The dissertation is divided into three parts. The first part is about Lawa society in Nan Province, which is a matriarchal society. The second part compares the Lawa society in Nan with those in the northern region and in Yunnan, showing that the latter societies are patriarchal, and also covers the conflicts leading to historical changes as well as the other experiences of the ethnic group along the Thai-Yunnan border. The third part is about the reconstruction of a Lawa state in the past, where women did not only have power and rights over land and the administration but were also rulers and centers of traditions and beliefs.
The author proposed that the ethnic group had a city state form of government in the early Buddhist Era. The society was both patriarchal and matriarchal. The political expansions of the Lanna Kingdom affected the social system and structure of the group. After 500 years of a Lawa-Tai relationship, Lawa dynasties accepted the power of the Tai Yuan. Men were heirs apparent to the throne and patriarchal power transfer was more entrenched in practice. Nevertheless, the Lawa, who had a matriarchal social system and structure, did not take on the marriage tradition between brothers and sisters of the Yuan court. In contrast, the author noted that the culture of the Lanna people of respecting matriarchal ancestors and matriarchal society and administration was the influence of Lawa culture. In this case, the author believes that a shared Lawa identity still exists without branding “Lawa-ness” and “Tai-ness”. The socio-cultural assimilation is so unique that it is difficult to separate the Lawa identity from that of the Lanna people.