All of Thailand's Lahu Svi and Lahu Na live on elevations
above 4000 feet in elevation, choosing flat ridge tops just below
the summits of the higher ranges. The water source is generally a
long way from the village and must be carried by the women and
children in bamboo joints and gourds, sometimes from as far as two
miles. The houses, built of bamboo on wood piles, and roofed with
thatch grass, are clustered together around the larger house of the
headman or the paw khu. The size of the houses varies according to
the number of inhabitants, but usually not in larger dimensions than
25 by 20 meters. The hearth is always built in the middle of the
house, with racks hung above it on which seeds and various commodities
are stored and dried. A single knotched log generally
serves as the step, which approaches first an open porch on which
water is stored for use in the house. Livestock is tethered at night
under the houses and many fierce dogs guard each house. Some of
the Lahu villages have a separate dance house, which is reinforced
with three or four layers of bamboo slats in order to withstand the
vigorous pounding and stamping of the dancers.