Ngu-ga and Lumyai

It’s not fruit season yet, but we can’t help but be excited for Uncle Ngu-ga. Many of you have already heard of Ngu-ga from our newsletters. He makes many of the beautiful wish pendants and spirit locks that we carry. Uncle Ngu-ga has been busy. He bought a lumyai orchard a few years back he has been busy cultivating the trees, he had to stop when he was hit with malaria, (don’t worry, he made a full recovery), but he is now back and his trees look like they will yield an abundance of fruit.

This wish pendant is of a mature lumyai tree, standing before the setting sun as it drifts back behind the hills of our village. The inscription next to it is in Karen and reads “Tablu” or “Thank you”. It was made by a neighbor to help bring good thoughts towards all the villagers who also depend on the lumyai.

Lumyai is the Thai word for Longan. (pictured below.) It’s a sweet clear fruit with a light brown skin (that is peeled off before you eat it) and a shiny seed. The Chinese call it a dragon’s eye because it resembles an eyeball. The villagers grow up around large lumyai trees, with branches that are low to the ground.

These lumyai are from a mature tree, in an orchard owned by Pohsow (who makes round and tube spacer beads.) She has had her orchard for over ten years.