A variety of storage vessels like this box, made from woven bamboo and rattan, are used by highland communities in northern Thailand. These communities include ethnic minority groups - the Karen, Akha, Lisu, Lahu, Hmong, and Yao who migrated into northern Thailand from neighbouring regions during the 18th and 19th centuries. The terms 'highlanders', 'hilltribes' or chao khao ('mountain people') as they are referred to in Thai, are no longer very accurate as many also now live in lowland regions.
