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Changing Role of Pi, a Bamboo Sound-Producing Tool, in the Bon Chot Ritual of the Lua-Mal in Nan Province, Northern Thailand

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Changing Role of Pi, a Bamboo Sound-Producing Tool, in the Bon Chot Ritual of the Lua-Mal in Nan Province, Northern Thailand DOI: 10.12982/CMUJASR.2015.0008 ASR: CMU Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities (2015) Vol.2 No.2 115 Changing Role of Pi, a Bamboo Sound-producing Tool, in the Bon Chot ritual of the Lua-mal in Nan Province, Northern Thailand Yuji Baba Faculty of Social Relations, Kyoto Bunkyo University, Kyoto 611-0041, Japan Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected] ABSTRACT he people called Lua-mal, living in the mountains of Nan Province, TNorthern Thailand, hold the Bon Chot ritual every August to en- tertain and strengthen the soul of rice grown in a dry field. During the ritual period, the soul of the rice is invited from the dry field, while villagers march in the village, beating Pi, a bamboo sound-producing tool, to entertain the soul of rice in expectation of a good harvest. The Pi can be beaten only during the ritual period and only within a village. Pi is a sound-producing tool for religious purposes, rather than a musical instrument used in an ordinary music performance; it is connected to the villagers’ life in nature. However, the role of Pi may change in the future, becoming a musical instrument for enjoyment, as the sociocultural economy of the Lua-mal changes. In recent years, with the demand for biofuel, corn has increasingly become a commercial, rather than subsistence crop for the Lua-mal. If rice production declines, the role of Pi to entertain the soul of rice may be lost, and Pi may exist only as a musical instrument for an audience, and no longer limited to the specific ritual period or inside the village. It may even be used to attract and entertain tourists. Keywords: Lua-mal people, Bamboo sound-producing tool, Soul of rice, Bon Chot ritual 116 ASR: CMU Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities (2015) Vol.2 No.2 INTRODUCTION to produce sound, including what is In Southeast Asia, many kinds usually called a ‘musical instrument’, of bamboo instruments are used in should be called ‘sound-producing daily life, with a variety of purposes, tools’ generically, because the defini- including as containers, farming tools, tion of ‘musical instrument’ is differ- and musical instruments. ent among cultures and changeable, In this paper, I focus on the depending on the purpose and usage bamboo sound-producing tool called of producing sound (Tsuge, 1991). Pi, which is beaten in the Bon Chot In Southeast Asia, many kinds of ritual1, with the purpose of enter- bamboo ‘musical instruments’ exist. taining and strengthening the soul However, while some produce sound, of rice grown in a dry field, held they are not necessarily intended to by the Lua-Mal people living in the perform music. For example, Baling- mountainous area of Nan Province, bing of the Kalinga people in the Phil- Northern Thailand. ippines is used for threatening snakes I conducted research on this rit- or evil spirits en route to the fields.I ts ual held every August in Toei Klang aim is similar to the sound-producing village in Pua District, Nan Province tool farmers in Northern Thailand in 2010, 2011, and 2013. During the and Northern Lao PDR use to drive ritual period, Pi is beaten only in the animals away from the fields (Lindel Bon Chot ritual and only inside the et al., 1982; Takahashi et al., 2008). village, for entertaining the soul of In Southeast Asia, bamboo tools that rice. produce sounds, but are not used to I describe the process of the ritual, perform music, play an important and analyze the role of Pi in this role in the life of farmers. ritual. Pi is sometimes introduced Pi, which is made of bamboo as a bamboo musical instrument. and entertains and strengthens the Jittreebut analyzes the structure and soul of rice grown in a dry field, is sound of Pi using an ethno-musico- connected with the life in nature logical approach. He describes Pi as of the Lua-Mal people. However, a ‘musical instrument’ as a matter of this lifestyle is changing as they shift course (Jittreebut, 2000). However, from growing rice for self-sufficiency I hesitate to categorize it as a ‘musi- to corn as a cash crop. Given these cal instrument’, but prefer to call it changes, I discuss the possibility of a ‘sound-producing tool’ following changing the character of Pi from a Tsuge, because its character is differ- ‘sound-producing tool’ to a ‘musical ent from a musical instrument used instrument’ that might enhance tour- for entertainment among people. ism. Tsuge proposes that the tools that aim 1Bon Chot is the name in the Lua-Mal language; it is called Lua Salod in Thai. ASR: CMU Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities (2015) Vol.2 No.2 117 DISCUSSION roads, so Lua-Mal villages can com- The people of Lua-Mal and Toei municate with urban areas easily and Klang village have become influenced by consumer The people called ‘Lua’, a Mon- society. Furthermore, they have ac- Khmer speaking group, are wide- cepted Thai culture through contact ly dispersed throughout Northern with the Thai people in the plains Thailand. They settled in Northern areas and are being subsumed into Thailand before the Lanna Kingdom the Thai nation. Increasingly, young was established in the 13th century. people are leaving to work in big The people called ‘Lua’ are divided cities, such as Bangkok, and losing into two groups, the Palaung and interest in their traditional rituals in Kham sub-linguistic groups. In the process. Northern Thailand, the Lawa in Chi- Traditionally, the villagers of Toei ang Mai and Mea Hong Son belong Klang village were mostly engaged in to the Palaung and the Tin in Nan growing dry-field rice, with some corn belong to the Kham. The Lua in Nan, and herb production, all for home use. actually the Tin, are divided into two TheBon Chot ritual entertains the soul groups, Mal and Pray (Satayawattana, of rice produced in a dry field, their 1987) (Yimrewat and Ratanakul, staple food. 1996). In this paper, I report on the Mal people, who are usually called The structure and sound ofPi ‘Lua-Mal’. Pi, the sound-producing Pi is made of Mai Hia, a type of tool, is used only among the Lua- bamboo. The wall thickness of Mai Mal people.2 Hia is lighter than other types of Doi Phuka National Park in bamboo, producing a good sound. Pua District, Nan Province, con- It is used only during the ritual pe- tains around 20 villages of Lua-Mal, riod and only inside the village; the including Toei-Klang village, my re- instrument is made anew every year. search site. While many of the Lua- It is prohibited to take Pi outside Mal villages are Christian, the Toei the village. When the Nan Provincial Klan villagers believe in Buddhism Government invited the villagers to in conjunction with a spirit cult, with participate in an ethnic group festival, deities such as Chao Luang Pua, the they refused, because Pi is a sacred guardian spirit for the Pua River and tool of the village. Toei Klan village. Pi consists of a main bamboo tube The villages in the Doi Phuka (Pon), a bamboo stick (Chan) inserted National Park area, including Toei into the hole of the lower part of the Klang village, are connected by paved main bamboo tube, and a bamboo 2Another group of Lua in Nan (Tin), the Lua-Pray, also has a bamboo sound-producing tool, called Pre. It will be discussed Later. 118 ASR: CMU Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities (2015) Vol.2 No.2 stick (Awon) for beating the Chan. and strengthening the soul of rice in The sound is produced by beating the Bon Chot ritual as described below. the Chan with the Awon. Classified The soul of rice is invited to the rice by size, there are five kinds of Pi and field when the seeds are prepared for five kinds of Amkhom Pi; these are planting, and goes out from the field sounded simultaneously3. Pi consists at the time of harvest. The Bon Chot of three bamboo tubes (Pon) with ritual held every August for 10 days Chan and Awon, which are inserted is the most significant ritual in this between the fingers. The shortest tube rice planting cycle. The soul of rice is produces a high tone, the mid-length entertained and strengthened in the tube produces a medium tone, and Bon Chot ritual, then restored to good the longest tube produces a low tone. health and grown into beautiful rice. Amkhom Pi consists of two bamboo On the third day of the ritual, the tubes that create high and low tones. villagers make Pi and invite the soul of They create around 10 ‘melodies’ with rice. On the seventh and tenth days, special names (Jittreebut, 2000). The they march, beating Pi in the village, most popular melodies are Tokya, and on the tenth day they return Pi to Tamlo, and Pae; Tamlo means ‘beat the forest. On the eleventh morning, well’ and Pae means ‘the third’. In they return the soul of rice to the field. addition, some melody names are The soul of rice is invited into the derived from their sounds, such as village after the ceremony for inviting Kumbuntum, Choncarapi, and Chun- the soul of rice. Pi is made with the chui, another name for Pae. With the soul of Pi invited from the Mai Hia exception of Chama, the usage of bamboo grove, located near the Pua ‘melodies’ of Pi is not limited to time River4.
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