Lanna Culture (Chiang Mai/ Chiang Rai)

As mentioned earlier when I was discussing my favorite new artist Krissadank Intasorn, Lanna culture is from the North of Thailand.  I live in the North East where we have Isan, or Lao cultural influences.  Thailand has had many different capitals and kingdoms in its history.  The Lana kingdom influenced the culture around Chiang Mai.  There are some similarities to Isan in the language and the food.  For instance, in Isan and in Chiang Mai, we eat sticky rice (glutinous rice)- Central Thailand eats jasmine rice.  In central Thailand, from my understanding, tattoos are traditionally something that is feared, and not done.  In Lana culture, and also in Isan, tattoos bring strength, power, and protection to the men.  When you look at Opal's artwork, you notice that the thighs of the "mysterious flower" are tattooed.  These leg tattoos are very common in males from the north.  To learn more about Lana culture you can go here  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lanna or when you are in Bangkok you can go to visit the Kamthieng House off of Asoke road, a short walk from the BTS.  Here you can learn a lot about the culture, by seeing the rituals, house, tools, and textiles from the north of Thailand.  
Example of tattoos from Lanna culture and the tattoo pen below.  The ink traditionally contained cobra venom, and many other tinctures.  The tattoo artists are sometimes monks.  In "Child of the Northeast"  a great book about life in Isan in 1930, a chapter is about some gypsies who come to town to offer tattoos.  They cost 1-3 baht!  That was worth a lot more then.  Men who get the tattoos are well respected by others, especially women.  To learn more about these sacred tattoos, and others click here http://www.absolutethai.com/magic-ink-sacred-tattoos-of-thailand/


I didn't understand these pieces of fabric completely.  They are meant to offer protection similar to the tattoos.  Why though, are there people copulating with animals?  I mean a woman and an elephant?  I don't think so.  I plan on researching the meaning of these more.

Many cultures in Thailand has totem poles in their village.  Here are two.

This is a rice calendar.  It uses the moon and auspicious days to determine when things happen like planting and harvesting.

This is a loi krathong made from bana leaves and flowers.  It looks like the head of Naga to me.  Here is a Naga that was the prow of a boat.

This is the rice goddess.  Every year a ceremonty would be preformed in the fields to ask her for a good harvest.    Below are great alternatives to plastic bags.  I hope to bring some home.

Bangkok Part II or should I say pART 2

Art!!

 There was a show at the Jim Thompson House called Mnemonics.  Jim Thompson is called the King of Thai Silk.  He is a fascinating fellow, with great aesthetics.  He disappeared in 1967, but his house is a museum and features exhibits that deal with the material arts.
= the following paintings were photographed at the Queen Sirikit Museum of Art.  These are national art award winners for this year.

I love the following painting.  The artist has painted his mother, and overlayed images from the stories she told onto her portrait.
 Niroj Jarungituittawat- "Since I was a child, my mother always taught me about moral and goodness through easy, funny tales.  Nowadays, even though she's getting old, all of those stories will never be forgotten."

The following shows two naga.  The naga is something that you see in Thailand everywhere.  On October 19th, I will be going to the Mekong River to see the Naga Fireballs, where the Naga shoots fireballs into the air.  I can't wait!!  To read more about Naga Fireballs, go here....http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naga_fireball
The following painting had this written on the placard: "Once Naga Nanthopananda, who has great power, intended to harm the Buddha and his followers by coiling around Mt. Sumeru up to the Tevatimsa Heaven to obstruct the coming of Lord Buddha.  Then Pha Mokkalla, one of Lord Buddha's disciples, transformed himself into a bigger Naga with a greater power to beat Naga Nanthopananda.  After defeated, Naga Nanthopananda devoted himself to Lord Buddha.
This story implies that nothing is greater than the truth discovered by Lord Buddha which became the guideline for everyone to live in precaution.  His purest truth, the Four Noble Truths, will lead us to happiness and forever peacefulness."- Pishnu Poolsema

I like the way this artwork uses wood, and sewing, with paint and sparkle.

The painting below is so intriguing to me.  It's refracts light so that when you move the colors in the painting change.  It is the wheel of life.  I thought it was the most beautiful thing in the museum.

I love the next painting, because it uses recycled cloth from the artists family.  Most of the textiles are from passin.  A passin is a tube of cloth that Thai ladies, and Jill, wear around the house, or to the shower.

Some Bangkok Art

I have recently spent a lot of time in Bangkok for  physical therapy on my hand and wrist.  While there I took advantage of the time to see more of the city.  I still have quite a few things left to do, but here is some of what I have done... including what most PCVs do while in Bankok...eat!  This will be splint into a few parts... Part I- some art.
I love art! Here is some art from Thai artists.  You can see they have adopted other art styles and blended it with Thai culture to produce something distinctly Thai.  I love it.  Especially the "Mondrian" water buffalo.

My favorite new artist; Opal or Krissadank Intasorn from the Lanna culture in Chiang Rai in Northern Thailand.  The screens represent the veil or mystery about transgender people.  I keep running into her work by accident.  Wonderful accidents.  Here is a great article about the exhibit http://sea.blouinartinfo.com/news/story/946181/krissadank-intasorns-folk-murals-for-our-times

 

The amazing "datoraide" from vegan restaurant Bonita Cafe and Social Club.

 At the information center in Ayutthaya is a great museum on the second floor.  Best self guided museum I have visited.  In it, they had an exhibition on some Thai foods.  Here is Kanom Krok.  One of my most favorite-st deserts EVER!!  It's coconut flour, coconut cream, coconut milk, rice flour, and topped with some green onion.  SO GOOD!!  I'll have to make them when I come home.  Here, I don't make them, because you can buy them 10/ $0.25  So good with coffee.....  I realize too much has happened.  I'm gonna split up this blog post.  I'll leave you with a laugh from Siam Center... heart+fart=smart???? What?

Siam Tulip

I woke up at three am last Wednesday. On purpose.  We were having a field trip with the middle school students, and I had to be at the school at 4am (ti si).  At around 4:30 we boarded a karaoke bus and set off for Chaiyapum.  The dancing and singing and light show began as soon as we got onto the bus, and lasted until we arrived home that night.  These karaoke buses are getting less annoying.  Also, seeing the students have so much fun, helped me to accept my plight.  Our destination was Pa Hin Ngam; a park with fields of Dok Ga Tiam (siam tulip)  The park was cool, misty, and reminded me a little bit of some Appalachian mountain tops I have been on.

 The siam tulip can be purple, pink, or white.  beautiful.  Also in the park are many rocks that have been beautifully eroded.  In Thailand I see cairns, but I also see sticks placed vertically against rocks so that it looks like the sticks are supporting the rocks, which are sometimes defying gravity.

 After the field trip, I got ready to meet my Uncle Scott in Bangkok for a couple of days.  It was a lot of fun.  Here he is in a tuktuk.  He also rode a khlong taxi, a taxi boat on the Chao Praya, a bus, a taxi, the sky train, but I drew the line at motorcycle taxis.  Too dangerous.

 This is a mythical beast that used to eat people, until it heard the dharma.  Now, like the naga snake, it protects temples in Thailand.

Here are some of the culinary treats I enjoyed:  Rogue beer, fresh roasted coffee, french toast, and homemade Greek yogurt with mango and granola.  Oh, the joy.

This blog is dedicated to one of my heroes John Saylor for his email yesterday hinting that I need to get back to communicating.  Luckily I had already created this, and didn't have to do much work.  Now I am inspired to set a blog schedule.  Wish me luck.