In the past, the Akha settled down and set up their communities only in the upper part of Mae Kok River. At present, they are also found in some other provinces such as Chiang Rai. Chiang Mai. Tak, Lampang and Phrae.
When fully dressed up, an Akha woman looks breathtakingly beautiful from head to toe. To begin with the upper garment, an eye- catching embroidered hat decorated with silver coins and silver accessories is worn. A short blouse of which the back part is a colorful patchwork is put on top of a short skirt. Her waist is tied with a band, which is decorated beautifully at both ends. Down to the lower part of the body,
there are leg pads patched together from small pieces of clothes similar to the back part of the blouse.
An Akha man wears a long-sleeved, round neck and open-drone shirt, of which the patterns and decorations vary. Overall, the designs and colors of Akha men's upper garment are not very much dissimilar to women's blouses. As for the lower part, a pair of plain Chinese-style trousers with loose legs is worn. On some occasions, a black headdress made of a piece of cloth tied and wrapped together so tightly that it can be put on and taken off just like a hat.
In most cases, the ornaments are stitched onto the clothes. Silver necklaces and bangles are worn in addition to the headdress decorated with silver accessories.
