2
What is on the MoonA Lahu"s Belief
The Moon is the nearest star in orbit to the earth when compared to other stars. Human beings were interested in this star for as long as the history of mankind.
The Moon has an eminent feature in that humans can see it clearly with their own eyes.
on a full Moon day, it is larger and brighter at night than any other stars,illuminating the earth. The size and the brightness of the Moon decreases gradually day by day until the darkness moves in to replace the bright light. Then, the Moon re-appears gradually and increases its size and brightness until becoming afull Moon once again. Human beings have taken advantage of this phenomenon, from one full moon to the next which lasts about 30 days for each cycle, tocreate A lunar calendar.
on the full moon day, humans in the world can see it more clearly than any other star. It noticed carefully,we can see some dark shadow on the moon. People in different cultures and different societies have different beliefs about the moon.
In 1994, I was in a remote tribal community on the mountain in Mae Hongson,whic was very naive to civilization and technology. On one full moon day after the class session,the evening. In such an environment,the moon was so ravishing and gleaming. To be in congruent whith the atmosphere, I started teaching them A song about the moon. This song is included in the primary education curriculum. The verse of the song is:
Looking up in the sky
the moon"s bright,I see
Looking up in the sky
A rabbit"s in there clearly
this is told in the tale is it true?
Please tell me
on that beautiful moon
is the rabbit in there,really?
As soon as I finished the song, one of the children who could understant Thai language better than others argued with me,saying "tercher there is no rabbit in the moon. Mommy told me there is "Mae ku jae " up there."
I was curious to find out What is " Mae ku jae." No one, however,was able to explain to me What it was. They just said Mae ku jae was in the jungle not far away from the school.
The following day,I asked the children to take me to see What Mae ku jae really was. They took me to A place quite A distance from the school and pointed to " Mae ku jae ". I was sort of tired and sweating. In fact, the thing they pointed at was actuaally a tree, called by Thai Yai(an ethnic group of Thai ) as " mai hung " or What is called by central Thai People as banyan tree!!!
In addition, the elderly People told me that the ancestors of the Red Lahu believed there was a huge banyan tree and a magic well on the moon. Whoever had an opportunity to drink the water, would become immortal. The only animals that might have a chance to drink the water were eagles or falcons becuse they could fly up to the ceiling of the sky ( right now they have to give in to Human beings as we can build an airplane to fly much higher and faster ).
I was so tired from going to see Mae ku jae in the jungle and got a fever after coming back. after taking two tablets of paracetamol, I laid down in the teacher"s residence and took A glance at the moon which was still very bright outside,thinking " if only I could drink that magic water on the moon!!!". however,What I see in the moon is still a rabbit.
I can"t held thinking about the day, lovely children running in front of me excitedly to show me the banyan tree. Taking into account the food They eat of which the main components are salt, chilli, and vegetables, and also taking into account their interesting culture,the picture of a rabbit on the moon began to fade out. The picture of the banyan tree on the moon has now become prominent and has replaced the picture of the rabbit.
Have you tried staring at the moon closely on the full moon day? What kind of picture is it on that shadow?
lauantai 25. lokakuuta 2008
sunnuntai 12. lokakuuta 2008
The Belief about the Soul of the Dead.
An elderly Red Lahu used to tell this story concerning the soul of dead person, when someone dies, his soul or spirit, is still bound to his family and home. This strong bond has made the spirit of the dead person come back tohis home. On the first night after death, the soul is able to come to the kitchen to search for something to eat. On the second night, the soul can get to the door of the house, and on the third day the soul can only get to the ladder. On the fourth night, the soul will be able to get to the entrance of the village. On the subsequent nights, the ability of the soul to come to the village will be weakening respectively until the 7 th night when the soul of the dead person will disappear for good to live in its own world.
Summary. The Red Lahu is an ethnic group of what Thai people call Musur. However, they call themselves Lahu. In Mae Hongson Province, the Red Lahu can be found in upper northern areas of the province, inthe districts of Pang Mapah and Pai. Based on the dead can be analyzed into two aspects. Firstly, it sh0ws how they love and are bound to the dead have a different status from those who are still alive.
Prior to 1969, the Red Lahu along the Thai-Burmese border would evacuate to a new location after 3-4 person in the village passed away witth in a short period of time. They believed that the ghost had cone to take the life of other people. Currently, the public health know ledge that they acquire from government agents is one of the factors that has diminished such belief. They do not have to evacuate to run away from the ghost as they can have access to modern medicine from public health workers.
The Red Lahu have a profound and complicated funeral ritual when treating the dead person. This treatment involves natural materials involved in the ritual, so there is no need to spend a large amount of money for the ritual. However, there is a trend that this cultural ritual of the Red Lahu is diminishing because of the influence of external culture, particularly in the case of those from the cities and Christian practice that have increasing roles in the daily life of the Red Lahu.
Summary. The Red Lahu is an ethnic group of what Thai people call Musur. However, they call themselves Lahu. In Mae Hongson Province, the Red Lahu can be found in upper northern areas of the province, inthe districts of Pang Mapah and Pai. Based on the dead can be analyzed into two aspects. Firstly, it sh0ws how they love and are bound to the dead have a different status from those who are still alive.
Prior to 1969, the Red Lahu along the Thai-Burmese border would evacuate to a new location after 3-4 person in the village passed away witth in a short period of time. They believed that the ghost had cone to take the life of other people. Currently, the public health know ledge that they acquire from government agents is one of the factors that has diminished such belief. They do not have to evacuate to run away from the ghost as they can have access to modern medicine from public health workers.
The Red Lahu have a profound and complicated funeral ritual when treating the dead person. This treatment involves natural materials involved in the ritual, so there is no need to spend a large amount of money for the ritual. However, there is a trend that this cultural ritual of the Red Lahu is diminishing because of the influence of external culture, particularly in the case of those from the cities and Christian practice that have increasing roles in the daily life of the Red Lahu.
lauantai 11. lokakuuta 2008
Placing the Corpse in the Grave.
In a funeral ritual in I participated, I noticed that before the corpse in the grave, they lit pinewood and swang it at the bottom of the grave to eliminate damp and other bad things believed to be in the grave. Then they paved the bottom of the grave with bark. While lowering the corpse into the grave, they placed a bamboo trunk. with another end shaped into several thin pieces and cur in circles equivalent to the number of those who come to the funeral ritual, to support the dead and living persons and to give a way out for the souls of the funeral participants so as not to be trapped in captivity in the grave. Then, they dropped fresh twigs on the dead body symbolizing forgiveness to the dead and covered the grave with soil. At this moment, I noticed that men and women teased one another in fun and some couples chased and embraced around the burial area.
Before they returned home, all participants stood at the edge of the grave and jumped across it. Then they walked through a wooden arch with a small bonfire underneath. Next to the wooden arch was aperson carrying a fresh twig to wipe the back of each villager in order to prevent bad things from following them to the village. After the last person passed, he used the twig to wipe his own back and followed the others back to the village. When they were in the village, they walked directly to the house of the dead person, soaked a twig in the basin and splashed the water on their bodies. This was to expel all the bad things from their bodies.
Before they returned home, all participants stood at the edge of the grave and jumped across it. Then they walked through a wooden arch with a small bonfire underneath. Next to the wooden arch was aperson carrying a fresh twig to wipe the back of each villager in order to prevent bad things from following them to the village. After the last person passed, he used the twig to wipe his own back and followed the others back to the village. When they were in the village, they walked directly to the house of the dead person, soaked a twig in the basin and splashed the water on their bodies. This was to expel all the bad things from their bodies.
Choosing the Area for the Grave.
The Red Lahu have their own method of choosing the area to dig a grave by tossing a prophecy egg. Wherever the egg drops and breaks, it means that the dead person is satisfied to be buried there, and that area will be chosen as the burial ground. Sometimes, if they cannot find an egg for tossing, they will throw the mowing knife of the dead person up in the air until the knife stabs in the soil. That are will then be chosen as the burial ground.
By and large, the Red Lahu will not dig a very big burial ground. The grave is normally a little bit bigger than the body of the dead person. I recorded a grave of an elderly man in 1991, with the following dimensions.
Depth : 135 centimeters
Length : 175 centimeters
Width : 43 centimeters
By and large, the Red Lahu will not dig a very big burial ground. The grave is normally a little bit bigger than the body of the dead person. I recorded a grave of an elderly man in 1991, with the following dimensions.
Depth : 135 centimeters
Length : 175 centimeters
Width : 43 centimeters
Funeral Procedure.
When someone in the family passes away, relatives and friends express their sorrow and mourning. According to the Red Lahu custom, if the dead person is a young child, the corpse can be buried within the same day. If the dead person is an adult, the corpse will be kept for one day, and the next dayit can be buried. There is no coffin. Instead , the relatives will cover the corpse with cloth or a reedmat.
Based on their belief, a chicken will be slaughtered and cooked as food for the dead person. They will cut a chicken wing with feathers and a chicken leg, sandwich them with a piece of bamboo strip ,and put them on the chest of the dead body. It is believed that the wing would become a fan to use to cool down with when feeling tired after along journey: The leg would become a digging tool for the dead person to dig for drinking water. Relatives have to find a handful of grass or pick up some leaves in the housing area that can be used as thatch, tie it and put it on the chest of the dead body. It is believed that the person can use it as a broom for cleaning. They alsq put some tin, the kind that they use to make a bullet, in the mouth of the corpse believing that this would be money for the dead to spend. A pot of rice will be cooked for the dead, putting in it charcoal or ash to make the rice look black and not suitable for eating. It is a sing to warn those who are still alive not to follow the dead because they will not have clean rice to eat.
The following day, relatives would tie a bamboo trunk on each side of the dead body and carry it to the village cemetery. The dead body will be carried down the house from the side wall, not down the ladder as they believe that the ladder is the way up and down for the living person. Crrying the dead body down the ladder may cause another member of the family to follow him in death.
In addition, the relatives will put the personal belongings of the dead person, such as pillow, blanket, clothes, and knife on the edge of the grave for the dead touse. A scientific and medical analysis suggests the hygienic usefulness of this treatment, cspecially if the dead person has an infectious disease, this will prevent the family members from infection.
Based on their belief, a chicken will be slaughtered and cooked as food for the dead person. They will cut a chicken wing with feathers and a chicken leg, sandwich them with a piece of bamboo strip ,and put them on the chest of the dead body. It is believed that the wing would become a fan to use to cool down with when feeling tired after along journey: The leg would become a digging tool for the dead person to dig for drinking water. Relatives have to find a handful of grass or pick up some leaves in the housing area that can be used as thatch, tie it and put it on the chest of the dead body. It is believed that the person can use it as a broom for cleaning. They alsq put some tin, the kind that they use to make a bullet, in the mouth of the corpse believing that this would be money for the dead to spend. A pot of rice will be cooked for the dead, putting in it charcoal or ash to make the rice look black and not suitable for eating. It is a sing to warn those who are still alive not to follow the dead because they will not have clean rice to eat.
The following day, relatives would tie a bamboo trunk on each side of the dead body and carry it to the village cemetery. The dead body will be carried down the house from the side wall, not down the ladder as they believe that the ladder is the way up and down for the living person. Crrying the dead body down the ladder may cause another member of the family to follow him in death.
In addition, the relatives will put the personal belongings of the dead person, such as pillow, blanket, clothes, and knife on the edge of the grave for the dead touse. A scientific and medical analysis suggests the hygienic usefulness of this treatment, cspecially if the dead person has an infectious disease, this will prevent the family members from infection.
tiistai 7. lokakuuta 2008
Unseen Events of The Highlanders
1
The Funeral Ritual of the Red Lahu
Death, a mysterious destination, has been unavoidable and faced by all human beings, be they millionaires, the poor, the great army commanders, the coward, the philosopher, or the fool. Everybody finihses his role in this world with death, an undeniable truth of life.
The Funeral Ritual of the Red Lahu
Death, a mysterious destination, has been unavoidable and faced by all human beings, be they millionaires, the poor, the great army commanders, the coward, the philosopher, or the fool. Everybody finihses his role in this world with death, an undeniable truth of life.
Nonetheless, there is hardly a person who really comprehends the essence of this truth. Currently, human beings in each grouq, social entity, race or culture still provide different answers, and organize a variety of rituals passes away, people in one culture may treat the dead with a peaceful, simple and economical ritual, whereas others may treat the dead with a luxurious and extravagant ritual. Similarly, one culture may treat the dead with sensational events and fun, while people in another culture may be in deep grief. All there are the response of human beings to the query they still cannot adequately understand.
The funeral ritual of the Red Lahu presented here is one of the approaches the writer experienced while living in the Lahu community in the mountainous and remote area along the Thai-Burmese border, as a teacher and researcher of the Lahu culture.
unseen events of the highlanders
The Red Lahu: who are they?
Red Lahu is a sud-ethnic group of Lahu. Thai people call them Musur, while they call themselves Lahu. Thee thnic group of Lahu is divided into several sud-ethnicities more than any other tribal group in Thailand. Each ethnic group has its own distinct culture while sharing the core culture with other ethnic group in common. The funeral of each sud-ethnic group is trivially different in specific details. For instance, when a Red Lahu person has died normally, the corpse will be buried. On the othew hand, if the person had an abnormal death, the corpse will be burned. The Kulao Lahu, however, always burn the dead body, with the exception of an infant corpse. Similarly, the Sae Lae Lahu, always cremate the corpse no matter how the person has died.
The death of Red Lahu: Should the dead body be burned or buried? It seems that dead and living creatures cannot be separated. Death is an end road for everybody. The Red Lahu classify death into two categories: good death and bad death. In Lahu language, death is termed as Sayway. A good death is referred to the end of someon"s life because of aging or sickness without having any blood coming out of the dead body. A bad death is referred to the end of someone"s life because of being killed by someone or by an accident, such as a car accident, or falling from a cliff or a tree.
In customary practice, the body of the person who had a good death or normal death would be buried, while the body ofthe person who had a bad death or died because of an accident or killing would be burned. A sample case is depicted by the death of a boy in Yapanae village. This boy, the son of the village headman, was actually one of my students. He rode a motorcycle and lost his life because of an accident in February 1993. He was lost from the village during the Lahu"s the New Year Festival. Nobody knew where he was. Pujong, the spiritual leader in the village killed a chicken for an oracle prophecy and told the people that he went to another village. They waited for him for two days. when there was no sing that he would come back, the village headman asked a group of young men to search for him. After searching for nine days, one of the men in the team found his body in the lalang bush on the road side to Mae Hongson, about 3 kilometers from Pang Mapah District Office. The people in the village, including the writer, cremated his body with grief. He was a very nice kid and always fetched water and firewood for me, even when . I did not request it. The 1993 New Year Celebration in Yapanae village was quiet and mournful, not as hilarious as in the previous years.
Red Lahu is a sud-ethnic group of Lahu. Thai people call them Musur, while they call themselves Lahu. Thee thnic group of Lahu is divided into several sud-ethnicities more than any other tribal group in Thailand. Each ethnic group has its own distinct culture while sharing the core culture with other ethnic group in common. The funeral of each sud-ethnic group is trivially different in specific details. For instance, when a Red Lahu person has died normally, the corpse will be buried. On the othew hand, if the person had an abnormal death, the corpse will be burned. The Kulao Lahu, however, always burn the dead body, with the exception of an infant corpse. Similarly, the Sae Lae Lahu, always cremate the corpse no matter how the person has died.
The death of Red Lahu: Should the dead body be burned or buried? It seems that dead and living creatures cannot be separated. Death is an end road for everybody. The Red Lahu classify death into two categories: good death and bad death. In Lahu language, death is termed as Sayway. A good death is referred to the end of someon"s life because of aging or sickness without having any blood coming out of the dead body. A bad death is referred to the end of someone"s life because of being killed by someone or by an accident, such as a car accident, or falling from a cliff or a tree.
In customary practice, the body of the person who had a good death or normal death would be buried, while the body ofthe person who had a bad death or died because of an accident or killing would be burned. A sample case is depicted by the death of a boy in Yapanae village. This boy, the son of the village headman, was actually one of my students. He rode a motorcycle and lost his life because of an accident in February 1993. He was lost from the village during the Lahu"s the New Year Festival. Nobody knew where he was. Pujong, the spiritual leader in the village killed a chicken for an oracle prophecy and told the people that he went to another village. They waited for him for two days. when there was no sing that he would come back, the village headman asked a group of young men to search for him. After searching for nine days, one of the men in the team found his body in the lalang bush on the road side to Mae Hongson, about 3 kilometers from Pang Mapah District Office. The people in the village, including the writer, cremated his body with grief. He was a very nice kid and always fetched water and firewood for me, even when . I did not request it. The 1993 New Year Celebration in Yapanae village was quiet and mournful, not as hilarious as in the previous years.
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