Examine the impact of cultural diffusion on one indigenous and remote society through the influence of international interactions.

Hill tribes – Northern Thailand

Examine the impact of cultural diffusion on one indigenous and remote society through the influence of international interactions Akah Hill Tribes. Northern Thailand Location of Akah Hill Tribe, Northern Thailand Ideas Reduction in friction of distance, tourism, trade, aid, migration, market access, agro industrialisation

Spontaneous migration Moved freely through borders Now restricted Make up 12% of population of Northern Thailand

Akha People Northern Thailand Primarily agricultural economy – shifting cultivation Language – Akha Population of around in total distributed in Thailand, Burma, Laos and China One of the largest hill tribes in Northern Thailand

Decreasing frictional effect of distance: Growth of tourism in Northern Thailand due to…… Links to Butler model

The good Increased access to goods e.g. transport (cars, motorbikes) Access to markets for agricultural goods Shift towards cash crops e.g. soya beans, mangoes. Maintenance of cultural traits for the benefit of tourists (dress, goods) Potential to improve rates of literacy at local schools. Increasing recognition of the issues facing indigenous groups through increase socio cultural interactions.

The bad Few Akha people in Thailand are recognised as citizens Enforcement of political boarders in past 100 years Therefore a lack of political infrastructure to support indigenous populations Therefore have no rights to state education, employment, visas. Not eligible for ID cards in Thailand OR Burma

The government of Thailand has restricted shifting cultivation leading to more sedentary life styles Ecological decline threatens the Akha’s way of life. A shift towards opium farming for some.