In Southeast Asia region, “Lua” is considered as one of the oldest prehistoric ethnic groups who lives in the different areas of the north of Thailand, Xishuangbanna, and Yunnan in South West China. Lua is the ethnic minority that plays the important role in community settlement.

There are many historical pieces of evidence showed that Lua is a group of people living in this territory for a long time since before the 14th century. For example, in legendary folktale (ex. Legend of Suwan Kham Daeng, Legend of Inthakin), these legends related with the stories of Lua, the civilization of Lua people, public service, community building, social organization and division of labor, these represented the beginning of the complex society’s creation.

Photo by Vithi Phanichapan

More interesting things about Lua, the discovery of clay tablets written in cuneiform characters, liked the ancient Sumerians of Mesopotamia’s one. The characters were represented through basic graphics such as triangle, wave, circle and etc. Also, these basic graphic patterns were used in creative decorations in daily life, for example, the clothing patterns that are simple, straightforward and not complicated but full of interesting sides.

Photo from http://allmysteryworld.blogspot.com

Lua, for me, the legend is still alive that makes us study the origin and understand more about our identity.

Even a works of art, various inventions on this planet, the inventors use the natural world as inspiration for design.

 What’s about ethnic life?

Learning the way of ethnic life helps us to discover our past, acknowledge that Humans are part of nature. We’ve learned to live with nature. We’ve learned to take the benefits from natural surroundings without the destruction of nature.

And we’ve learned to live with a mutual dependence.

But too fast technological and social development,

it probably made us forget, abandon and destroy the most beautiful thing on this planet.

It’s time for us to look back and take care of nature, the best friend of us.

Learning through the lives of the various ethnic groups living happily amid natural surroundings, it makes us discover our beautiful past that is a part of nature.