It’s 3 AM in a small shack. There is the sound of a woman crying in pain.
Oiy…Oiy…Oiy…

Crying of a woman about to give birth

Api Na: Ameu… Is the hot water ready yet? Your wife is about to give birth!

Ameu: It’s all ready, Mom! Hey… Mom? Can I come inside too?

Api Na: Hey, hey! How can you come in?! Men are forbidden to come inside! Hurry and get the hot water you prepared and bring it to me quickly… Calm down, calm down… you’re about to see the face of your little child!

Amae: I think Ameu must be so excited and so happy! Look at him, one moment sitting, the next standing, walking back and forth, just getting in the way.

Api Na: Yes. Go sit with Amae your younger brother over there. Don’t come and stand in the way over here. In a minute I’m going to arrange this area myself.

A moment later, there is a woman’s cry, louder than before, at the same time as the soft cry of a baby.
Uwae… Uwae…Uwae!
Baby crying

Api Na: Hey… A little girl! How cute, so cute!

Api: In Akha language, it is a word used to refer to an old woman. In Thai, it can be compared with “aged woman” or grandmother. In Akha, you can likewise use this word. (Author)

Ameu: I have a daughter?!?! Hurrah!! Amae, I have a daughter!! I am a father!

Amae: Oh, Ameu, you are always so lucky. Don’t look so happy and excited! Now hurry, you can go help Mom hold your daughter!

But before Ameu stands up, there is another sound of a baby crying coming from inside, along with the sound of shock from Api Na…

U-hae…U-hae…U-hae!

Baby crying

Api Na: What on earth! Ameu, hurry and come help me quickly! Your w…w…wife had twins!! What are we going to do?!?! Here… they will die… die.

Ameu: (Amazed… unable to speak… shocked, thinking to himself) “I have to hurry and go inside to help mom hold the baby while she is cutting the placenta of the other one…”

……about 5 – 10 minutes later……

Amae: Mom… what should we do? …… If twins are born in our Akha tribe, we have to kill them2… right, Mom?

Api Na: That’s right. (unevenly) Our tribe has a tradition that is commonly observed, but it comes from the time of our ancestors… If someone has twins, we have to kill the pair. Furthermore, the mother and father have to go build a hut and live in the woods over there… What a pity! … Fate… Why did this misfortune have to happen to us like this?!?! True fate…

Customary rule of killing twins2: In the past, Akha people believed that if a woman had twins, or had an infant who didn’t have all its body parts, they had to kill that child by stuffing ashes or husks in the child’s mouth until it died. But around the year 1983, this customary rule was rescinded due to one organization, called the Association for Akha Education and Culture of Chiang Rai.

This organization both sponsored and pushed for the abolition of the abovementioned belief, or customary rule, and succeeded. (Author)

Ameu: No! No… No, Mom… I absolutely won’t allow anyone to kill my daughters!

Amae: If you do what was said… Where would we live together? Die together? If the old people in the village find out about this story… what are we going to do, Mom?

Api Na: I’ve seen an incident like this before, but a long time ago. Even thinking about it is startling, so scary… What are we going to do?!

Ameu: Amae… Mom… Listen to me carefully. What just happened, the events tonight, there are only the 4 of us who know and saw. So, Amae… can you help me a little?

Amae: Oh, gosh! How can I help? Tell me quickly… before someone else hears… In a moment, we’re all going to be in trouble!

Ameu: Tonight you’re going to have to take one of my daughters and go as far away as possible, go wherever, somewhere where no one knows you.

Amae: I’m really confused… you want me to take my little niece like this and go live where? … I really can’t think of anywhere!

Ameu: If that’s so…then do this… take my daughter and go live in the city, can you do that?

Amae: Well, it looks like that’s the only way to help your daughters survive and escape dying.

Api Na: Oh!… Well, if that’s what you want… So, we’ve come to this already; I also beg to go against our tradition just this once, let’s. If we go to hell as a result, let it be. If it allows my granddaughters to survive, I agree with Ameu’s idea. Go, Amae! Go get yourself ready! In a minute, I’ll arrange everything for you.

Dealing with this so unexpectedly, we have very little time. I don’t know if the spirit of your father who has died will approve of these actions or not… Hey… But I truly don’t have a choice.

Ameu’s wife: (Speaking while weeping) Alas! My children were truly born at a time of retribution. My child! Gosh… Look! I gave birth to you, I saw your face for just a second, and you will leave me and be lost to me already…

Api Na: Don’t be sad, no one wants to see this kind of thing happen. But, consider it carefully… this is the only way to let your children survive.

Amae: Mom… I’m ready… Are you guys ready?

Ameu: Hurry and take your granddaughter to Amae, let’s go, Mom! It’s almost light outside already. In a moment there will be people coming up to see and we will all be doomed!

Amae: Everyone need not worry. I am going to take as good care of her as I can. If I go live in the city, I’ll look for work and I should be able to take care of her.

Ameu: Amae… Here is some money, use it if you need it.

Amae: Goodbye.

: Author By Gangqsar :

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