Kuala Lampur, April 5 -- During my recent visit to Chiang Mai, I spent time in three communities, namely Lisu, Lahu and Kayin, each shaped by different languages, rituals, and rhythms of everyday life.

Yet beneath these differences lies a shared experience, where these communities navigate questions of citizenship, identity and cultural continuity at the margins of the Thai state, where culture becomes a way of remaining visible.

The Lisu: Ceremony, memory and the continuity of community

The Lisu village felt alive in a quiet, grounded way. The open space in the centre as featured in Photo 1 shows a flattened circle of earth, and this was not simply empty land.

It was a ceremonial space. I was told that this is where rituals are perfo...