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Bangkok Travelbug October 12 The Phu Thai of Kalasin September 28, 2012 |
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The Phu Thai The Phu Thai originated from Dien Bien Phu* in north-western Vietnam near the China/Laos border. They belong to the ethnic and linguistic group Tai Kadai and have similar culture and language as the Lao. They are Buddhists and animists and also believe in spiritual healers, "moh yao". As an agricultural society, they are famous for their textiles, cotton and silk. They rear silkworms and weave silk with colourful designs. 
Phu Thai women in traditional dress In the early 1800s the Phu Thai migrated to Savannakhet province, Laos across the Mekong River from Mukdahan province, Thailand. In the reign of King Rama III (1824 – 1851), Thailand# went to war with the Vientiane kingdom and sacked Vientiane in 1829. Large numbers of Lao were resettled in north-eastern Thailand. Another war in 1830 war with Annam (present day central Vietnam) over control Cambodia resulted in more Phu Thai migration to Thailand. Those who migrated to north-eastern Thailand settled in Nakhon Phanom, Mukdahan, Sakhon Nakhon and Kalasin. The Vietnam War and the war in Laos in the 1970s resulted in the migration of more Phu Thai to Thailand. After the war many migrated mainly to the USA and other parts of the world. Please see the map of the locations of the Phu Thai in Thailand. View Locations of Phu Thai in Thailand in a larger map Let’s pay a visit to the Phu Thai communities in Amphur (district) Kuchi Narai, Kalasin. Notes: *Dien Bien Phu was the site of a battle between the French and Vietminh during the First Indo-China War. The Vietminh overran the French garrison on 7 May 1954 after a 54 day siege. That defeat led to the end of French influence in Indochina and the partition of Vietnam into north and south. #Before 1939, Thailand was known as Siam. To avoid confusion, Thailand is used throughout in this article. Table of contents Amphur Kuchi Narai Amphur Kuchi Narai is one of the 18 districts in Kalasin. This district is right at the eastern end of the province near the border with Mukdahan province which is on the Lao/Thai border formed by the Mekong River. 
The countryside in Kuchi Narai The main provincial town Kuchi Narai is about 80 km from Kalasin city. The district is further sub-divided into 12 tambon (sub-districts), the ones of interest to us are Nong Hang and Kut Wa which are about 7 km and 17 km from Kuchi Narai town respectively. Nong Hang and Kut Wa are home to two Phu Thai communities which we will be visiting,
Table of contents Nong Hang Handicraft Group There was a fair going on in the community hall when I reached Ban Nong Hang. People were milling around stalls selling all kinds of snacks and handicraft. A man approached and welcomed me, then took me to the meet the community leader. I was surprised as to how they knew I was a visitor. Then I realised I was the only stranger there! Khun Phirak, the community leader of Ban Nong Hang welcomed me warmly. He asked someone to open the handicraft shop for me to view and told me about the Nong Hang Handicraft Group. The Phu Thai community in Ban Nong Hang has set up a cooperative bank and handicraft shop to help develop professions in local handicraft products and community projects. 
Nong Hang Credit Union Cooperative Limited The bank gives loans to the residents to produce handicraft products and the shop helps sell these products. Training sessions are conducted to teach residents the necessary skills. Cooperative fairs, like the one I just walked into, provide a market for residents to sell their products to each other or to visitors. 
Shop selling community handicraft 
Phu Thai textiles In addition the Nong Hang community has homestay facilities in the area for visitors who wish to stay and enjoy the country environment. Khun Phirak glowed with pride when he told me about the Phu Thai international community gathering in Kalasin a few months before. Thai Prime Minister Ms Yingluck Shinawatra graced the occasion as Guest of Honour in a traditional Phu Thai dress. 
Traditional Phu Thai dress The Phu Thai in Ban Nong Hang is a wonderful example of self-help and self-reliance in a community Contact details Ban Nong Hang 223 Mu 1 Tambon Nong Hang Amphur Kuchi Narai Kalasin Tel: +66 43 851 090 People to contact Acharn Sunthorn Phusithan +66 895 742 613 or Khun Mirinthorn +66 872 301 031 
Friendly residents of Ban Nong Hang 
My souvenir – a Phu Thai cloth sling bag from Ban Nong Hang Table of contents Khok Kong Cultural Village Our next stop was the Phu Thai Khok Kong Cultural Village further up Highway 12. The village is about 3.5 km off the highway and is located at the foot of a mountain, Phu Pha Wua. 
Arch over the entrance to the Phu Thai Khok Kong Cultural Village 
In contrast to the place we visited earlier, the village further down the road was relatively quiet when I got there in the afternoon. I didn’t see very many people around. 
Residents of Khok Kong Cultural Village The Phu Thai community here live in a self-contained village with their own temple, community hall and school. 
Community hall The rice fields are just south of the village, separated from the village by an irrigation canal. The village even has a factory that produces fertiliser for the fields. 
Photo taken in one of the community halls There is a souvenir shop selling a variety of Phu Thai textile products made by the residents. I gathered that there are homestay facilities here as well but didn’t manage to get the details. 
Afternoon nap at the souvenir shop 
Phu Thai dress at the souvenir shop Another attraction near the Khok Kong Cultural Village is the Tat Sung Waterfall which is about a km north-east of the village. The waterfall is located up in Phu Pha Wua, the mountain behind the village. 
The entrance to the Tat Sung Waterfall Forest Park Unfortunately it was during the hot season in March and as we entered the forest park, the officials told us that the waterfall was dry! Nonetheless, I thought I would give it a try. However after 15 minutes of walking up this rocky path, the thought of going on for a km in the 37° C afternoon heat to see a dry waterfall didn’t seem appealing. So I decided to give it a pass. 
The route to the Tat Sung Waterfall Table of contents Map of Kalasin View Map Kalasin, Thailand in a larger map Getting to Kalasin From Mor Chit the northern bus terminal in Bangkok the journey by bus takes about eight hours. Fare for the 1st class tour bus is 441 baht. Table of contents Map to Kuchi Narai View Map of Kuchi Narai, Kalasin in a larger map Getting to Kuchi Narai From Kalasin city go north-east along Highway 12 all the way to the Talat Somdet intersection. Turn right to continue along Highway 12 for another 40 km till you get to Kuchi Narai town. The Nong Hang Handicraft Group is approximately 7 km north-east of Kuchi Narai town. The Khok Kong Cultural village is 17 km east of Kuchi Nari town. How to get around Kalasin, please see this link in the August 2012 issue, getting around Kalasin. Table of contents Where to stay – hotels in Kalasin The Paiboon Place Hotel is just 500 m from the Kalasin bus terminal. A P Garden Hotel Pailin Hotel Phaiboon Place Hotel Ponthong Garden Ratchapreuk Resort Suak Hotel Table of contents My thanks I wish to express my deep appreciation to the Phu Thai people in the Nong Hang and Khok Kong communities for giving me an insight into their way of life and for sharing their local knowledge with me. My thanks too to all the people in Kalasin with whom I had come into contact during my visit for their warm friendliness. Table of contents Next month The Bottle Art Museum, Pattaya If you enjoyed reading this e-zine, please forward it to a friend. If you received this from a friend and found it interesting, please subscribe at Bangkok Travelbug. What you think of the Bangkok Travelbug? We love to hear from you What other subscribers have said Till next month then. Eric Lim Find us on Facebook Stay updated with what’s new at Tour Bangkok Legacies. Copy the link below and paste it into your Google Reader, NetNewsWire or your favourite feed reader. https://www.tour-bangkok-legacies.com/tour-Bangkok-legacies.xml If you use My Yahoo! or My MSN, head over to my home page and click on the button for your favourite Web-based feed reader. Visit our home page at Tour Bangkok Legacies. Copyright@2008-2009 Tour Bangkok Legacies All rights reserved |
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