Mlabri in the Woods

Overview

The Mlabri is one of the smallest ethnic minorities on the planet who have lived in the mountainous forests of northern Thailand and western Laos. Since being "rediscovered" on the Thai side in the early 1980s, they have gradually come to live a settled life in a few villages in Nan and Phrae provinces in Thailand. However, even though they have been integrated into modern society, they do not have a means of livelihood. They receive public assistance, make knitting crafts, or are hired by the neighboring Hmong as day laborers to help with the cultivation. Ito Yuma, a young Japanese linguist has been collecting and studying the Mlabri language, which is ind danger of disappear.