| Chiangmai
: People, Language, Religions
and Culture |
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People and Culture
Seventy percent of the land in the north is mountainous
and in the past was densely forested, making overland
communication difficult. As a result each valley
developed slight variations in customs and language.
People
The people of the valleys refer to themselves as
the "khon muang", and are of mixed origin.
The first inhabitants were known as the Lawa. These
people were joined by other gropus moving along
the trading routes of the river valleys. Notable
amongst thest groups were the Mon, who originated
fro mthe region around Thaton in Burma. The Mon
founded Haripunchai, a northern offshoot of the
Dvaravati civilisation that dominated the western
part of the Chao Phraya basin before the rise of
the Khmer empire to the east. The latter, however,
was never to extend its power into the northern
valleys beyond Si Satchanalai. By the 13th century
the dominant groups throughout upper Siam were ethnic
Tai, who had been migrating south into the valleys
since at least the 10th century (some theories plausibly
suggest the Tai may have been in the area long before
this date). In the north these peoples came to be
known as the Tai Yuan, or "Khon Muang"
Until the European colonialism of the 19th century,
the politics of the north was dominated by the struggles
with the Burmese, and between the kingdoms of Ayutthaya,
Lan Na and Lan Xang. Each military incursion involved
forced relocation of populations to increase man power.
Thus the wars of the region served mainly to mix ethnic
Tai groups. The Burmese wars left Chiang Mai depleted
of peoples, forcing Kawila to campaign and relocate
people form neighboring "muang". He brought
in Tai Yai from Shan State, Tai Khoen from Kengtung,
Tai Leu from Sipsongpanna and Tai Yong from Muang
Yong, East of Kengtung. He resettled each ethnic group
in defined geographical areas; the Yong, for example,
were settled near Lamphun. This resulted in subtle
differences between communities in the valley that
persist to this day.
In the Mid-19th century Burmese and Shan workers began arriving to work the
forests, establishing the city's Shan communities.
Missionaries and Westerners were soon to follow.
While a very small number of Chinese merchants jad
already migrated up the Ping to Chiang Mai, larger
Chinese migration came overland when Muslim Haw
Chinese arrived to settle permanently after the
Panthay rebellion in Yunnan in 1873. It was the
overseas Chinese, however, who were to have the
greatest impact when they began arriving in the
1880s in increasing numbers, the following opportunities
to trade or find labor.
The late 19th century also saw the beginings of hilltribes
migrating south through the uplands, but the greatest
numbers were to come after the communist takeover
of China in 1949. However, the full effect of the
Chinese revolution was delayed until after Ne Win's
socialist coup in Burma in 1962. Muslim and Kuomintang
Chinese, who had fled to Burma from Yunnan in 1949,
had to migrate again to escape persecution by the
Burmese military and so many came to Chiang Mai, settling
in particular around Fang. They helped develop Chiang
Mai city with their trade links to Burma, a trade
that supplied items such as medicine for the Burmese
black market in exchange for jade and others sometimes
illicit, products. Finally, the economic boom of the
late 20th century brought a significant increase in
Thai migration from the south, as well as a sizable
influx of foreigners.
Language
The main ethnic language of the north is "kham
muang". Wit hthe differences in both vocabulary
and tones, Northern Thai may be considered a different
language from central Thai. Though the differences
are diminishing as "kham muang" borrows
from the state language, a person from central Thailand
cannot immediately understand the northern language.
Words of Indian origin trace their roots to Pali
through the Mon civilisation, as opposed to those
of central Thai which came from Sanskrit via the
Khmer civilisation of Angkor. "Kham muang"
has its own script used in religious texts, but
most local people are unable to read it.
Religion
Although Mahayana Buddhism may have come to the region
first via the Khmer empire and the Silk road form
China, Sinhalese Theraveda Buddhism had become the
dominant form of Buddhism by the end of the 14th century.
Theravada Buddhism in its essence is about the "dhamma",
the truth according to the Buddhist view. As the state
religion of Lan Na, however, it became connected with
Brahmanic court traditions. These came form the Indianised
empires of the Khmer at Angkor and the Burmans at
Pagan, which were at the height of thier power in
the 12th a d 13th centuries. Prior to hte dominance
of these beliefs, the Tai were animists with a fetility
cult centered on the wet-rice cultivation cycle. The
blend of this Tai spirit world with Buddhism has resulted
in the variety of customs and religious practice today.
Central to the traditional Thai view of the cosmos
is the cycle of rebirth. To commit sin is to be
reborn into a hell world, and to make a merit is
to progress into a better after-life. A forest monk
may explain this to a Westerner as an allegory for
hte laws of cause and effect known as "karma".
To a Thai villager, the holy images in the temples
are hte home of powerful spirits, and the vivid
depictions of heaven and hell are maps that help
him find his way in the cycle of seasons and years.
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The temple has long been the social centre of rural
Thai communities and Buddhism is woven into the fabric
of rural life. The monkhood originally provided the
only education available and served to occupy males
without work, especially during the rainy season.
To this day folk festivals involve making merit by
supporting the monkhood with food and labor. Until
quite recently the temple was the main outlet for
artistic creativity, the greatest works coming as
a result of sponsorship by the ruling nobility. By
so doing the rulers not only gained merit, but also
gained political legitimacy, as pious works were seen
as a crucial part of a leader's majesty.
Buddhist values pervade the character of the Thai,
who value maintaining harmony in relationships very
highly. To avoid causing offence, Thais pay much
attention to outward appearance. However, they also
prize having a 'cool heart' - or being 'Jai Yen'.
This means that you should not allow yourself to
become 'hot' with desire and at the mercy of worldly
passions which can lead to harmful actions. Buddhism
also teaches tolerance, and so people have been
free to practice others religions. Islam first arrived
with Muslim Yunnanese who have been trading in the
northern valleys since the time of the Mongols,
and the first permanent Christian mission was established
in 1867.
Source:
Tourism Authority of Thailand
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Hotel Promotion List in Chiangmai- Thailand
