The Lawa live by hill rice and spirit cults, with no temples: ancestor and hill spirits, village shrines and the priests who keep them.
The later Chiang Mai honours the spirits of the Lawa hills about Doi Suthep; that tradition is later than 1200 and is mentioned only so that the Lawa are not written out of the religion of the plain. Nothing dated names a Lawa priest or shrine in 1200.
Who holds it
- Title
- Village spirit-priests of the Lawa
- Since
- not known
- Born
- not known
- Family
- None named; the chronicle Lawa chief Khun Luang Wilangka is legend.
- Confidence
- low
English Wikipedia (Lawa people, Camadevi).
What it holds
- Village shrines and the sacred hills (not located)
How it was acquired
Native.
Allies and rivals
The Mon monasteries of the Ping plain, with which the Lawa trade.
How things stand that morning
Active, we may assume; no document.
Threats
- None dated
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Ethnographic knowledge and late chronicles.
On the map: No ground; see the Lawa province.
Sources and studies
- Wikipedia, Lawa people
- Wikipedia, Camadevi (legend of the Lavo queen; Baker and Pasuk on the archaeology)
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.