?Army and forestry officials who came to destroy our poppy crops would not talk about anything other than the laws that prohibited the use of our source of income and natural livelihood, the forest.?
?Lahu Na (Sheleh) highland farmer, Thailand
There is an increasing academic interest in Southeast Asian ethnic minority peoples? life systems, natural and social resource use, and cultural integration into the respective lowland societies. That integration, in many locations, brings rapid changes in value systems, as apparent in cultural and ethnic transformation among ethnic minority highland settlers. It turns out that in mainland Southeast Asia, and elsewhere as well, ethnic identity is a an imperative variable in social inter-relationships, which is why we need to observe native peoples? communication patterns, ethnic identification, cultural expressions and social aspirations. What follows is a point of departure to understanding ethnic collectivism with a wholistic approach. This paper deals with views on highlanders? changing concepts, which came about through experience among Lahu Na (Sheleh) highland farmers in Northern Thailand.
