Turning Narrative into E-culture: The Isan Travels of É tienne Aymonier

Lefferts, APAN/Bangkok, 26-1-48/05

Turning Narrative into E-culture: The Isan Travels ofÉtienne Aymonier

Dr. Leedom Lefferts

#11, Baan Dong Phong, Mu #10,

T. Sila, A. Muang, Khonkaen

E-mail: [email protected]


NORTHEAST THAILAND – A DIVERSE LOCATION

DIVERSITY OF PEOPLES –

KHMER, SUI (KUI), KALOENG, NYAU, YOI, THAI-KHORAT,PHUTHAI, LAO, ISAN, CHINESE, “KHAEK”, VIETNAMESE

DIVERSITY OF HISTORIES –

PREHISTORIC:“BAAN CHIANG” “BAAN PRASAAT”, ETC.,

HISTORIC: ANGKOR EMPIRE (LOPBURI PEROD),LAAN XANG (LAO EMPIRE)AYUTTHAYARATTANAKOSINKRUNG THEP – DEVELOPMENT; MEKONG SUB-REGION,

ETC.


“MULTIPLE BOUNDARIES OCCUR WITHIN THEEXTERNAL AND INTERNAL RELATIONSHIPS OF THE LAO, . . .EVEN WITHIN THE SAME LOCALITY” (HAYASHI 2003:28)

INTERDIGITATION:•PEOPLES•LANGUAGES•ECONOMIES (NOT EVERYONE GROWS PADDY RICE)•RELIGIONS (NOT EVERYONE IS THERAVADA BUDDHIST;

DIFFERENT VILLAGES HAVE DIFFERENT RITUAL PATTERNS)•MIGRATORY HISTORIES (DIFFERENT FAMILIES EVEN

IN THE SAME VILLAGE COME FROM DIFFERENT PLACES)

E-CULTURE – BECAUSE OF COMPUTER POWERUNIQUELY CAPABLE OF REFLECTING COMPLEXITY AND DIVERSITY –

DEGREES OF SHADINGINTERLACINGS OF BOUNDARIES


E-CULTURE – TO BE SUCCESSFUL:

MUST BE ACCESSIBLE

SCHOLARLY AND PRACTICAL GOALS

1883-4 TRAVELS OF ETIENNE AYMONIER


Total sites named: 1605Sites located: 1127% located: 70%

Lefferts, Locating Isan 1883-2003, PNC/Bangkok, 9 Nov 20036


EXTRAORDINARILY DETAILED ACCOUNT

GEOGRAPHICALLY SITUATED

PRECISELY DATED

EXTRAORDINARILY DIFFICULT TO USE

PRESENTED IN NARRATIVE FORMAT – 2 VOLUMES

PRESERVE THIS FINE TEXTURE

LET OTHERS USE IT

GOALS:

MADE LOCALLY ACCESSIBLE

OR ACCESSIBLE AS SOURCE FOR BASELINE DATA


Ay pg. #

page #

date geotype

name time arrive

time depart

Lat Long E

UTM sheet

UTM Coords

geo remarks # houses

II-01

135

20-12-1883

Mœuong

Oubon (M: Ubon Ratchathani)

11AM/20-12-1883

15 13 104 52 5939-2

VB8583

Aymonier travels up Moun

II-02

Boung Kah Têo (M: Bung Kathaeo)

15 14 104 51 5939-2

VB8483

on northern bank, in which the Laotians cultivated rice during the dry season

Boung Chan still on northern bank

Pak Moun Noï (M: Mun Noi)

15 13 104 50 5939-2

VB8183

on right side

Don Kêo Passed on their right side; isle between Moun and Pak Moun Noï

Ban Pho (M: Pho Mon) 15 12 104 49 5939-2

VB7980

on left 2

Boung Vaï

II-02

Moun Noï (M: Mun Noi)

15 14 104 48 5939-2

VB8184

upstream mouth

II-03

Boung Sieng Tœuk (M: Chiang Tik)

15 15 104 48 5939-2

VB7885

on right

Sé Incorrect: Bouk or Bok (T: Bouok)

15 14 104 47 5939-2

VB7684

Incorrect name. Mouth of Sé Baï. See Vol. I, Chapt 9. Comes from forests called Dong Mak Y


Column #

Abbreviation Description

1 Ay pg. # page number in Aymonier 1895-7, Vol I or II

2 page # Page number in Aymonier 2000

3 date Date of observation by explorers, either 1883 or 1884

4 geotype Type of observation, as recorded by Aymonier, i.e., ban, srok, sting, houé, etc.

5 name Name of location as reorded by Aymonier(M: name of location as designated on map)(T: name of location as transcribed by Tips, Aymonier 2000)

6 time arrive Time explorers noted as arriving at location

7 time depart Time and date explorers noted as departing from location

8 Lat Geographic latitude, north of equator

9 Long Geographic longitude, east of Greenwich

10 UTM sheet Number of map sheet, Series L7017

11 UTM coords Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM coordinates)

12 geo remarks Remarks by explorers concerning location

13 # houses Number of houses and pagodas

14 land belongs to moeuong (muang) to which village land is said to belong

15, 17, 19

ethnicity 1, 2, 3 Ethnicty of popopulation, in order as written by Aymonier

16, 18, 20

moeuong Muang to which ethnic group belongs

21, 22, 23

prod item 1, 2 , 3 Item produced in village

24, 25, 26

occupation 1, 2, 3 Villagers’ occupations


WEALTH OF DETAIL

ABOUT VILLAGES AND LOCAL LIFE

ABOUT COUNTRY-SIDE IN-BETWEENFORESTS (SEVERAL DIFFERENT KINDS)CUTIVATED PRODUCTSLANDSCAPE – MOUNTAINS, STREAMSFLOODSEtc.Etc.

(BUT NOT LOCATED BY PLACE NAMES!)


Ban Ko (M: Kho Kamphaeng)

15.10 104.12

5839-3

VB0570

20 + pagoda

II-26

144

Ban Kamphêng or Komphêng (M: Kamphaeng) (T: Komphêng)

11AM

7-1-1884

15.10 104.13

5839-3

VB0669

3 clusters of houses. Note: An, Chau, & Ouk recorded this earlier, Chapt II-5.

100 Lao

II-28

145

7-1-1884

Ban Sang Hong Noï 200 meters off road to right 10 Lao

Ban Sang Hong Niaï 300 meters from road to left 30 Lao

Ban Nong Toup (T: Nong Touh)

7 Lao

Ban Malat (M: Marat)

15.12 104.17

5839-3

VB1071

on right, 400 meters from road 25 Lao

Ban Thê (M: Tae) 15.12 104.18

5839-3

VB1272

2 villages Note: An, Chau, & Ouk recorded earlier, Chapt II-5

50 + pagoda

Ban Katham (M: Katam)

15.12 104.20

5839-3

VB1472

passed on left 7

Ban Phaau (M: Pa-ao)

15.10 104.20

5839-3

VB1470

on right, 600 meters away. Note: An, Chau, & Ouk recorded earlier, Chapt II-5

40


On Tuesday, January 15, leaving this village at 6 A.M., the two Cambodians continued their journey, but they soon stopped to change carts in Ban Phou I, a village of about eighty houses among fruit trees. Then, after crossing a few glade forests, they stopped for the same reason in Ban Daung Kang, a hamlet of fifteen houses in the forest. They departed there at 8 A.M., crossed more glade forests and rice fields, and stopped for breakfast at 9:30 A.M. at Ban Sâ Mân; the kamnan of this village had gone to Mœuong Siphoum. In his absence, my men were received by one or two local drunks. The population of this village of fifteen houses came running to see the strangers; the monks came, too. An elder tied three strands of cotton thread around the Cambodians’ wrists as a sign of blessing. Leaving Ban Sâ Mân at 1:30 P.M., they crossed rice fields. White sand had covered the track ever since Roï Êt, but here it took on reddish hues and was mixed with black gravel. After passing a barren, infertile plain they stopped in Ban Khouo Mœuong, a hamlet of thirty houses among fruit trees. Beyond this settlement, they crossed stands of bamboo and a grove of tall trees, stopping to sleep in Ban Dong Bang, a village of thirty houses. The pagoda had twelve monks. They inquired there about the division of land among the various mœuongs, and the reply was that no border had yet been delineated, the registered men were still mixed in the villages, and during tax-collection time the chiefs levied taxes based on the registers of each mœuong, without bothering themselves with the taxpayers’ places of residence.

Digitized English text – 100% searchable


DIGITIZED THAI TEXT – 100% SEARCHABLE

วั�นศุ�กร์�ที่� 21 ธั�นวัาคม เดิ�นที่างจากบ้�านหั�วัเฮื�อน พร์�อมก�บ้ผู้��หัญิ�ง 3 คน ซึ่ �งเป็"นคนน#าที่างและหัญิ�งสาวัที่�แบ้กของ พวักเขาเดิ�นผู้)านป็*าไม�ก�งและไม�ซึ่าดิ

ป็ร์ะมาณชั่��วัโมงคร์ �ง จ งพาก�นหัยุ�ดิพ�กร์�บ้ป็ร์ะที่านอาหัาร์ที่�บ้�านบ้ก เดิ�นที่างตาม ป็*าดิงต)อไป็อก ก1มาถึ งบ้�านหันองคายุ เวัลาป็ร์ะมาณบ้)ายุ 5 โมงคร์ �ง ที่�น� �นก1เหัม�อน

ก�นผู้��หัญิ�ง 4 คน ถึ�กจ�ดิใหั�มาส�บ้เป็ล�ยุนแบ้กหัาม เน��องจากพวักผู้��ชั่ายุไป็ที่#างานในป็*า ในดิงหัมดิ เพ��อน#าที่างพวักเขาเดิ�นผู้)านป็*าโป็ร์)งซึ่ �งมต�นก�งและต�นซึ่าดิ พ�4นที่�แถึบ้น4

เต1มไป็ดิ�วัยุกอไผู้)เต4ยุๆ จนถึ งหัม�)บ้�านเป็"ดิซึ่ �งก#าน�นไป็อ�บ้ล ภร์ร์ยุาของก#าน�นไดิ�เอา หัญิ�งสาวั 3 คนมาผู้ล�ดิเป็ล�ยุนใหั� แล�วัพวักเขาออกเดิ�นที่างต)อไป็อก ไป็หัยุ�ดิพ�กที่�บ้�า นพ�มแพง (Ban Phoum Pheng) ซึ่ �งชั่าวับ้�านก#าล�งเก1บ้ดิ�นล�างดิ�น เพ��อต�มเกล�อ

ตามวั�ธัที่�เคยุที่#าก�นมา และไดิ�ผู้ล�ดิเป็ล�ยุนคนแบ้กหัามอก เป็"นผู้��หัญิ�งแก)และหัญิ�ง สาวั 2 คน เส�นที่างผู้)านป็*าโป็ร์)งซึ่ �งมต�นซึ่าดิและต�นตะคร์�อ (Srema) เป็"นต�นไม�ใหัญิ)

ผู้ลก�นไดิ� ที่�บ้�านเผู้�4ง (Ban Phoeung) พวักเขาก1เป็ล�ยุนคนต�ดิตามอก คร์าวัน4เป็"น เดิ1กผู้��ชั่ายุและหัญิ�งสาวั 2 คน ผู้�วัขาวัและหัน�าตาดิส#าหัร์�บ้คนชั่นบ้ที่ พวักเขาเดิ�นผู้)าน

ป็*าต�นก�งและต�นซึ่าดิ แล�วัมาถึ งบ้�านลาวัยุก (Ban Lao Nhok) เวัลา 3 ที่�)ม ไดิ� เป็ล�ยุนคนแบ้กหัามอก เป็"นชั่ายุหัน�)ม 2 คน และหัญิ�งสาวัหัน�าตาดิ 1 คน พวักเขา

เดิ�นที่างผู้)านป็*าโป็ร์)งจนถึ งเวัลา 4 ที่�)ม 45 นาที่ จ งพาก�นหัยุ�ดิพ�กนอนที่�บ้�านเม�อง ซึ่ �งเป็"นหัม�)บ้�านที่�มวั�ดิและกร์ะที่)อม 50 กวั)าหัล�ง


STEPS IN PROCESS (* = DONE):

* GEOGRAPHICALLY LOCATING AS MANY SITES AS POSSIBLE:LAT/LONG FROM 1:50,000 SCALE MAPS, FOLLOWING ROUTE

* NOTING CHARACTERISTICS

* FEASIBILITY TESTING – INITIAL PLACING INTO GEOGRAPHIC DATA BASE

YET TO BE DONE:

IN-FILLING BETWEEN LOCATED SITES (USING AYMONIER DATA)

PLACING EVERYTHING ON DIGITIZED MAPS

PROVIDING DIGITIZED SUMMARY DATA & COMPLETE TEXT RETRIEVAL

PROVIDING ACCESS


RESULTS:

1) DIGITIZED DATA BASE FOR LOCAL HISTORY

2) DIGITIZED DATA BASE FOR ECOLOGICAL RECONSTRUCTION

AND COMPARISON (E.G., WITH SATELLITE IMAGERY)

SOURCES:

Aymonier, Étienne1895-97 Voyage dans le Lao, 2 vols. Paris: E. Leroux.2539/1996 & 2541/1998 Banthuk kandoenthang nai Lao,

Vols. I & II, trans. by Thongsamut Dore and Sommai Premchit. Chiang Mai: Social Science Research Institute, Mahawitthayalai Chiang Mai.

2000 Isan Travels: 1883-4, trans. By W. E. J. Tips.Bangkok: White Lotus


THANK YOU . . . .

LEEDOM LEFFERTS

[email protected]

Turning Narrative into E-culture: The Isan Travels of É tienne Aymonier

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