoor living design.
A wonderful light biodegradable, sustainably grown cup, with a spike . not added, but left during the making, The coffee that we made with some effort would not spill, with these cups spiked into the ground - through the banana leaf floor. I had to check and see if this idea was available in the west - and yes as beach cup-spike stands - but my guide doesn't spend much time on ebay - this is local grown design thinking - Materials -Need - Skill -- done.
On Your Bike
The Lahu Village has many features similar to several Asian traditional settlements. raised houses to catch some breeze, protection under for livestock, and great innovation - bachelor flooring - any food scraps or dirt just fall through - so easy to keep clean.
We stayed in the house of a former guide and hunter, now farmer. For dinner we were joined by nearly ten young lads - 6 to 10 - who found everything we did - worth laughing at - we were trying to be amusing it is fair to note.
They brought us out extra blankets to soften the floor, and after the welcoming party of bays had drifted away one by one - we got to sleep.
villages like this aren't - quiet mountain retreats. AT ALL. Conversations in houses 3 or 4 away can and are joined in with. The animals respect no curfew but their own, but it is a welcoming soundscape, none the less. UNTIL about 3 am, when the dogs started a debate with the chickens under the open bamboo slats of my bed - disturbing the pigs, which went off wailing around the village seeking pity and compensation.
The village lads the next day were out in force, forming a peloton, old push bikes are in high demand in these villages, but spare parts are 1000 km and a budget away. Lack of pedals, or seats, or chains did not seem to make much difference to their enjoyment.
I passed one budding mechanic, furiously smashing at his rear axle, using a rock the size of his hand. I could not fashion a chain from what i had on me, but I did wonder about bamboo fiber belt drive. I settled with taking out my multi tool and tightening the rear axle nut for him, I wouldn't use a pair of pliers on a nut normally, but it was a slightly better option than the rock.
After breakfast we headed off, found the main road, and caught a lift back towards the lodge. On the way back we stopped at a small house near the road, overlooking a fern farm.
The noise from the animals the night before and the lahu's comfort with bike alterations came together.
The house was lived in by a friend of the driver - who thought we'd like to see what he had done.
The farmer living in the house had until about a year ago lived in the village we just left, and had journeyed each day to the farm, to work and care for the crops. he said I hated the village - too noisy. I had to agree. He wanted a bit more peace and quiet, and didn't want to be travelling each day. So he moved into the shack on the farm, and tidied it up.
There was a curious sound of water splashing, coming from next to his house. He had a fish pond at the end of his house, and some water feature was spraying water into the pond. Its good to keep the water in such ponds aerated - keeps them fresh and the fish grow better. but behind the old signboards, we found the source of the noise and spray.
Poetry In Motion
Water is brought down to the farm through a series of PVC pipes. Most of the farms in this area grow a lot of ferns for supply to florists. They are mist sprayed under huge acres of shade cloth. So the farmers know about pipes, and sprays, and bikes. A small part of the water is diverted through the pipes to this aqua bike. The water after pushing the PET bottle impeller blades falls into the fish pond. The overflow from the fish pond is captured and directed to a holding tank that is used to water/fertilize his fruit trees and household veggie garden. The chain is directed up into a small generator, made IP 63 watertight by sticking another PET bottle over it. The power gives him juice to charge batteries for lighting, and music and charging his phone. He says that enough. It seemed for him .. enough .. we shared some Guava before heading off.
The King's Project
The Hectares and Hectares of share cloth covered fields was very notable. from the roads, from the air, and from loosing your grip on the slimy mud and sliding several metres along the hillside greenhouse on your arse. I had originally expected these to house food crops. But almost all - in this area - are devoted to growing decorate ferns for foliage and florists.
The northern parts of Thailand were for many years a productive area within the golden triangle. The Lahu - having migrated from the Chinese-Tibetan plateau several hundred years ago were still seen as being nomadic and unlanded. Their farming practice of slash and burn had been removing forest cover. It was in these clearings, old and new that much of the poppies were grown. The Lahu were closely linked with and dependent upon the growth and trade of opium. They suffered as much from the association as did other groups in the area, from the disruption to their health, culture, family stability and self respect.
With changing international and domestic tolerance of the trade, various efforts were made to stamp out the poppies and the trade. The late and deeply admired King Bhumibol (Rama IX) .was deeply concerned with how to close down the corrosive industry, but also saw his people as being victims in need of assistance, not punishment. What followed might be seen as almost a perfect text book process for community engagement and transformation. King Bhumibol, visited the region several times, getting to understand the people, their needs, the communities and the inter depend activities that excited. These factors had in part worked to lock them into the poppy trade. What grew out from these consultations and careful advice was a King's Project.
As the poppy fields were destroyed, the communities were introduced to a new crop, in some areas, flowers, in more remote areas, ferns and other plants. The same land would continue to be used by the communities as before. A once a year cash crop was replaced with a one that provided ongoing financial stability. New infrastructure - roads, to aid shipment of the crops out to ports, new schools, and regional training and education centres to continue the training of the farmers. These centres serving both as continual education, but also a centre for cross community discussions - issues of water rights are discussed and new crops varieties are trialed.
Its not perfect, and some of the other communities see this as giving them a special favor, but the roads help everyone, as do the schools.
A cup, A bike A fern.
A great journey for me through the hills of Northern Thailand. But the value was to see the power of real Design Thinking bring joy, respect and lives of value to a wonderful community.
All I need now is to learn how to make proper Chili Lahu.. perhaps on my next trip.
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