Canaries of the World - the Akha

This came to me by way of a co-worker. Although it is slightly out of the realm of the intended focus of this blog (Life in the Reign of Bush II), it speaks first hand (or at least, immediately second hand) of some of the global issues facing us as citizens of the world as well as citizens of America.

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Canaries of the World - the Akha
July 17, 2004 ... Karen Gaia Pitts

They call me Ah-Piew. It could mean 'Hey you' or something less complimentary, but judging from the hugs and tears at the bus station as I see the grandparents off - back to their village to tend to their rice - it must mean something much nicer.

I call them - the Akha hilltribe people and the other tribal and indigenous people - 'the canaries of the world', refering to the old expression, 'canaries in a coal mine'. It is the Akha, along with many other tribal and indigineous peoples, that have a sustainable way of life. The Akha have terraced farms and have been in one location for up to 80 years. It is their simpler life that is sustainable on this planet. Ours, with our modern agriculture (i.e. oil-based fertilizer), and our extensive transportation infrastructure, was built up on a fossil fuel economy. Instead of using our wealth wisely, saving most of it for future generations, we have foolishly spent it until now we are having to wage wars resulting in the deaths of millions of people, to protect what we have become used to - the 'American Way of Life'.

And now it is the Akha and other tribals and indigineous who have become oppressed by those with the wealth and power - their traditional lands and their very culture are being threatened. They are threatened by rich Thais who want their land and their hot springs for mountain retreats; by the government who wants their land to plant pine plantations, to replace the vast teak forests that have all but disappeared from Thailand; and by the border skirmishes between Myanmar (Burma) and Thailand. In other parts of the world, tribal people are pushed off their land when dams are built, or when oil or gold is discovered on their land. The Akha, when moved to other lands, usually inferior lands, cannot feed their families. The women, with their husbands in jail, often have to resort to prostitution just to feed their families.

They are also caught up in the so-called 'war on drugs'. They are near the 'Golden Triangle', where Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand meet, and where gold and drugs have been traded since the British introduced opium to the area in the 1800s. Opium is now a traditional palative for the ailments of old age. Opium users have a place and function in Akha society, but not in Thai society. A large number of Akha men are now in prison for various drug offenses, many without a proper trial, many undergoing beatings or shock treatments as a way of 'rehabilitation'. Last year over 2,000 Akha were killed outright by the Thai police, without a trial.

And then they are also victims of well-meaning (and some not-so-well-meaning) missionaries, who put the Akha children in Christian boarding schools and tell them their language and their culture and their parents are no good. Much like what was done to Native American children during the last centrury.

So now Matthew McDaniel, the champion of the Akha people in the Chiang Rai (Thailand) area has been deported. He had no chance to get his Akha wife, 7 months pregnant, and 3 children, out of the country. That is why I am here, because I believe in what Matthew is doing. I am pushing the paperwork needed to get Ah Chooh (MeeChooh), the mother, and Ah Soh (4), Mee Daw (3), and Ah Tsah (2) on a plane to the U.S. - hopefully a month before the baby comes. There is a serious concern that if the baby is born in a Thai hospital, the mother will be sterilized against her wishes.

The family is delightful, and I am finding it very enjoyable working with them. But it is a strain on Ah Chooh, being run around, getting passports, signatures on this and that. We have been running around working on the details for 10 days now.

And where is the U.S. Consulate or Embassy on this matter? Why aren't they helping? Why aren't the mother and children in the U.S. already? Matthew was deported April 15. Why does it have to be up to an American woman who doesn't know Thai and doesn't know Akha - who knew almost nothing about Thai or American legal procedure - to get this done? And will I get it done in time? And why was it so easy for the American man I met on a songchow (a small pickup truck that serves as a bus) to get his Thai wife into the U.S., yet so hard for Matthew to get his pregnant wife and children there?

Matthew McDaniel is not allowed to come to Thailand to help his family. But he can help the Akha. He is now on his way to Geneva to attend a UN conference on Indiginous People. For more details, see www.akha.org

P.S. We did the ultrasound today and the due date is September 1.

Karen Gaia Pitts