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MASCULINITY and the THAI DOVE-COOING CONTEST Wanni Wibulswasdi Anderson1 Abstract

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MASCULINITY and the THAI DOVE-COOING CONTEST Wanni Wibulswasdi Anderson1 Abstract BEYOND THE COCKFIGHT: fanciers enter their prized doves into the arena MASCULINITY AND THE and hope to be a winner. It is a “deeper play” in the Geertzian sense. THAI DOVE-COOING CONTEST Introduction 1 “Goog-groo gog gog! Goog-groo gog gog!” Wanni Wibulswasdi Anderson This is how the Thai novel, Golden Necklace (Soi Tong), begins. The novel is an acclaimed Abstract work by a village school headmaster in Sukhothai, Nimit Phumetaworn, an award The Dove-cooing contest in Thailand began as winner for Thai literature in 1976. The sound a leisure activity, the hobby of a particular heard at the beginning of the novel is that of a group of men who found peace, pleasure, and dove cooing. It is a domesticated dove whose enjoyment in listening to the songs of the owner Loy has named Golden Necklace. singing doves. Some hoped for good luck in raising doves with propitious characteristics. The song soars clear and low, to The hobby developed into a sport through the Loy’s delight. initiative of the Association of Dove Breeders in Thailand. The Association’s encouragement Loy snaps his fingers and makes vocal of dove breeding found enthusiastic support sounds, his response to the dove’s from dove lovers in all regions, especially in cooing. He walks over to the cage of Southern Thailand where many prize-winning Golden Necklace, his favorite doves came from. The study presents the songbird. Bobbing his head up and training and care of doves, selected scenes of down, clever Golden Necklace continues to coo. He struts around the the contest, the rules by which the singing cage, occasionally thrusting his head doves are judged, and analyzes multiple between the wooden slats of the cage structural and ideational dynamics involved in to show off the shining pattern of the event. Not simply a folk sport, an animal black, white, and brown circling his sport in and of itself, the dove-cooing contest neck like a necklace that has been is about the dove fancier. But it also painted on by an artist. His eyes, transcends the individual. In its national, round and clear, sparkle like clear societal context, the people who organize and drops of water. participate in the event are more socially and ethnically diverse, more socially aware, and Golden Necklace is Loy's friend, his more engaged in the needs of the community. consolation for his loneliness and The contest facilitates boundary-crossings: anxiety. Loy loves Golden Necklace ethnic, social, economic, regional, and as if he were a son - his second son, international - as diverse groups of dove next to his only son Ruay. Golden Necklace never fails to please Loy with his cooing of welcome when he 1 Professor, Department of Anthropology and sees Loy step up into the house. And Ethnic Studies Concentration, Brown University Downloaded from Brill.com09/23/2021 01:36:14PM via free access Beyond the Cockfight: Masculinity and the Thai Dove-Cooing Contest whenever Loy returns home late from system continues to inform and shape his rice paddy, he finds Golden contemporary Thai ways of life and behaviors. Necklace cooing excitedly in a quick tempo and running around the cage The dove-cooing contest can be best happily at the sight of Loy. Playfully understood as a development of multiple he pecks Loy's hand. Had there been meanings within a complex of activities no slats on the cage, he probably analyzed here on several levels. The analysis would have embraced Loy. discusses dove cooing as a process, the sport as an outgrowth of a historical development of To buyers interested in Golden Necklace, Loy men’s hobby, as a cultural behavior associated responds, "Even though I’m dirt poor, I’d with a certain constellation of personality never sell him. Not even for an ox-cart full of characteristics, and as a milieu for creating rice!" interactional networks crosscutting multiple social boundaries and nation-state territories. Loy looks after Golden Necklace better than By tracing the history of the evolution of the he looks after himself. He handcrafted the dove-cooing contest, its popularity, and why beautiful cage for Golden Necklace himself. so many Thais are enamored with this sport, I With his sharp knife, he smoothes the bamboo further intend to shed some light on the slats and smokes them to give them a beautiful interconnection between dove-raising as a golden shine. He binds the slats together with hobby, the Thai world view of birds in their rattan strips. To make sure there is enough natural habitat, and, as most dove-raisers are food for Golden Necklace the whole year men, the Thai concept of masculinity. round, he grows makoe grass, rice, and maize (Phumetaworn 2525:1-2) Raising Doves as a Hobby Phumetaworn skillfully crafts a representation The hobby of keeping and raising doves as of the close bond between a pet dove and his pets in the region which is now Thailand dates owner in Thai culture. The integration of this at least back to the period of the Khmer Thai animal sport and hobby into the realm of political dominance of the area. Bas-reliefs in literary representation makes his novel a rare two Cambodian stone temples, Phanom Rung treat to folklorists. The bonding between man Temple in Buriram and Phimai Temple in and animal encapsulates many of the basic Koraj, depict a village scene of houses on tenets in Thai culture and depicts Thai stilts, with grass roofs and bamboo dove cages individuals like the protagonist Loy as hanging from the eves. It is assumed that agencies of their own life choices, dove-raising was most likely also practiced negotiations, likes and dislikes, and how they later on during the Ayudhya period, but due to see themselves in relation to others. the destruction of written documents after Ayudhya was sacked by the Burmese, no I shall trace the evolution of the Thai hobby of written record exists to verify it. Through time, raising doves, from being avian pets into the dove-raising has developed to become a contemporary sport of the dove-cooing science of its own. During the last two contest, the fastest growing folk sport in centuries of the present Chakri Dynasty, two Thailand, and how the traditional Thai value 81 Downloaded from Brill.com09/23/2021 01:36:14PM via free access MANUSYA: Journal of Humanities (Special Issue No.9 2005) kings, King Nagklao (1824 -1851) and King The royal treatise imparts numerous meanings Chomklao (1851-1868), ordered a compilation to doves. Some doves were praised for the of existing data on doves from dove experts. aesthetic quality of their songs. Others were King Chomklao wrote a treatise on doves in coveted for certain physical markers- shape, poetic form himself (Wannaprasert 2528a: 40- coloration, and markings - that were 69, Kananurak 2531 4-24) thereby elevating considered auspicious. Luck-giving doves, the prestige of dove-raising as a hobby through such as a white dove, a dove with a necklace such royal endorsement. “A dove that sings around its neck, with yellow rings around its ‘gu ru pong’ is as valuable as a diamond,” eyes, or a dove with 13-15 tail feathers, were King Rama IV wrote. The final long note of believed to bring owners their high position, the dove song, vocalized either as “pong, status, prosperity and happiness, and even gong, or wong” are vocal markers of good protection from danger. The treatise lists 59 singing doves (Wannaprasert 2528a: 9). King propitious characteristics and 19 unpropitious Chomklao’s view is shared by contemporary characteristics in doves (Wannaprasert dove lovers. Wannaprasert, a contemporary 2528b:115). There appears to exist in the Thai author of books on doves, ranks dove-raising dove taxonomy then, two recognized as a hobby higher than raising orchids, a categories by which men selected doves to hobby of many Thai men. He justifies his raise. In the first category are doves raised for ranking, claiming “A good singing dove is their physical characteristics, associated with rarer and harder to find than a beautiful popular religion and with eliciting positive orchid” (Wannprasart 2528a:8). “A gift of a instrumental benefits. In the second category good singing dove is a precious gift and a are doves raised for their beautiful singing ‘debt of gratitude’ that is always remembered voices, associated with eliciting positive by the receiver,” said another dove fancier aesthetic appreciation and pleasure. (Wichai Tantisatjaphirat, personal communication, 2530). Dr. Prasop Until recently, both luck-giving doves and Rattanakorn, a well-known Thai psychiatrist, singing doves were trapped from the wild. sees its merits from the mental health Loy, the protagonist in the novel mentioned perspective. “The singing of the doves is an above, pursues his hobby by spending days excellent therapy for mental patients. A and days in the forest, tracking and luring the family that raises doves as pets will never see coveted dove. Given the difficulties of a mentally ill person,” Dr. Rattanakorn obtaining doves under these circumstances, it proclaimed (Laosat 2526:79). The is difficult to know if both types were equally therapeutic value of pets has been similarly sought after. In contemporary dove-raising avocated by American psychiatrists. Many circles where, since 1971, most doves are states in America have a program in which bred in captivity (Wannaprasert 2528b:131), dogs and cats are occasionally taken to homes most doves are sought for their melodious for senior citizens to give the elderly the singing voices. This in itself is noteworthy. pleasure of petting them and hearing the For contemporary dove fanciers, clearly the happy purring of cats.
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