Paul Bloomfield

During my conversations with the dancers, I was told that in folklore, Lahu children didn't have enough milk from their mothers, so they suckled milk from a dog, and thus saved them from demise. This is expressed in the form of a series of triangles, which represent the dog's tooth, which form a frieze design on clothing, and accessories , such as bags, headdresses, and straps. Because of this "we never eat dog".The fluffy balls bring good luck and blessings. Necklaces and other decorative items of silver is worn to ward off bad luck.

Silver is also part of a huge mineral mining industry in Yunnan operated by state-owned enterprises (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yunnan_Copper)