Volume 4, Issue 1, September 2013
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National Geographic Traveler
an APPETITE for LAOS The complexity, grace, and taste of Luang Prabang unfurl one delicious bite at a time The Nam Ou river was once a major transport route, bringing people and produce from northern Laos to Luang Prabang. By Andrew Nelson Photographs by Ewen Bell 54 NATGEOTRAVEL.COM SOMETIMES Raise a spoonful of tom kha kai, a traditional Laotian coconut chicken A PORTAL soup, to your lips, and a tantalizing perfume of lemongrass, lime, and galangal wafts upward. Its scent is ISN’T A DOOR. sublime and earthy, hot and sour. The fragrant plume comes with a peppery kick. The sensation is vivid, somehow poignant, and utterly transporting. IT’S A BOWL The memory brings a smile as I stand in a line of passengers at Luang Prabang airport, in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic. I’ve traveled OF SOUP. 9,000 miles to Southeast Asia inspired by Van Nolintha, a charismatic 32-year- old Laotian-American restaurateur in Raleigh, North Carolina, whose inventive renditions of his child- hood dishes from his native land have earned the acclaim of diners and food critics alike. Now I’ve come for a taste of the real thing. Upon leaving the airport, my first views of Laos are the Phou Thao and Phou Nang mountain ranges, which surround the ancient royal city of Luang Prabang like an embrace. The slopes are lush with trees that comb and catch the low-lying clouds. As I enter the city, a cluster of motorbikes overtakes my taxi, trailing fumes and impatience. A teenage girl, sitting sidesaddle in a Laotian silk tube skirt called a sinh, flashes past. -
Revolution, Reform and Regionalism in Southeast Asia
Revolution, Reform and Regionalism in Southeast Asia Geographically, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam are situated in the fastest growing region in the world, positioned alongside the dynamic economies of neighboring China and Thailand. Revolution, Reform and Regionalism in Southeast Asia compares the postwar political economies of these three countries in the context of their individual and collective impact on recent efforts at regional integration. Based on research carried out over three decades, Ronald Bruce St John highlights the different paths to reform taken by these countries and the effect this has had on regional plans for economic development. Through its comparative analysis of the reforms implemented by Cam- bodia, Laos and Vietnam over the last 30 years, the book draws attention to parallel themes of continuity and change. St John discusses how these countries have demonstrated related characteristics whilst at the same time making different modifications in order to exploit the strengths of their individual cultures. The book contributes to the contemporary debate over the role of democratic reform in promoting economic devel- opment and provides academics with a unique insight into the political economies of three countries at the heart of Southeast Asia. Ronald Bruce St John earned a Ph.D. in International Relations at the University of Denver before serving as a military intelligence officer in Vietnam. He is now an independent scholar and has published more than 300 books, articles and reviews with a focus on Southeast Asia, -
Laos, Known As the “Land of a Million Elephants,” Is a Landlocked Country in Southeast Asia About the Size of Kansas
DO NOT COPY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF AUTHOR Simon J. Bronner, ed. ENCYCLOPEDIA OF AMERICAN FOLKLIFE. Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe, 2005. Rachelle H. Saltzman, Iowa Arts Council, Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs [email protected] LAO Laos, known as the “Land of a Million Elephants,” is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia about the size of Kansas. The elephant symbolizes the ancient kingdom of Lan Xang, and is sacred to the Lao people, who believe it will bring prosperity to their country. Bordered by China to the north, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south, Thailand to the west, and Myanmar (formerly Burma) to the northwest, Laos is a rough and mountainous land interwoven with forests and plateaus. The Mekong River, which runs through the length of Laos and supplies water to the fertile plains of the river basin, is both symbolically and practically, the lifeline of the Lao people, who number nearly 6 million. According to Wayne Johnson, Chief for the Iowa Bureau of Refugee Services, and a former Peace Corps Volunteer, “the river has deep meaning for the ethnic Lao who are Buddhist because of the intrinsic connection of water with the Buddhist religion, a connection that does not exist for the portion of the population who are non-ethnically Lao and who are animists.” Formally known as the Kingdom of Laos, and now known as Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Laos was, in previous centuries, periodically independent and periodically part of the Khmer (Cambodian), Mongol, Vietnamese, and Thai (Siamese) empires. Lao, Thai, and Khmer (but not Vietnamese) share a common heritage evident today in similar religion, music, food, and dance traditions as well as language and dress. -
Iron Man of Laos Prince Phetsarath Ratanavongsa the Cornell University Southeast Asia Program
* fll!!I ''{f'':" ' J.,, .,.,Pc, IRON MAN OF LAOS PRINCE PHETSARATH RATANAVONGSA THE CORNELL UNIVERSITY SOUTHEAST ASIA PROGRAM The Southeast Asia Program was organized at Cornell University in the Department of Far Eastern Studies in 1950. It is a teaching and research program of interdisciplinary studies in the humanities, social sciences, and some natural sciences. It deals with Southeast Asia as a region, and with the individual countries of the area: Brunei, Burma, Indonesia, Kampuchea, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. The activities of the Program are carried on both at Cornell and in Southeast Asia. They include an undergraduate and graduate curriculum at Cornell which provides instruction by specialists in Southeast Asian cultural history and present-day affairs and offers intensive training in each of the major languages of the area. The Program sponsors group research projects on Thailand, on Indonesia, on the Philippines, and on linguistic studies of the languages of the area. At the same time, individual staff and students of the Program have done field research in every Southeast Asian country. A list of publications relating to Southeast Asia which may be obtained on prepaid order directly from the Program is given at the end of this volume. Information on Program staff, fellowships, requirements for degrees, and current course offerings is obtainable· from the Director, Southeast Asia Program, 120 Uris Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853. 11 IRON MAN OF LAOS PRINCE PHETSARATH RATANAVONGSA by "3349" Trc1nslated by .John B. �1urdoch F.di ted by · David K. \-vyatt Data Paper: Number 110 -Southeast Asia Program Department of Asian Studies Cornell University, Ithaca, New York .November 197·8 Price: $5.00 111 CORNELL UNIVERSITY SOUTHEAST ASIA PROGRAM 1978 International Standard Book Number 0-87727-110-0 iv C.ONTENTS FOREWORD • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • . -
Singing the Lives of the Buddha: Lao Folk Opera As an Educational Medium
DOCUMENT RESUME ED 368 224 FL 800 756 AUTHOR Bernard-Johnston, Jean TITLE Singing the Lives of the Buddha: Lao Folk Opera as an Educational Medium. PUB DATE May 93 NOTE 351p.; Doctoral Dissertation, University of Massachusetts, Amherst. PUB TYPE Dissertations/Theses Doctoral Dissertations (041) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC15 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS *Acculturation; Buddhism; Culture Conflict; English (Second Language); Epistemology; *Folk Culture; *Land Settlement; *Lao; Native Language Instruction; *Opera; Refugees; *Teaching Methods; Uncommonly Taught Languages ABSTRACT This dissertation explores the role of Lao folk opera as a medium for constructively addressing problems of cultural conflict and acculturative stress that have risen among lowland Lao refugees and their children in urban America. The central focus of the inquiry is on the ways Lao folk opera currently functions as a learning medium in the resettlement context. The need for validation of such locally produced endogenous media has become increasingly apparent as long term resettlement issues continue to emerge as threats to linguistic and cultural diversity. The review of literature encompasses the role of oral specialists in traditional societies, Buddhist epistemology in the Theravada tradition, and community education in rural Lao culture. These sources provide the background necessary to an understanding of the medium's capacity for encapsulating culture and teaching ethical values in ways that connect past to present, distant to near. (Author) *********************************************************************** -
A History of Siamese Music Reconstructed from Western Documents 1505-1932
A HISTORY OF SIAMESE MUSIC RECONSTRUCTED FROM WESTERN DOCUMENTS 1505-1932 This content downloaded from 96.9.90.37 on Thu, 04 Feb 2021 07:36:11 UTC All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms Introduction The writing of music history, the chief activity of the musicologist, depends almost entirely on the existence of written documents. Historical studies of various musics of the world have appeared wherever there are such documents: Europe, China, Japan, Korea, India, and in the Islamic cultural area of Western Asia and North Africa. Mainland Southeast Asia, however, has remained much of a musico-historical void since little has remained besides oral traditions and a few stone carvings, although Vietnamese music is an exception to this statement. The fact that these countries have so few trained musicologists also contributes to the lack of research. In the case of the Kingdom of Thailand, known before 1932 as Siam, little has been attempted in the way of music history in languages other than Thai, and those in Thai, also not plentiful, remain unknown to the outside world.l Only the European-trained Prince Damrong has attempted a comprehensive history, but it is based as much on tradition and conjecture as on concrete evidence and is besides quite brief. David Morton's classic study of Thai traditional music, The Traditional Music of Thailand, includes some eighteen pages of history, mostly based on oral traditions, conjecture, circumstantial evidence from neighboring musical cultures (Cambodia, China, and India), and some from the same documents used in this study. At least three reasons can be given for the lack of historical materials originating in Thailand. -
Appendix Appendix
APPENDIX APPENDIX DYNASTIC LISTS, WITH GOVERNORS AND GOVERNORS-GENERAL Burma and Arakan: A. Rulers of Pagan before 1044 B. The Pagan dynasty, 1044-1287 C. Myinsaing and Pinya, 1298-1364 D. Sagaing, 1315-64 E. Ava, 1364-1555 F. The Toungoo dynasty, 1486-1752 G. The Alaungpaya or Konbaung dynasty, 1752- 1885 H. Mon rulers of Hanthawaddy (Pegu) I. Arakan Cambodia: A. Funan B. Chenla C. The Angkor monarchy D. The post-Angkor period Champa: A. Linyi B. Champa Indonesia and Malaya: A. Java, Pre-Muslim period B. Java, Muslim period C. Malacca D. Acheh (Achin) E. Governors-General of the Netherlands East Indies Tai Dynasties: A. Sukhot'ai B. Ayut'ia C. Bangkok D. Muong Swa E. Lang Chang F. Vien Chang (Vientiane) G. Luang Prabang 954 APPENDIX 955 Vietnam: A. The Hong-Bang, 2879-258 B.c. B. The Thuc, 257-208 B.C. C. The Trieu, 207-I I I B.C. D. The Earlier Li, A.D. 544-602 E. The Ngo, 939-54 F. The Dinh, 968-79 G. The Earlier Le, 980-I009 H. The Later Li, I009-I225 I. The Tran, 1225-I400 J. The Ho, I400-I407 K. The restored Tran, I407-I8 L. The Later Le, I4I8-I8o4 M. The Mac, I527-I677 N. The Trinh, I539-I787 0. The Tay-Son, I778-I8o2 P. The Nguyen Q. Governors and governors-general of French Indo China APPENDIX DYNASTIC LISTS BURMA AND ARAKAN A. RULERS OF PAGAN BEFORE IOH (According to the Burmese chronicles) dat~ of accusion 1. Pyusawti 167 2. Timinyi, son of I 242 3· Yimminpaik, son of 2 299 4· Paikthili, son of 3 . -
Song As Precedence to Dance: Understanding the Pedagogy Of
The Japan Foundation Asia Center Asia Fellowship Report Maria Christine Muyco Song as Precedence to Dance: Understanding The Pedagogy of Learning Kinnari in Ventiane, Laos By Maria Christine Muyco and Nouth Phouthavongsa (This research is funded by the Japan Foundation Asia Center) INTRODUCTION Noi or Nok is the Lao term for bird. In the Children Cultural Center of Sailom Village in Vientiane, Laos, you can hear children singing the repeated word “noi, noi, noi…”. The introduction of a song about “A lady who is a bird,” (referring to Kinnari), is one of the first things that is known in the Center. This is precedence to the actual dance of kinnari. Kinnari, side by side its lover, the kinnara, are protector gods in Buddhist and Hindu mythology. They are said to look after human beings from their home, the Himalayas. As celestial musicians, they are represented in musical instruments such as the Indian veena (lute) made after Kinnari, known as Kinnari Veena. In Southeast Asia, particularly, she is portrayed having a human head, torso, and arms; and a swan’s tail, wings, and feet. Inhabiting the Himavanta forest, she sings magical melodies with heartfelt poetry and dances gracefully. With her deep love and loyalty for her mate, she is admired and looked up to as a feminine symbol. This article focuses on what kinnari’ism means in Laos. In particular, it looks at the pedagogy used in the Center (which I refer to in short for Ventiane’s Children Cultural Center), the foundation venue for learning of the youth. The Center was established in 1994 with the initiative of the Ministry of Information, Culture, and Tourism whose objective is to promote national culture through children. -
Buddhism, Power and Political Order
BUDDHISM, POWER AND POLITICAL ORDER Weber’s claim that Buddhism is an otherworldly religion is only partially true. Early sources indicate that the Buddha was sometimes diverted from supra- mundane interests to dwell on a variety of politically related matters. The significance of Asoka Maurya as a paradigm for later traditions of Buddhist kingship is also well attested. However, there has been little scholarly effort to integrate findings on the extent to which Buddhism interacted with the polit- ical order in the classical and modern states of Theravada Asia into a wider, comparative study. This volume brings together the brightest minds in the study of Buddhism in Southeast Asia. Their contributions create a more coherent account of the relations between Buddhism and political order in the late pre-modern and modern period by questioning the contested relationship between monastic and secular power. In doing so, they expand the very nature of what is known as the ‘Theravada’. This book offers new insights for scholars of Buddhism, and it will stimulate new debates. Ian Harris is Professor of Buddhist Studies at the University of Cumbria, Lancaster, and was Senior Scholar at the Becket Institute, St Hugh’s College, University of Oxford, from 2001 to 2004. He is co-founder of the UK Association for Buddhist Studies and has written widely on aspects of Buddhist ethics. His most recent book is Cambodian Buddhism: History and Practice (2005), and he is currently responsible for a research project on Buddhism and Cambodian Communism at the Documentation Center of Cambodia [DC-Cam], Phnom Penh. ROUTLEDGE CRITICAL STUDIES IN BUDDHISM General Editors: Charles S. -
Pu Ja Drumming in Tai Lue Cultural Group
PSYCHOLOGY AND EDUCATION (2021) 58(4): 1889-1896 Article Received: 08th October, 2020; Article Revised: 15th February, 2021; Article Accepted: 20th March, 2021 The changes in cultural identity of the Mekong ethnic group: Pu Ja drumming In Tai Lue cultural group Nattapong Pundontong Doctoral student (Ph.D.) Program in Music, Khon Kaen University, Thailand [email protected] ABSTRACT The objective of this research was to analyze the changes in the Pu Ja drumming culture of the Tai Lue ethnic group in the Mekong river basin using qualitative research method. The studied population was the Tai Lue people in Thailand, Burma, China, and Laos. The specific sample was studied, namely, folk philosophers, monks, Pu Ja drum scholars, and community leaders. The instruments used in the study were the observation forms and interview forms. The data was analyzed with the content analysis method. The research results revealed that the Pu Ja drum was still an important musical instrument in the ritual and the Buddhist beliefs of the Tai Lue ethnic group in Lanna strongly. The cultural methods and inheritance of the important identity of the Tai Lue ethnic group could maintain the Buddhism in the Lanna society. Although there are several changes when the time passes by, Pu Ja drum is still a part of life in the Tai Lue ethnic group which is part of the Mekong ethnic group that cannot be separated easily until the present. Besides, it is a good confirmation that the Pu Ja drum is also important to the devotion of Buddhism that the Tai Lue ethnic group strongly and continuously has to Buddhism until now Keywords Pu Ja drum, identity, changes, Tai Lue ethnic cultural ways Article Received: 10 August 2020, Revised: 25 October 2020, Accepted: 18 November 2020 Introduction found that there are ethnic groups of Tai or Thai with similar language family roots despite being divided by the The musical instruments in the family of gongs and drums government of each country. -
The Khaen: Place, Power, Permission, and Performance
THE KHAEN: PLACE, POWER, PERMISSION, AND PERFORMANCE by Anne Greenwood B.Mus., The University of British Columbia, 2011 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS in The Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (Ethnomusicology) THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA Vancouver June 2016 © Anne Greenwood, 2016 Abstract While living in the Isan region of Thailand I had the opportunity to start learning the traditional wind instrument the khaen (in Thai, แคน, also transliterated as khène). This thesis outlines the combination of methods that has allowed me to continue to play while tackling broader questions surrounding permission and place that arise when musicians, dancers, or artists work with materials from other cultures. Through an examination of the geographical, historical, and social contexts of the Isan region I have organized my research around the central themes of place, power, permission, and performance. My intent is to validate the process of knowledge acquisition and the value of what one has learned through action, specifically musical performance, and to properly situate such action within contemporary practice where it can contribute to the development and continuation of an endangered art form. ii Preface This thesis is original, unpublished, independent work by the author, Anne Greenwood. iii Table of Contents Abstract .......................................................................................................................................... ii Preface -
Highlights Highlights
© Lonely Planet Publications 343 L a o s HIGHLIGHTS Luang Prabang – enchanted mystical city of treasured wats, French cuisine and Indochinese villas overlooking the Mekong River ( p368 ) Luang Nam Tha and Muang Sing – taking eco-conscious treks into the feral jungle of Nam Ha National Protected Area and ethnic Akha villages ( p385 , p387 ) Si Phan Don – a lazy maze of shady islands and rocky islets, home to the rare Irrawaddy dolphin ( p400 ) Wat Phu Champasak – Khmer-era ruins perfectly placed beneath a mountain facing the peaceful riverside village of Champasak ( p399 ) Bolaven Plateau – home to the best coffee in Laos and dotted with ice-cold waterfalls to relieve the heat of the south ( p398) Off the beaten track – visiting Vieng Xai caves, the remote and forbidding home of Pathet Lao revolutionaries and the prison of the last king of Laos ( p382 ) FAST FACTS ATMs two in Vientiane, one in Luang Prabang, Vang Vieng and Pakse, all with international facilities Budget US$15 to US$20 a day Capital Vientiane Costs city guesthouse US$4-10, four-hour bus ride US$1.50, Beer Lao US$0.80 Country code %856 Languages Lao, ethnic dialects Money US$1 = 9627 kip Phrases sábąai-dii (hello), sábąai-dii (good- bye), khàwp jąi (thank you) Population 6.5 million Time GMT + seven hours Visas Thirty-day tourist visas are available arrival in Vientiane, Luang Prabang and in advance in Thailand, China, Vietnam or Pakse international airports, and when Cambodia. On-the-spot 30-day visas are crossing the border from Thailand, China available for US$30 with two photos on and Vietnam.