THE CULTURES

O F THAILAND

PH VA ANUMAN 'AJAoeION

THAILAND CULTURE SERIES

No.1

THE CULTURES OF THAILAND

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BY

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PHYA ANUMAN RAJADHON

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PUBLISHED BY

THE NATIONAL CULTURE INSTITUTE

BANGKOK, THAILAND

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Phya Anuman Rajadhon, D Utt. (Be nod" C:ul'la),

Ohulltlongkorn University is one of tho /:(l'Olt,Uqt living scho1>1rs
ana writers of Th:,ilalHl. Nob to btl cLv,siliw1 sp"cifie:tlly '1'1 an
histotian, an ethnolegist, a philologist or [til [tl'chacologi,[,. he
typifies that race of schohrs with an unquenchahle spirit. of
enquiry and encyclopaedic range that is fa'lt ilying out. His
writings, mostly under the pseudonym of "Sathira Koses"
which has become a household word. amply reflect his catholic
tastes and wide am1 varied interests emhracing the whole gamut
of the humanities. He has had a long and distinguished career
of government service as Assistant Director-General of Oustoms.
Vice-Ohairman of the Royal Institute, Director-Geneml of the
At present he teaches philology,
Fine Arts. Department.
Oomparative Literature and Thai customs and tradition at
Ohulalongkorn University, heads the 'Ihai History Reyision
Oommittee and also serves on the National Oulture Institute
g
Committee.

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'Hl,I.H1U,U,.........................

iY-~"~~.,,,<Ft:rst
Published,
Second ]t}rHtion,
l'hil'd EdiUon,
Fourth Edition,

.......~

1950
19,53
HI55
1956

PRINTED AT THE AEK KARNPIM. BEHIND CHALERMKRUN3 CINEMA.

ey

!'IAI PRA A!;:K CHAYAYON, PRINTI;RAND PIJBL.ISHER.

B,E.24!jl!jl.

T., Wkd of

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DNr....'<iIi Pcn<>d_

THE CULTURES OF THAILAND

For cultural pnrposes, Thailaw1 may be divided into

four areas, namely tIll' Nor'thC'rn, the ::-Iol'th-Eastern, the
Central ant1 the Soutlll'rn ar~as,

The Northern area is a monntainous region and its

predominant people are Thai, usually caller1 1'1wi Nnw or
Northern Thai. The rrhai liye in the lowland of the
valleys, while on the uplands live a nurnl)er of primitive
tribes belonging mostly to the two linguistic families, the
'Mon-Khmer and the Thibeto-Burmans.

'1'he North-Eastern area is a vast plateau tilted

towards south-east an(l drained by the river Mekhong which
forms the eastern bonn(lary between 'fhailand and French
In\lo-Chinu. The people in this region are also predominantly
Thai, llsually called the Lao. Across the river Mekhong
on the left hank also live the Laos of Lao St~te. Living
in isolated groups are the Phutai, another tribe of Thai stock

whose form'JI' home was in :French Indo-China, and a uumber

of minOl'ities, mostly of the Mon-Khmer family.
The central area consists of one vast lowland plain
watere(l by the ]\,fenam, or, to call it by the real name, the
riV('l' Chao Phya, am1 other river systems.
Here live the
Thai or 8.iamese. There are in this area small communities
of 'MOllS and Cambodians of the Mon-Khmer family.
AI1lumitos, :Malays an(l Burmans mostly Tavoyans, a tribe
akin to tho Aracanese of Burma.
In the Southern area, thronghont the Ma.lay Peninsnla,
,1.1'0

the 'rh,1,i, hut in the southernmost parts the people are

THE CULTURES OF THAILAND

mostly of 1\Ialayal1 blood. (See further details of the physical

features and ethnology of rrhailand in Siam, Nature and
Indltstry, publisher1 by the Ministry of Commerce and
Communications, Bangkok, 19~O).

Ethnologicall.\' and cultIl1'ally, thpsc four areas overlap

one another an(1 affpct reciprocally also Thailand's neighbours
i.e. the Cam110dians in the southeast, the Bnrmans in the
north-east. and the 1\falayans in the south. Later on corne
other races, the Chinese, the Indians, the Indonesians, and
other Asiatic races. and lastly but in no way of least
irnportancf', the Europeans and Amel'icans who affect
radical1y tho traditional culture of Thailand.

Now for a bit of history to complete the bird's eye

view of Thailand's culture. A thousand 01' more years ago.
most of Thailand apart from the southern area in thA Malay
Peninsula, was nnder the domination of the hinnuized
Mon-speaking people of Dvaravati (457-657 A.D.) and the
Khmer or Cambodian Empires (957-1257 A.D.); while the
Malay Peninsula was nnder the sHzeraintyof Srivijaya, the
hinduized Sumatran Empire (fi57-1157 A.D.). During these
times the Thai, as a race, emigrated gradually from their
home in Southern China into the Indo-Chinese Peninsnla.
The Thai tribes in their early days some two thousand
years ago or more had their home probably in the north-west
corner of China which is now the province of Shen-si. The
word Shen-si in ChinN(e means "west of the Shen". 'fhe word
"Shen" so far as I know cannot be translated as it is only
the name of a pI'ovince (one of my Chinese frien\ls has told
me that it meanS a "mountain pass"). 'fhe Chinese tribes
ha.rl their old home here too. A few scholars, both European
aUll 'l'hai. have ventured to draw the conclusion that the
word "Shan" which the Burmese have given to the Thai

THE CULTURES OF THAILAND

tribes in N ol'thern Burma and elsewhere, and the word"Siam"

(now Tluilaml) are one and the same word. These two
words no doubt derived their origin from Shen of Shen-si.
I am inclined to agree with this view because of the fact
that the name of the Kingdom of Nan-Chao of the Thai in
Yunnan in an earlier perintI waS called "Shan San" by the
Chinese. However, I will not go further into this intricate
anu purely philological (IUestion, but will continue my story.

In view of the above fact, there was no doubt that

the Thai mixed and blended
whether as friends or
as foes, with the Chinese of those day:>. The fort'ulles of
the Thai were bound up with the Chinese every now Hn(l
then in the episodes of Ohinese history throughout those
times. Gl',tuually the fortune of the 'rhai waneu anu hy
force of circnmstances they had to
further south
nntil they finally establishe(l themselves as the Kingdom of
N an-Ohao in Southern Ohina. This
was suhjugated
by Knblai Khan, the first emperor of the Chinese Mongol
uynasty Some 700 years ago.
During these times many off-shoots of the Thai tribes
by slow degrees into the Indo-Chincse Peninsula.
Onc of' the western off-shoots became the Shans of Burma.
On the other sl<le of the Peninsula IllaIlY of the 'rhai trihes
come into Tongking, inchHling the Laos of the Lao State
who settled down in the l\lekhong basin. Further west of
the Lao State in a northernly (lirection were the northern
Thai of Ohiang Sen which WetS on the north border of
Thailand. There is no doubt tha.t the worus Shan-san, the
nalIle of Rlm-Ohao Kingdom and Ohiang Sen may he
identifiell as one and the same word. All these Thai tribes
establisheu themselves in the Peninsula in many small

THE CULTURES OF THAILAND

imlepJllllent status 01' pl'incip:t1ities which engaged in strifeS

and wa,dare not only among themsJlves but also with tho
neighbouring tribes (1117-1547 A.D.). :Fnrther South
particularly in the now ccmtraI'area of 1'hn,ilaml the land was
within the empire of the Mon (Dvar.wati Kingdom), a i'ace
("tilnologically akin to the Khmer, who sl1bseql1ently bec<11llc
included in th:; E'llllil'c of the Khmer. By this time the
Northern Thai of Ohiang Sell had gone further south and
founded a city of Ohicug-lllti, which means "new city " , and
sncceeded in taking a\Y,lY the northerll l'ommmts of the
clecayillgMon empire. The fl-ontier of the Northern Thai
now tonche,l the hCH'(lel' of the Kinner 1<~!llpire in the :Northern
parts or Oentr,11 'l'h:lilanll which \vas ca11el1 Slam or Pali
izod into S,muth:sJo. '1'ho1'3 is no (lonbt that the Thai lut(l
beon before that time al1'2a,ly in the land of the 1\[on and
the Khmer Empire hut they W~'l',' only a minority an(l
formed themselves into somi.in(lep::mdent states under the
sUheraintyof these empir:c.s. Tr~1(1itiOll:tlly these Thai \vho
sottled in Oentr;tl 'rhaiIanc1 or Siam Wt:I'C calletl Thai Noi
or Lesser Thai in contrast to Thai Yai or :Major 1'h[ti \\,110
are the Shans of Bnrma. Tl'a(litionally the 'l'hai :Nol or
Lesser 'l'hai came from the north of Thailand. It WfiS
therefore presllmed that th0y were Ule :Northern 'l'hai of
Ohiang-mai with the La,os or the Thai of 1\Iekhoug hasin
partly mixcll; bnt to me the so-called Thai Not or Less"l'
Thai hall ill tl1\lir m~:1tlng pot ill no les;; ll.'gre~~ th~: Thai Yai
or Major 'rhai i.e. the Shan too.

By this time, ill al)ont 1:!57 A.D., one of the Thai

pl'inceswilhin. th::; Klllner-Empin~, Kllun SrI lndnldit,
a IUllD of S,mskl';t or.igin bel:lttlwcll hy tlw KInner King,
wIth the h:;]p of his ahle son n,mw,l Kllnn Ri.tlll Kmnhn.ng,
or popnLlrly known in leg()1l(ls as l'hrc\ Huang. :mecee,lC'd

THE CULTURES OF THAiLAND

inllm1dng himself independent ofthe Khmer anil '~fittJl)l:Khing

Snkhothai as hi,; capital. Khun Ham Kamhan,; sHcceedell
him as King of Sllkhothai and enhtl'ged his territory fnrther
s:mth into th; M.1lay P.:minsula and fnrther west to ]\IaLtban,
the Mon cOllntry, in present Lower Burma. 'l'his Snkhothai
Kingdom lasted nearly two centuries (1257 -H3:3 A.D.)
when it u;;c,lme ll. vassal state to
U-thong the founJer
of the Oity of Aynthia in the lo,ycr part of the MC'nam
Valley, which WetS subsequently mergC'd into the Kingdom
of Ayuthia (1<133 A.D.). During this Ayuthia pe1'10(1
OJ.mbod ia, tho remnant of the Khmer Empire, became in
tu I'n a vassal state to Ayuthia. Aynthia herself as the
capital of TluiLm:l in the course of history, gave place to
Rmgkok 01' Kel1ng Thep as called by the Thai which
was founded in 1782 A.D. and has since remained the capital
of Siam or Thailanll in its modern name of touay.

In former d,l,Ys there were consLmt raids and wars

of conqnest among the neighbours. The conquered people
were removed wholesale from their old homes as pl'isoners
of war un(l domiciled in val'ions loca lities within the victorious
lunds. There C,lme too every now and then emigrants
frolll neighbouring countries due to accidents of history.
'rhese intermixed with the natives of their atloptell land,
became assimilated after a few generations into one whole.
Such ,vas the case with 'J'hailanu and the neighbouring
countries as wel1. The ethnic elements of the race in Thuilancl
are more mixed especially in the central and southern areas,
while in others they are purer in mixture. '1'he cultures of
Thailand are therefol'e, due to the above facts, formed into
one nnity, Imt with theil' r0gional divcrsitics in difl'errent
pI'oportions where alit'll elnm('llts are prerlominant or
oLlwnvjse. Of the fOllr area;; aforementioned the ccntral

THE CULTURES OF THAILAND

area is the most progressive and this influences other areaS

of retarded cultural development rapidly through convenience
of communications.

The cultures of Thailand as expressed in her religion,

arts and literature, social system, hahits and customs, reveal
a unity in a general sense with her neighbours, the
Cambodians, the Mons, the Burmese and partly the Malays,
but with varied characteristics. It can be said that the
cultures of. the above races are a homogeneous whole with
local diversities and details thrown in. To study one nation's
cultures, is to study them as a whole. Fundamentally, the
culture of Thailand may be summed up in one word, religion.
For everything, arts and literature, social system, habits and
customs is developed and clustered around her religion. It
is in quite recent times only that there have been some
changes in the culture due to western inHuence. Thai
culture tends to become secular in the progressive parts of
the country; but to the people as a whole, religous culture
is still a Ii ving force.

Animism, with ancestor-worship, is the primitive belief

of the Thai and their neighbonrs as well, and this formed
the first layer of 'l'hai religion. Later on came Buddhism
and the 'l'hai adopted it as their national religion. Unlike
their neighbours the Burmans, the Thai inherited a fair
proportion of Hinduism through the influence of the
Cambodians who were in former days a highly hinduized
people. Whatever cults and beliefs are adopted by the
'rhai, they are readily modified to suit their temperament
and surroundings. When they adopted Buddhism, they
greatly modified their basic belief of animism into the fold
of Buddhism. Likewise when they embraced Hinduism,
they adapted it as a subordinate to the former. As

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THE CULTURES OF THAILAND

Buddhism and Hinduism were evolved from one and the

same source, i.e. Brahminism, there was no hindrance to
their assimilation. They became in time intermixed
completely, and of course tinged with the former animistic
belief. There is a Thai saying, particularly among the Thai
of the central al'ea whore Hinduism still has some force
with the elite class, that "Buddhism and Hinduism usually
uphold each other". In the northern anti north-eastern
areas, Hinduism has become weaker and gradually animism
has come to the fore, especially in the folkways of the
people, but modified greatly of course, through the influence
of Buddhism. To complete the fa.ct, Buddhism as the
national religion of 'l'hailand is of the southern school, the
Hinayan; but it reveals some traces of the cults of the
Mahayan or Buddhism of the Northern School unconsciously
practised. This WitS due historically no doubt, to the
influence of the past Cdmbodian Empire and Sri vijaya
Empire of the Malay Peninsula, which for some time adopted
the Buddhism of the Northern School. There are traces
of MahayanislI). too in the northern area; but this is no
doubt derived from a difl:erent channel, namely from Burma
and Southern China. 'l'here are too in modern times native
Christian communities, but they are only minorities.
Christianity has never made appreciable progress with the
Thai people. Its converts are confined mostly to natives
of alien ancestry anti paratioxically most of them, instead
of being converted have, converted their Christian belief
in terms of their intiigenous one. Living outsi(le his
community, the converted native, and even his children born
in the fold of Christianity, will in time revert to their former
bolief within a few years. Snch is tho potent force that
underlies naturally the culture of 'l'hailanu. BUlldhism in

THE CULTURES OF THAILAND

a lllollifL;(l form is the mainspring of th8 national life. It

has (L~velopecl by slow cl'e,1tion of c,,ntnrif.'s to med every
new need, formed her ideals and conceptions and safeguard.
The problem is how far \ve can preserve this tradition
against the aggressiveness of the new materialistic force of
the present civilisation. Thailand C,lnnot neglect or ignore
tlw powerful force which besets her with many dangers
if her traditional ideJ,ls aI'0 not to be uprooted su(Ucnly.

Now.for al'ts and literature. In the olden clays, the

arts and liter(1tUl'e of Thailand served her religion. The
classical style of architectm:e as revealed in her temples
with their snpel'ilIlPOsed roofs aud glazed coloured tiles is
no doubt structurally akin to the Chinese. However,
gilding aIlll other decorative arts are typical of the orientals.
The gracefully tapcring tiereel roof of Some of her archi
tecture is evol vetI from the Cambodian sikflara of the
Hindu temple. Although this tapering roof strncturo is
typical of Thailand and Burma, it differs in style which
may be compared profitably. C,tmbodia has it too, but
its style is a copy from Thailand \vithin l'eeent times.
Sculptn I'e ill Thailand was confined in the past to
casting Bl1tl(lh" .illlages. She carrie(1 this art to perfection
both in k'chniqne and artistic expression. SOlllC anciellt
specimens of this art eLm b8 compared favourably with
other nation's el,ls"ical arts.
Painting in Tlu,Haml was also in the past confine(l to
mural kllllWl'a painting within the kmple buildings. The
style was more cOllventionalisc(l awl achieve,l "orne artistic
manifestations to a high (legree, hut it cannot be compared
to sculpture which was a perfect [),I,tistic achievement.
:\Iollel'Jl architC'ctlll'c, scnlpture awl painting of ThailHlltl
are of Wt'stel'll 8tyle. Hut in urder to C,11'1'Y un her :1l'LiI:;tic

10

THE CULTURES OF THAILAND

tl'ill1itions as p::culiarly her own and enriching humanity,

till) pro11em is to preserve her own classic:tl arts as a source
of inspiration for evolvillg her own moclol'n arts with the
progress of thc times in Ol'(]or to presC!rve her own identity of
individual cultures suitably 'within the culture of a wider one.

The music of '1'I1:1\1an(1 is akin to that of the

Chinese. The '1'hai especially the scale of music is a diatonic
one, with neither major nor minor in the Ronse of western
music, but with a special diatonic scale characteristic of
her own. (See 1'ha,i jl-Iusic 'in theory and JH'actice by Phl'(t
Chen DuriY<luga). Though music in the theoretical conception
of But1<1hism is not toleratetl by the monks, by usage it is
allowed in certain 1'0 ligions ceremonies, no douht to promote
religious emotionE, and also on festive occasions.

Drama like her sister art, music also serveu religion.

Its technique was of Indian origin, but the Thai evolved the
arts peculiar to tlwir own. The actions are very graceful,
slow in motion but 110t unpleasant to sensible minds.
'1'hai dramatic performance is calle(1 lnkhon, a ,vonl of
Indonesian origin, amI is well known to enthusiastic lovers
of this art both inside an(1 outside Thailand. In former
days, the people could only witn,oss EllCh performances in
the compollml of the monastery on fe~tive occasions on1)' .
Nowa(bys many new types of dramatic lJ':)rfol'mance are
nsuallyadapted or copied from the 'Vest amI the popularity
of the cinema takes the place of the classical entertainment..
The latter may be Seen only occasionally as performed by
the artistes of the Department of Fille Arts.
The liter,tture of '1'hailm1l1 l1ates back to the 13 th
century A.D., when the present '1'11a1 or Siamese alphabet
was forme(1. Owing to tlv havoc of time an(1 tropical
eiitlllttic comlitio1l8, the cadiest \vorks of litcrature that

11

THE CULTURES OF THAILAND

have snnivecl are comparatively few. 'fhe earlier works

were of a religions nature. They were written either in
prose or verse. The forllls were mostly written in poetical
prose, while the latter in their earlier forms showeu a like
neSs in their patterns to the unwritten or oral folk literature,
and they again lllay he compared in affinity to the Ohinese.
Later on throngh Indian intlnence, many rhythmic patterllS
were introduced anll th()se in time came to the forefront
against the background of the former through the influence
of the edncatetl class. The language used is more al,tificial as
more amlmore words from foreign origins, especially Pali,
Sanskrit aIlll Oambodian, were introduced into the verses,
while the former are more natural an,l still popnlar with
the common people. However both achieved their technique
and emotional arts in many of their works. 'rhe subjects
of Thai prose and verse in the earlier works were mostly
inspireu by Bnrlllhist literatl1re an(I meant to serve religion.
Later on morel secular subjects relatlng to episodes of
history, legentls and indigenous tales were introduced to
serve uramatic art and reading,
Of the two great epics
of India, the 11 ahabh(trata and the Illtmnyana, only the
Lettter was turned in its entirety into rrhai verse in
dramatic form, while only certain episodes were taken from
the former,
The R~lm(ty(tnrt of the Thai version differs
radically in detail from the original Valmiki version, but
agl'eeS here and there either with the Tamil, the Bengali,
the Javanese or the Malay versions. No doubt this shov,;s
that at one time or other, thero have been intermixtures
of cultures going on among the S.E. Asians and with India
to an appreciable degree. The Ranwyana, is well known to
the 'rhai people, especially in the Oontral and Southern
areas. The Lao of the North-eastern area had a tale of

12

THE CULTURES OF THAlLAND

have survived are comparatively few. 'rhe earlier works

were of a religious nature. They were written either in
prose or verse. The forms were mostly written in poetical
prose, while the latter in their earlier forms showed a like
neSs in thcir patterns to the unwritten or oral folk literatnre,
and they again may be compltred in alfinity to the Chillese.
Later on through IneIi (tIl intlnonce, BUllY rh ythmic patterns
were introduced and those in time Came to the forefront
against the backgl'olmd of the former throngh the influence
of the edu'cateJ class. The language used is more artificial as
more and more words from foreign origins, especially Pali,
Sanskrit an!l Cambo(lian, were introduced into tho verses,
while the former are more natural anl1 still popular with
the common people, However both achieved their technique
and emotional arts in many of their works. 'l'he subjects
of'l'hai prose and verSe in the oarlier works wore mostly
inspirod by Butllthist literatu re ana meant to serve religion.
Later on mord secular subjects relati.ng to epislHles of
history, legends and indigenous tales were introduced to
aerve dramatic art and reading.
Of the two great epics
of India, the 111, ahabharattt and the Bamrtyana, only the
latter was turned in its entirety into Thai verse in
dramatic form, while only certain epidodes were taken from
the former.
The Ru,rnaymut of th" 'rh(;l,i version (liffers
radically in detail from the original Valmiki version. but
agreeS here and there either with the Tamil, the Bengali,
the Javanese or the :Malay versions. No doubt this shows
that at one time or other, there have heen intermixtures
of cultures going on among the S.E. Asians and with India
to an appreciable degree. The Rarnay(tna. is well known to
the 'rhai people, especially in the Central and Sotlthern
areas. The Lao of the North-eastern area had a tale of

12

THE CULTURES OF THAILAND

Rama in their local literature, but they incorporated many

of their 10c,11 traditions and tales into the story, and in
many places showe(l traces of Innonesian infiuC'nce due
obviously to the once highly hinduized Cham people whose
country Champa is now Annam. The Ramayana of the Thai
version is one of the literary achievements in the language.
Within the last century, there has appeared a new type
of literature written in prose which has become very
popular with the public. It is a translation of those
popular Chinese historical romanceS. The translation is
complete from the dawn of Chinese history down to the
last days of the Ming dynasty. The Thai of older genera
tions know the outline of Chinese history through these
translations. One of them, the The San Kuo Chai Yue lor
the Romance of the '1'hree Kingdoms, his been very popular
and its merit, apart from the thC'me of the story, is the
style of its translation. It is perfect and in the best prose
style. The pronunciation of names of the various characterS
in this Chinese J'omanceS is Fukian, despite the fact that
most of the Chinese who came in later days were Swatow
people. 'rhe Swatow dialect has one peculiar tone in its
phonetic system; while the Thai language, although a tonal
language like the Chinese, has not this tone.
Nevertheless
the Fnkians pronounce this tone at a different pitch and the
Thai have it too. hence :Fnldan dialect was used in the Thai
langnage, in order to avoid this difficulty. Phonetically
Thai language has six or prohably seven pitch tones, but
in theory there are only five tones. We know for instance
the names of Lin Pei, Kwanyu and Changfei as Lao Pi,
Kwan-u and Tiohui.

In recent times Western literature has been introtlucell

into the country and there have been constant translations

13

THE CULTURES OF THAILAND

most 1Y t111'ongh ill,' 1l1'.'d i Illll ,.f English. '1'11"1'0 has aris'('n
in quite l't'e:'nt times too 'l'hai novels and short stories in
the \VestC'l'l1 style. Some of Shakespeare's works slleh as
Bomeo (tnrl Jnlict, A,~ You Like 'it, The Jvlcrchrmtof Vem'ce
were tr;mslato{l hy Kiug Vajir(tvullh, so also a numIH:'r of
Ellgli8h awl :Fl'UllCh plays,
1\Lmy of them \yer(' adapt.ed
aItd sLigell, giving an impetuR to a new I,ina of per[()rmance.
King VLtj;l'uvl1(lh also transLtteLl anll <1l'amatiscll, throngh
English tr,mslations, a numher of S:mskrit classieal dramas,
for instan"ce, S alwntala, S cwilri. 'l'hrongh K lng Vi1ji r.l vndh's
genins aIHl inHuence, a new era of 'rhai literature has
evolvell arHl lleveIopC'd up to nOw.

In the Thai social system, the village is the unit. It

was, in former days, a selfcontained one in its economy
and no('(ls. The people's habits and customs ,yere based
mainly on agr~culture and religion, Arost villages hall a
Buddhist monastery and a shrine for a village deity. The
monastery sE'rved their spiritual neecls as well as the people's
education. All arts, crafts an(l learning emanated from
the monastery, :From birth till death it c~'ntT('ll rOllIl(l it.
lts precincts wore the meeting place for social gatherings
on festive occasions, A;; to the village sl11';ue it was lls('d
only occaSionally in times of (list1'2sS 01' on New Year':.; day
whun of[or:ngs were malle. It had nothing to do with
Buclrlhlsm. No . lonbt BlHlrlhism softene(l and tame(l animism
in mrmy of its cults. Tlw above is only a fundamental
and compara.tive statemrnt which a studE'nt has to IH"al' in
min(l whAn llealing with mo(lern cultural IH'oblems. 'rhe
social system, habits and .customs as seen in modern times
aro supe l'ficial mo(lificat ions of t he fundamentals and in a
comparativc 11,gl',~C only, In some outlying (listricts Whl'l'e
thel'.e nrc l'Gtltl'ilCl1 lL'v:;iopment:o of cnltnro dnc to lack of

14

Tlt.r \'I~""'" \\... , Ir""... H.."~h>I:.

. \ .....n" from ,lor .1f.,,,,11 I'f..v Df .'~""r,

by lit. ""li,,~, "',/,,- FIN, ..\'" Tkf'oJr"'UNI

'~-------,....

&/

dr MQnaSI'~ T.",~

..rem ","",

.. of \ra<

&~iko~.

:5 J ?
,~ THE CULTURES OF THAILAND

I ~

/I t::3
I

jSb

new ideas, the people aL',~ 8till in

. their primitive state, quite in contrast to th? progress in
th e capita 1, towns and dtles. 111 these progressive parts
"old times are changed, olll manners gone" and a new type
of cultures fills its place. This is a sign of IHogress l)l1t it
must come gr,t<lnally. A'lapt the old to the new hut Hot in it
l'ovolutionary way. The new cnltures have also their dang!:'!'s
with problems to be solved, because people take too mnch
interest in politics. To [t(lopt new cultures wholly unsuited
to the llt-eds which are peculiar to, an(l characteristic o[ each
particnlar pLwe is a (hnger. Culture ought to be varied
with ch'tracteristics of its own in each locality and area,
harmonizing, howov0r, 'with the ,vholea unity in diversity.

iuterco~;Jlnllicationand

As will be seen from what has b<:>en said, the culture

of Thailand is ml(lway between the two great cultural

systems of Asia, China on the one side and India on the

other. Chinese culture did not penetrate fll rther west

beyond Annam; nor did Indian culture gofnrther north than

the In(lo.Ohinese Peninsula. They cam' to a halt at one

anotlur'!j bnlw,1l'ks anfl did not penetrate further. The

Annamit::s, though
ethnologicitlly Imlonl'sians, were
domiciled in Ohina far back in historica,l times as one tribe
of the Yueh or Viet, and absorb2d much of Chinese cultnre.
When they came down to th3 In(loChinese Peninsula., they
met the Ohams who were highly hin(luized culturally. After
the Chams w('stwar(l was anothee highly hindni!wd people,
the Khmers or the Cmllho(lians. Naturally Chinese culture
could not p~;nctrJ,te further for it met an oppon<:>nt of
equal force.
Due to the natm'c of the country and to other
facts p8cu1iar to the north of the Peninsula, Chinese culture
(lill not pellet r .lie Ln for 1HCle of easy camrrumications.
Whatever Chinese cnltur~8 the Thai brought from Southern

15

THE
China, they adal '

3 3131 00004188 3

"pical
using the
the

ac

old mat,
~ven
Chinese,
The
though tl
DATE DUE
the
one draw
country. Living in the troplcs where food is in abundance
and the weather fair, tlley have become lethargic. But a
taste fo..l' the arts has been developed by the leisured and
elite classes, hence the arts as developed by the Thai though
mostly inspired directly or indirectly by India, are nniquf'ly
their own. Buddhism suited their tastes and temperaments
very well, so they rea<1ily adopted it. Accustomed to living
in isolated groups in their mountainous districts of the North
their political conception and consciousness were confined
to their village and city only. But when they became masters
of Central Thailand where there was one vast plain,
they adapted Indian culture. Being still a virile race and
with genius they evol"lV'ed these cultures again as peculiar
of their own. Different from Thailand is Burma. Though
Burma is a neighbour of India, she did not take much of
Indian cnlture, especially Hinduism. They adopted only
Buddhism tinged weak'y with Hinduism. Judging by the
physical featu reS of the Thai or Siamese in Central Thailand
they differ in stature and colonr from their brothers in the
north. They become shorter and darker ~p'adnally southward
and there is no doul)t that they mixed immensely with the
Mon-Khmer and Allstronf'sian familif's. They lost physically
but gained intellectually through fusion of new blood.
Thailand therefore formed the meeting place of the two
great cultural systems which came to a halt and fused into
a new one with double layers of cu1tl1l'e.

16