While at the homestay in the Tebuya Akha village, I had a chance to talk with one of the Mirror staff members, who happens to be Akha. We talked about the traditional clothes they wear as well as their marriage "ceremony" and how they get divorced. Both processes are incredibly efficient, inexpensive and remarkably hassle-free.
First, Akha girls get married at a very young age. For example, P'akong married his wife when she was 15 years old and he was 27 years old. Second, they marry outside of their villages oftentimes. Third, their engagement period is relatively non-existent. Most people only date for a month or so before they get married. Then, when they finally decide to take the matrimonial leap, the man and woman (or in this case, the girl) get a boiled egg and a bottle of whisky, go somewhere private, eat the egg and drink the whisky, and...OUILA! They are married!
Of course, this only applies to couples who do not plan on staying in the woman's village. If they do plan on living in the woman's village, then they have to share a bottle of whisky with the parents/family.
Divorce is almost equally as easy. The couple must meet with the village elders. The husband airs out all the reasons why he can no longer be married to his wife and then his wife does the same. Based on what they say, the village elders tell them "yea" or "nay." If "yea," the couples kills a chicken, eats a piece of eat drinks some whisky, gives some whisky to the elders and then go their separate ways. How great is that!
If the elders refuse, the couple still must give the village elders a bottle of whisky for their time and consideration. But from what I'm told, that is rare. What isn't rare is for people to get married multiple times.
