The Akha language falls within the Yi (Lolo) branch of the Tibeto-Burman family. The Akha originated from Yunnan where the great majority still live (they are called Hani overthere). About 180000 Akha live in Shan state today.
The Akha have no written history, but are able to recite the names of their male ancestral line back to the "beginning". They also remember their migration routes. Akha from China, Burma and Thailand basically in the repetition of genealogy and former dwelling places: amazing for people without a written language.
The basic costume of an Akha woman consists of a headdress (Akha are really famous for their elaborate headdresses), a jacket worn over a halter-like garment, a short skirt, a sash with decorated ends and leggings. Cloth is indigo dyed. Adolescent girls gradually change from the type of clothing worn by children to that worn by adult women. This is done in four stages, with ceremonies: the first stage is to wear a halter, the second stage is to add Job's tear seeds, red and white beads and silver to her cap, the third stage is to wear a sash and fourth stage to change to adult headdress.
There are several styles of Akha clothes. The villages we visited had mostly "Loimi" Akha. The Loimi-Akha headdress is characterized by a flat trapezoidal silver piece at the back.
Akha villages are very easily recognized by their entrance gate. According to Akha myth, human beings and spirits originally lived together in an idyllic relationship. Trouble broke out however when spirits began to steal chicken eggs from the people and people began to steal cucumbers from the spirits. It was finally decided to separate them: humans in the villages and spirits in the jungle. Village gates should be erected as a clear demarcation. If not planning to enter at least in one house, visitors should not go thru the gate.
Akha often refer to themselves as "those who follow The Akha Way". They have no word for religion, but "The Akha Way" covers it, and actually much more since it determines how to cultivate fields, hunt animals, treat sickness, relate to strangers etc… The Akha who become Christian and thus discontinue following the Akha way are expected to leave the village and settle somewhere else. That was the case in Hokyin, where we saw 4 villages: all had the same name and originated from a common village, all had a different religion (Akha Way, Catholics, Baptists and Buddhists)
Young people are in principle free to choose the one they will marry, though parents have to give their approval. Young men usually marry girls from other Akha villages, so during Akha New Year and rice planting, young men travel around in groups looking for wives. A girl must be at least 13 to get married, but a proverb says that she should be 17. Thus most Akha women marry at 17 (with a range of 13 to 24) and boys marry one year older. The wedding ceremony takes place in the grooms village. Before entering the grooms house, the bride changes to a white skirt which she will wear during the whole ceremony. Her headdress is removed and a lock of her hair is cut. She will then wear a rain hat. The groom and bride then sit and are ceremoniously fed a boiled egg and chicken. The feast then lasts for two days (this includes throwing mud at the new couple). A small house is then built for the new couple next to the groom's parents house.
Divorce is usually related to the woman's adultery, sterility or to her giving birth to girls only. In all of those cases the former husband will retain the children. Same thing if the woman runs away. Only in exceptional cases can the woman keep a daughter or two. Fines must be paid by the husband if he divorces for other reasons than those previously mentioned.
Pregnancy is seen as a sign of "good luck". Women are encouraged to continue working till the time for delivery arrives, so babies are sometimes born in the fields. New born babies must cry three times before being picked up. The baby first receives a temporary name. The real naming ceremony will take place later, when it's sure that the baby is healthy and will survive. Certain infants used to be viewed as "human rejects". These included twins or children with an extra finger or a child with some body part missing or deformed. Such a birth was seen to disturb the proper order of the cosmos and was a tragedy for the Akha village as a whole and especially for the household in which it occurred. The "human rejects" were quickly suffocated and buried in a remote spot in the forest. Elaborate purification ceremonies were held for the couple and the whole village.

 

For more details on the Akha, turn to "People of the Golden Triangle" by Paul and Elaine Lewis, Thames and Hudson, ISBN 0-500-97472-1