Skip to content

Dharma Documentaries

Dharma. Culture. Ecology.

Menu
  • Dharma
  • Culture
  • Ecology
  • Archives
  • About
Menu

Laos, the Village above the Clouds

Posted on July 12, 2019July 12, 2019 by Dharma Documentaries
The traditional life of a tribal Akha family living in isolation in Laos.

Laos, the Village above the Clouds

This is a film from the German DW documentaries from 2019 looking at a remote Akha tribal village in Laos, and its quandary being in-between tradition and modernity.

The film looks at one of the elders of the remote village and his large extended family, who are living according to very rigorous traditions in isolated conditions: no roads, no electricity, no media, it appears.

On the other hand his youngest son, whom they are relying on for the future of the family, has been getting an education in the nearest town, and after separation from the family no longer intends to live there.

Not that he has given up on the family, indeed he hopes he can support them like a good son should, but for him, exposure to town life has already broken his adherence to tradition.

The film looks at the hard life of the villagers, examines their traditions and beliefs, and the conflicts that arise when modernity starts encroaching on their traditional life: some – including the village chief – want to move the village closer to utilities like roads, and others want it to remain isolated.

Note: the documentary includes film of animal sacrifice, and reports on a particularly distressing tradition of the infanticide of twins, the birth of which is regarded as inauspicious.

 

if this video is no longer available please leave a comment so I can update the page
(the comment is not published)

 

to see an album of stills click here

 

TAGS:
Culture, Laos, Rituals, Tribals

1 thought on “Laos, the Village above the Clouds”

  1. Rajni says:
    January 4, 2021 at 1:06 am

    Where is Laos , tell correct location

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Comments do not appear straight away, but are moderated before publication

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Search

Subscriptions

Follow our Facebook Page Follow our Tweets Subscribe to our Feed

Subscribe by Email

Email


Shortlink and QR

https://dharma-documentaries.net/b/41W

Donations

This site has taken more than a dozen years and 1000s of hours to build, and has 800+ documentaries on it. If you would like to help, you can do so here. Even small amounts make a difference.

or Bank Transfer to:
Mr. Ng Choon Aun, Public Bank Berhad (Malaysia), Acc. No. 6352323912, Swift: PBBEMYKL

Copyright

If anyone has any copyright claims please contact me at dharmadocus@gmail.com and the posts and films will be immediately removed.

Top Ten Tags

Theravada
Mahayana
Vajrayana

India
Silk Road
China
Tibet

Arts
Lectures
Rights

Popular Posts

  • The Freedom of being a Buddhist Nun
  • Bright and Shining Mind in a Disabled Body
  • The Leshan Giant Buddha Statue
  • The Silk Road Series 7/16: Khotan-Oasis of Silk and Jade
  • David Eckel: Buddhism 3-4 of 24
  • The Tibetan Oracles
  • The Mountain Yogi, Lama Govinda
  • Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar: The Untold Truth
  • Indian Roots of Tibetan Buddhism
  • Avalokiteshvara (Chinese Movie)

Recent Posts

  • Passage to Buddha (Hwaomkyung)
  • In the Footsteps of Wonhyo
  • The Children of the Buddha
  • The Heirs of Genghis Khan
  • Morin Khuur, the Mongolian Horse-Head Fiddle
  • Taiga, the Last Nomads of Mongolia
  • The Wizards of Myanmar
  • Buddha’s Lost Children
  • Zen Buddhism – In Search of Self
  • Why Has Bodhidharma Left for the East?

Random Posts

  • In the Shadows of Angkor
  • The Kingdom of Nature (in Cambodia)
  • The Indus Valley (The Masters of the River)
  • David Eckel: Buddhism 1-2 of 24
  • Bhutan, Change Comes to the Happy Kingdom
  • The King and the Buddhist Pagoda at Leifeng
  • H.O.P.E. What You Eat Matters
  • Siem Reap, Cambodia (Expoza)
  • The Biography of Sakyamuni Buddha
  • Path to Enlightenment, 2/4

Related Posts

  • Laos (Expoza)
  • The Mekong River in Laos
  • Akha People of Northern Laos
  • Caring for the Beyond, Two Lao Buddhist Festivals for the Deceased
  • The Children of the Buddha
  • The Wizards of Myanmar
  • The Making of a Novice Monk (Wat Ban Khun)
  • A Different Pilgrimage 1, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam
  • The Last Honey Hunter
  • I Kwan the Mnong Child
© 2023 Dharma Documentaries | Powered by Minimalist Blog WordPress Theme