villagelife

The village and the local people

Ban Kaeng Nang (the 'Village by the Rapids of the Maidens') is an old village on the bank of Huai Sai Creek some 20 km inside the Phu Phan Mountain Range. Coming from either Bangkok or Mukdahan the easiest access is by passing Ampue Khao Wong, Kalasin Province. Kaeng Nang is located in Dong Luang district, Mukdahan province. Huai Sai Creek is a tributary to the Mekhong river some 70 km downstream.

The areas down the mountains in Khao Wong valley is still basically inhabited by Phu Tai, an ethnic Tai minority resettled on this side of the Mekhong River from Southern Laos by Thai military around 150 years ago. In the neighbouring villages the inhabitants are ethnic Mon-Khmer groups as So (Bru) and Kha. These two latter groups were probably the original inhabitants of the forests and likely of all Isan together with other Mon-Khmer groups, before the Lao-Isan migrated into Isan from the north. Other sources say that the So and Kha came from southern Laos in the same period as the Phutai. At that time these ethnic groups were subjects for slavery, which was abolished by King Chulalongkorn (Rama IV) in the end of 19th century.
Originally Kaeng Nang was a pure Phutai village. Fifty years ago the village consisted of less than a dozen houses. Nowadays the village is an ethnic mix of various Tai groups. The biggest group is still the Phutai. Then comes the group of Lao-Isan speaking farmers from various provinces of Isan. The author stays with a Khorat family. Tai Nyo from neighbouring Sakon Nakhon are to be found too. And a few Thais from Central and Southern Thailand. And a single Dane, the only Farang (Maak Sida in Lao) in a radius of 50 miles.

The author came to Kaeng Nang by coincident for the first time in 1991, made friends and have since then come back continuously for shorter or longer stays and regards Kaeng Nang as his base for various studies. He got an office in the village and a cottage in the uplands south of the village.
At the first visits the village got neither electricity nor telephone and the only connection to the outside world was an eroded dirt road. Motorbikes were seldom and surely old. Cars nearly non-existing. Now there is electricity and telephone (when it is not raining). Tap water has been implemented. The access road to the village has become bitumen and motorbikes and cars are common. Most of the roads in the village are either concrete or bitumen. The size of the village has grown to more than 1000 houses, which makes it a rather large village.

Various ceremonies and celebrations in the village:


After paying respect to the monks the villagers cross the rapids to pay respect to the Female Guardian Village Spirit (liang chao mae), a Phutai custom all Tai groups of the village participate in.	Animistic beliefs go way back to times before Buddhism and the villagers still respectfully wai, when passing spirit houses.

After having paid respect to the monks and the spirits the villagers go back to the school, where the teachers have arranged music - mostly mawlam or luuk thung, which is typical Isan music. The lamwong style dance has started - and the party continues for some 3-4 days.	At the creek an elderly man is entertaining with his bamboo organ, the khaen, a typical Lao instrument. o

A traditionally dressed Phutai Dam woman from the area. The picture was taken at the annual Tamarind Festival in Mukdahan City in January.

January 1999: Men sitting at the fire in the early morning. Night temperatures can go down to 4 deg. Celsius	March 1998: The author's grand-daughter Jasmin Imuthai Mollerup at her 1 years birthday.
	1994: Family and friends (left). The author lives with Joy and his wife Phratuang, who got 4 sisters and 1 brother, now all married. Counting spouses, kids and the grandparents the whole extended family totals some 20 people. The family are Khorat people. The author is a widower and has been adapted as an 'uncle' of the family.

1999: Family and friends.	2001: Phratuang, sisters and their kids

The Songkran Water Festival, 2005.

The Songkran falls on a fixed date following the solar part of the solar-lunar calendar: 13 April and lasts for 3 days - mostly exceeding a few days before and after.


The essential part and the beginning of the Songkran Festival starts by paying respect (wai) to the parents ...	... and the other elders of the family by washing their hands and feet.

thereafter the water splashing starts	combined with some innocent flirting

drinking and dancing	and more water


Cock fighting

The Champion is being prepared...	... for the fight	carefully watched by the betters


Coming
1. Rising the first columns of a house.
2. Second year celebration of a new house.
3. Thot kathin.
3. Ork Phansaa: The end of the Buddhist lent (right)


Ordination to monkshood: Above: two young Khorat men being ordained as monks.The various Tai groups are all devoted Theravada Buddhists.	puuk khaen su khuan is a old Tai tradition. Man is supposed to have 32 khuans or spiritual parts, which are enforced by binding blessed white tread around the wrist while saying blessings.

New Year 1998 (1st of January) ceremonies in the school early morning paying respect to the monks.	3 young women (Khorat, Isan-Lao and Phutai) wai phra: paying respect to the monks


1996: Wedding in the village. The author's son Nis is getting married to Nut by the basi su khuan ritual. Suan Mali is named after their daughter Jasmin Im-Uthai Mollerup (suan = garden, mali = jasmine).

Grandfather, Grandmother, Phratuang and Nis.	Su khuan detail.

Joy is entertaining the guests. All social life is being preformed on the floor.	Isan dinner: Sticky rice, chok lek (raw meat) and lao khao (rice whisky).