The Lawua or Lawa is an indigenous people that lived in the mountains of Chiangmai and Mae Hong Son prior to the arrival of the Thai in the 12th-13th centuries. However, little is known about the history and archaeology of the Lawua, because historical records of the northern kingdom Lanna (northern kingdom), home of the Lawua, were predominantly written by Thai or Khon-muang, and likely have a biased and disconnected perspectives. This type of history is a legacy of the Siamese elites, who penned the history for annexing Lanna. Archaeological evidence of the Lawua culture can be seen in the veneration of Doi Suthep and Doi Kham as sacred mountains. The Lawua regard for mountains as sacred is also evidenced in the presence of circular burial sites on the summits of mountains, and by the story of legendary King Khun Luang Wilangkha. The spirit mountain has also become symbolically transformed to phi sirma, a bamboo basket decorated with sacred flora, worshipped in the house by Lawua descendants. However, in general, there has been somewhat of a lack of integration of indigenous belief and folklore in the interpretation of archaeological evidence in northern Thailand. This presentation aims to: 1) explore indigenous belief and history in order to make connections with archaeological data in the Lawua region of northern Thailand; and 2) to argue the significance of Lawuan and indigenous people’s knowledge in making appropriately informed interpretations of the archaeological record.