การวิจัยนี้มีวัตถุประสงค์เพื่อศึกษาโครงสร้างทางสังคมและวัฒธรรมทั่วไปของไตลื้อและเพื่อศึกษากระบวนการ แนวโน้มและปัจจัยที่มีอิทธิพลต่อการเปลี่ยนแปลงของกลุ่มชาติพันธุ์ดังกล่าวในด้านภาษา การแต่งกายและความเชื่อ จากการศึกษาพบว่าชาวไตลื้อตั้งถิ่นฐานดั้งเดิมในแคว้นสิบสองปันนา ในบริเวณตอนใต้ของประเทศจีน ชาวไตลื้อที่อาศัยอยู่ในภาคเหนือของประเทศไทยเป็นเชลยศึกอันเนื่องมาจากการเปลี่ยนแปลงทางด้านการเมืองของประเทศจีน ชาวไตลื้อยังคงรักษาวัฒนธรรมและอัตลักษณ์ทางชาติพันธุ์ของตนเองไว้อยู่ อย่างไรก็ตาม ผลการวิจัยนี้พบว่าลักษณะประเพณีและวัฒนธรรมบางประการของชาวไตลื้อที่หมู่บ้านทุ่งหมอก ได้เปลี่ยนแปลงไปอันเนื่องมาจากการพัฒนาโครงสร้างพื้นฐาน การสื่อสาร การแต่งงานข้ามวัฒนธรรมและการค้าขาย ลักษณะทางวัฒนธรรมที่เปลี่ยนไปมากที่สุดคือการแต่งกายแบบดั้งเดิมในขณะที่ภาษาไตลื้อมีการเปลี่ยนแปลงน้อยที่สุด ชาวไตลื้อยังคงรักษาความเชื่อบางประการไว้ ในขณะที่ความเชื่อบางอย่างก็ได้เปลี่ยนแปลงไป ชาวไตลื้อที่มีการศึกษาสูง มีอายุน้อยและมีสถานภาพทางสังคมสูงมีแนวโน้มที่จะยอมรับสิ่งใหม่ๆ และเปลี่ยนแปลงได้ง่ายกว่า

The study focuses on some aspects of the cultural changes of the Tai Lue, particularly their beliefs, language, and dressing, as well as general socio-cultural structures. Furthermore, socio-cultural data of Tai Lue in Sipsongpanna Region, Southern China were investigated to compare with those in the study area, and to illustrate socio-cultural conservation and changes of this ethnic group.

The researcher analyzed four aspects of Tai Lue cultural changes, namely the tradition of Dharma donation, the household/city merit-making ceremony, dress, and language. These cultural aspects are still carried out with some modifications of the details. For instance, the Dharma donation ceremony was an big annual event, with the merits dedicated to spirits of the dead as well as to the future of donors. However, at the present the cultural significance of the ceremony has greatly been reduced. In the past, the household/ city merit-making ceremony was exclusively for men, but nowadays women can attend. The mode of dress, which is a unique symbol of the cultural identity of the ethnic group, has also been changed, e.g., no head scarves. The researcher attempted to explain the factors contributing to these changes, for instance economic changes, convenient communication, being an open society, being exposed to the outside world, and inter-marriage. Regarding the Lue language, it is still regarded as their mother tongue. The Lanna dialect is used as a medium of communication with outsiders, and standard Thai as the official language (pages 114-116, 146, 149-151, 153).

Tai Lue

The researcher reported that the Sipsongpanna Lue have their own script which was derived from the ancient Mon script. The Lue script is sometimes called “Thai Noi Script”, which was the origin of Lanna and Isan script. For the Lue at Thung Mork Village, they do not have a script of their own, but use the Lanna script instead. However, Lue is used in daily communication. In spoken language, the community members use Lue, Northern Thai dialect, Standard Thai, and a combination of the three (pages 59, 139, 142-144).

From 1990 to 1992 (page 23)

The researcher noted that originally the Lue resided in the Sipsonfpanna Region, southern Yunnan Province, China. The area covered 25,500 square kilometers. However, the area was later split when the French annexed the southern part to Laos and the British annexed the western part to Burma. As a consequence, their settlements are in both Laos and Burma. The Lue migrations to northern Thailand were due to several historical events. For instance, when Chiang Mai was founded around 1296 by King Mang Rai, he collected several Tai ethnic groups to settle around the city. During the wars between Lanna and Burma, Tai ethnic groups along the battle routes were forced to settle in the Lanna region. In 1796, when King Kawila liberated Lanna from Burmese occupation, the Lue in the Sipsongpanna region were taken to Chiang Mai. During the reign of King Rama IV when Lanna was under the power of Bangkok, he ordered the Nan governor to attack the Sipsongpanna Region and take the Lue to settle at Chiang Muan and Chiang Kham Districts (currently in Phayao Province). The Lue at Thung Mork Village were a part of this batch. Again after 1949 when China became a communist country, more Lue people migrated to Thailand. From accounts of the elderly people in the village, it is said that the migration of their ancestors was led by King Untan of Muang La Muang Phong. The first batch settled at Nong Bua Village, Tha Wang Pha District of Nan Province. Some of them migrated to Thung Mork Village. Later on, the Lue from Ngao, Huay Luang, and Thoeng moved to settle with them. On August 28, 1977, the village became an administrative region of Chiang Muan District, Phayao Province (pages 26-27, 31-32, 34, 87).

Lue villages are usually lineal along river banks or in valleys with sufficient land for rice cultivation. There is a front courtyard in every home and a raised platform is constructed to accommodate 7 to 8 people to spin cotton or relax. The structure of the house is similar to that of the Lanna people. Each house may contain two to ten families. A living room, a bedroom, and a kitchen are separated by walls. Domesticated animals are kept under the house (pages 37-38).

During the time of the investigation, there were 251 households in the village. The total population was 1,356, with 676 males and 680 females (page 92).

The Lue are rice farmers. Rice is used not only as food but also as a wealth indicator. In regards to trade, during the 19th and 20th centuries, the history of trade routes of the Sipsongpanna Lue extended to Tibet, Southeast Asia, and China. There were two marketing systems operated in the Sipsongpanna region. One was an inter-region marketing system and the other was the subsistence system for Tai and other minority ethnic groups to sell their produce. Other handicraft products include cotton, wicker ware, and wooden products. For the Lue at Thung Mork Village, most of the villagers are also farmers. They grow glutinous rice for consumption and rice cultivation is carried out once a year. Other crops include tobacco, beans, corn, lychees, mangoes, and pomelos. The residents also do fresh water fishery at Nam Rat Lake and Huay Moo Nao Reservoir (pages 54-57, 93-96).

The family type of the Lue at Thung Mork Village is of the temporary extended family. When a daughter of the family gets married, the groom moves in to live with the bride’s family until they have a child of their own, or until another daughter gets married. In either case, the couple moves out to have their own nuclear family nearby. The last daughter to get married stays on and looks after the parents. Kinships are equally respected in both the bride’s and the groom’s. The Lue have a patriarchal society and women are taught to respect their husbands (pages 36-37, 90-97).

Before the 1950 political change in China, socio-economic changes of the Lue in the Sipsongpanna Region were slow and feudalism was the political system, with the king as the head of state. The region was a part of China since the Nguan Dynasty. Almost all the Lue kings were appointed by the Chinese Court to become “Chao Saen Wee Chiang Rung”, or “the king of Chinag Rung”. “Phaya Chuang” was regarded as the first king of Sipsongpanna Kingdom. After his reign, the kingdom became weaker until it was under the power of Chinese kings. Historically, there were 44 Sipsongpanna kings. The government was called “Sanam”, consisting of noblemen known as “Thao Khun Nua Sanam”. There were four most important positions of the noblemen, namely Chao Chiang Ha, Thu Luang Khao, Hoi Dang Ban Khum, and Hoi Dang Chom Wang. The government organized meetings for regional governors twice a year. In addition, there was the “Sanam Nai”, or Office of Royal Affairs, directly under the supervision of the king. “Chao Upa Racha” was appointed as the office head and “Chao Luang Prasart” and “Na Nae” as his deputies. All the noblemen were feudal lords, divided into seven classes. Ordinary people were called “Phrai Muang”. They were categorized into two groups. The first group was called “Tai Muang”, consisting of free citizens who possessed vast and good land and were in charge of appeasing City and Village Spirits. The other group was “Khanai Ruan Chao”, or slaves of upper-class people. In Sipsongpanna, there were 30 regional cities all together. There were two types of power structure: rulers in the city and farmers in rural areas. Regarding local administration, a village was called “Ban”, supervised by the village head and his assistants. Each village had a council, called “Kwan”, which comprised of the village head, his assistants, old and powerful villagers, and a secretary or “Khun Khaek”. The village council was responsible for general village affairs.

In the Sipsongpanna region, the Lue are Buddhists, Brahmins as well as animists. Animism is deep-rooted, particularly the belief in household, village, and city spirits, which are central to their animistic practices. The consequences of these beliefs are traditions and rituals. These traditions and rituals are related to religion, e.g., ordination ceremony; beliefs, e.g., tattoos, rituals to dispel misfortunes; livelihood, e.g., the “Rok Muang” ceremony, the Market Spirit Appeasement Ceremony; and entertainment, e.g., the Lue improvisation songs. For the Lue at Thung Mork Village, they are both Buddhists and animists. The village temple is the spiritual center of these residents. Certain rituals are still maintained at the village. These include the “Khao Kam” and “Song Khroh” rituals, organized to pay homage to and appease the spirits and guardian angels. The Dharma Donation Tradition is carried out to dedicate the merit to the spirits of the deceased. The Four Guardian Angels Ritual is an inevitable ceremony on holy occasions in order to ask for blessings from the angels. In this study, the researcher focused particularly on the “Song Khroh” and the Dharma Donation Ceremonies of the THung Mork residents (pages 65-69, 101-104, 107-132).

The education center of the community in the past was the temple, so most men were literate because they were ordained as novices to be educated when they were seven or eight years old. At the present, there are over one thousand primary and secondary schools in the Sipsongpanna Region. At Thung Mork Village, most men were educated in the temple as monks, leaving women illiterate. At the time of the data collection period, there was one elementary school in the community. Socialization is not clearly specified in this study, but community members are taught about social values and roles, legends, and folk wisdom through oral and written literature (pages 59, 98).

The study refers to the medicine and health care of the Sipsongpanna Lue and found that medicinal and pharmaceutical knowledge was recorded in scripture, in combination with animistic beliefs. The records contain detailed medicinal formula, symptoms, herbal uses, side effects, and various forms of herbal application. However, there is no herbal treatment at Thung Mork Village, except a concoction for new mothers. There are records about medicinal formula applied in the past. Animistic treatments are still maintained even though the village is not far from the hospital. Whenever the villagers become sick, they usually buy over-the-counter medicine from the village grocery stores (pages 64-64,100).

Architecturally, a Lue temple has unique characteristics different from those of Lanna, for instance, the shape of the roof, entrances, windows, and decorations. A Lue chapel is shorter in height, made from bricks and covered with limestone. Its roof is two-tier, made from wooden tiles. Its doors are made from wood and the windows are small, just enough to let light come in. The Dharma pavilion is tray-shaped, with contracted angle foundation. There is an open space at the front, with a finely decorated ladder for a monk to climb up. Lue dresses at Thung Mork Village are ethnically unique. A Lue man wears a dark blue long-sleeved shirt with colorful pieces of cloth sewn to its seams. He wears ankle-length loose trousers. A Lue woman wears a body-tugging long-sleeved indigo blouse decorated with tiny silver buttons, a sarong with a traditional design in the middle, and a white head scarf. The hair is done into a bun decorated with a hair band and a hair pin. Additionally, she also wears a silver belt, bangles, earrings, and “a handkerchief”, which is unique to Lue women. There are two types of literature in Sipsongpanna: oral and written. Oral literature includes folk songs, folk tales, courting verses, riddles, lullabies, and proverbs. Written literature includes herbal records, legends, Jataka tales, teachings, and poetry (pages 63-64,101-102, 132-134).

A folk legend has it that the Sipsongpanna Region was once an isolated jungle city named Maeyapa Marailuang, because all its residents were women. All the men were killed by the Dog King (Marailuang), who took all of the women his wives. After the Dog King was killed by King Kluak Klua, the number of both men and women increased. It was necessary to expand the region into two cities: Muang Maeya and Muang Marai. The two cities are Muang Chiang Rung and Muang Ham at the present time. Another legend, “Phrachao Liap Lok”, has it that during the time when the Lord Buddha was spreading his teachings, he arrived at the city at dawn. The city was later named “Chiang Rung”, or “The City of Dawn”. The Lan Chang Chronicle mentions Phor Khun Borom or King Phee Lo Ko, the founder of Muang Thaeng Kingdom. He had seven princes and all of them founded their own cities. The cities included Chawa (Luang Phrabang), Hua Tae (Sipsongpanna), Kaew Song Bua, Yonok, Ayothaya, Chiang Khon, and Phuan. A Tai Lue Chronicle says that Phaya Choeng, the first King of the Hor Kham, had four princes. One of them was Sam Khai Muang, who succeeded his father as the ruler of Chiang Rung. He had a son, named Ai Kun. Ai Kun had a son, named Thao Rung Kaen Chai, the fourth King of Chiang Rung. The King had a daughter, named Nang Ua Ming or Nang Phey Thai Kham Khayai, who was married to Phaya Lao Meng, the King of Muang Ngoen Yuang. They had a son, King Mang Rai, the founder of the Mang Rai Dynasty that ruled Chiang Mai (pages 29-30).

A section of this study mentions that certain aspects of traditions and culture have been modified to suit present circumstances. However, their ethnic identity is generally maintained.

The research analyzes some cultural changes of the Lue residents at Thung Mork Village, with a focus on Dharma Donation Tradition, the Household/Village/City Merit-Making Ceremony, traditional dress, and language. Conventional traditions and culture have been changed due to economic conditions, convenient communications, an influx of new cultures, weather conditions, modernity, and education. The language has largely been maintained, but has been relatively lexicalized. Linguistic changes in this community are due to external marriage, language contact, and trade. Some cultural practices are no longer existent, for instance, tattooing, the traditional haircut for men, decoration of trousers, long houses, and rice grinders (pages 145-165).

Not specified

A map of the national boundaries between China, Burma, Laos, and Thailand (page 27) A map of the Sipsongpanna Region (page 28). A map of villages in Chiang Muan District (page 88). A map of Thung Mork Village (page 89).