Knowledge is Wealth Not Money

The Law-wer [Lua] community living in the Mae La Noi District of the Maehongsong Province does not measure wealth with money but cotton cultivation and the abundance it provides to the community through the production of cotton fabric woven and dyed with natural pigments.

The community elders hold crucial knowledge of medicinal herbs still used today. For example, in postpartum healing.

Today, modern constraints have led to a gap in traditional knowledge sharing and learning between the elders and the youth. The young are sent to schools where the only time to learn indigenous practices is relegated to school holidays.

The future of the community, therefore, depends on their continued learning which enables self-sufficiency and sustainability of indigenous traditions that are still relevant today.

This video story is a collaboration between AIPP’s environment programme and Norad