วารสารครุศาสตร์ปริทรรศน์ฯ - ๑๕๗ – ปีที่ ๕ ฉบับที่ ๒ พฤษภาคม-สิงหาคม ๒๕๖๑ Traditional Skills and Knowledge of the Tai People of NE India Wilaisak Kingkham๑ Introduction Historically, the Northeastern part of India is, nowadays, the geographically inhabited location, where, long ago, the racial groups of Mongoloid people have settled down. So far as we know thoroughly, the Mongoloid were very rich of various language families such as the speakers of Indo-Chinese language belonged under Mon-Khmer family etc. The other groups of Indo-Chinese language such as Siamese- Chinese etc., were known and realized well, and especially, Shan was grouped and included in the earlier said Siamese-Chinese as well. Primarily, the group of Shan or Tai people, according to the credible ethnic history, was found the existence in Yunnan. After that, they emigrated from the valley in the Southern part of Yunnan to the Shweli valley, where was located in the upper part of Burma in the sixth century. Afterwards, in the thirteenth century, the Tai Ahom minority people entered into Assam and then they, nowadays, still live in this state, where is located in the Northeastern part of India. The Tai Ahom people, as observed generally, have their severally subdivided groups namely; Shane state composed of Tai Khamti, Tai Phake, Tai Aiton, Tai Turung and Tai Khamyang. Their geographical evidences of the habitation, at the present time, can obviously be found in the administrative district of Dibrugarh and Sibsagar, state of Assam and beyond the administrative district of Lohit, state of Arunachal Pradesh. ๑Associate Professor Wilaisak Kingkham Ph.D. Former Dean of Faculty of Humanities, Kasetsart University, Thailand. This article is presented in the international seminar during 4-5 March 2014 organized by Dibrugarh University, Assam, India. วารสารครุศาสตร์ปริทรรศน์ฯ - ๑๕๘ – ปีที่ ๕ ฉบับที่ ๒ พฤษภาคม-สิงหาคม ๒๕๖๑ Traditional Skills conduct (Sila), charity (Dana) and With respect to Tai people, they, wisdom (Panya). extensively speaking, were trained and 4. Samajivita: Tai people with the taught profoundly through the thorough suitable and comfortable livelihood, are principles of doctrine in Buddhism that able to think analytically and desire the they have obtained the religious sufficiency life by not to spend too little succession continually from Burma. and too much money through their own Undoubtedly, they have brought such incomes together with expenses. the Buddhist principles of doctrine in Contrarily, they emphasize and seek for order to guide the good, right and the stable way to increase their more suitable livelihood and, sometime, apply incomes than expenses, prefer to spend to earn living in their everyday life. For economically and make saving for the an example regarding the Buddhist necessary circumstances. principles of doctrine that Tai people Usually, the group of Tai people used usually in life style, is about the will hold fast to the Buddhist principles Fourfold Virtues Leading to Benefits in of doctrine strictly and firmly. In the Present (Ditthadhammikattha- particularly, they earn living that Samvattanika-Dhamma) namely comprised of the honest and right 1. Utthanasampada: Tai people livelihood. According to the Buddhist with the fully conducted diligence principles of doctrine as mentioned in towards their professional works, an the above, it can obviously be observed honest livelihood and professional skills, and touched from the Tai people’s are endowed absolutely with the behavior through the thorough achievement of wealthy to earn living. professions as follows; 2. Arakhasampada: Tai people with 1. Tai people are able to work, the watchfulness are endowed exactly grow rice, earn living, know how to work with the achievement of wealth and choose the suitable seeds of rice for collection and protection including the growing at farm in different seasons and succeeded works, which are derived receive the good product later. from the hard effort and diligence. 2. Tai people are able to garden. 3. Kalyanamittata: Tai people, who That is to say that they know to do are omniscient in order to associate with kitchen garden and bring the kitchen good company, can think analytically to garden plants in order to cook such as build up friendship with only the person, vegetable and fruit etc. They grow who is full of the faith (Saddha), moral banana tree and sweet potato not only for eating, but also for selling in order to วารสารครุศาสตร์ปริทรรศน์ฯ - ๑๕๙ – ปีที่ ๕ ฉบับที่ ๒ พฤษภาคม-สิงหาคม ๒๕๖๑ increase more incomes to their family 2) Kindly Speech (Piyavaca): Tai status. people like to use the lovely, polite and 3. Tai people are able to do sweet speech in order to bear the needlework. That is to say that all the goodwill and love each others. groups of Tai people as specified in the 3) Useful Conduct (Atthacariya): Tai above have about the intellectual ability people prefer to conduct the valuable, to do weaving for both the personal use useful and beneficial things for the and selling. Especially, the cloth that general public and the other people they have weaved consists of and concerned in their associations or reflects upon the differently conducted societies. symbols of Tai people in state of Assam 4) Even and Equal Treatment and Arunachal Pradesh. (Samanattata): Tai people know to do 4. Tai people compose of the the equality consisting in the impartiality generosity and like to help each others. and participation and behaving oneself That is to say that they probably prefer properly in all the circumstances to exchange both the eatable and namely; status, condition, person, event uneatable belongings among the groups and environment. of Tai people such as; chicken to be In accordance with the light as exchanged with rice and chili to be specified in the above, an example of exchanged with banana etc. the story regarding Tai people would be 5. Tai people hold fast to the brought to show here in order to sufficiency economic system. All the illustrate clearly. The Tai Phake people, groups of Tai people follow explicitly like other groups of Tai people, are about the contentment (Santosa) as regarded as an important group in given in Buddhism and they are cleaver Assam that their community, as in order to spend money as much as observed generally, is very strong and necessary. Particularly, they like to hold stable by pushing the village into and pay attention to practice extremely development and supporting the about the following Fourfold Bases of children into education in their own Social Solidarity (Sangahavathu) for each community. By doing so, their village has others. increasingly been developed and, at the 1) Giving (Dana): Tai people have same time, incomes of the Tai Phake gladness to give, generosity, charity and people, who are educated, have help each other via giving the general obviously been increased highly. materials or belongings as well as the Consequently, the Tai Phake people, at useful knowledge and instruction. the present time, become the already วารสารครุศาสตร์ปริทรรศน์ฯ - ๑๖๐ – ปีที่ ๕ ฉบับที่ ๒ พฤษภาคม-สิงหาคม ๒๕๖๑ developed men in both the balanced Buddha’s Doctrines). Another important materials and spirits, and especially, Buddhist literature is Poo Sorn Lan their faces, sincerely speaking, are full of (Grandfather Taught Grandchild) that the the happy smiles. beneficial doctrines of Buddhism about the sevenfold aspects of wife have been Clinging to the Buddhist Principles of added. Regarding the Sevenfold Types Doctrine of Wives as mentioned earlier, it is As observed generally, the several classified by considering thoroughly the ethnic groups of Tai people came from morality, behavior, habit and practices the important base of Buddhist to husband as follows; followers. Nowadays, almost Tai people, 1. Vadhakabhariya: a wife, like a except Tai Ahom and Tai Khamyang that slayer, has malice, lives together as wife are similar to Assamese, still follow the without contentment, enjoys associating principles of doctrine as given in with other men and always thinks in Buddhism strictly. Moreover, for Tai order to destroy her own husband. Ahom and Tai Khamyang people, 2. Coribhariya: a wife, like a robber, sometime the practical way of likes to steal the husband’s wealth. So, Buddhism has implicitly been changed this kind of wife can be compared with in order to approach to the Hindu robber. activities. In the past time, the Tai 3. Ayyabhariya: a wife is lazy to people composed about the Buddhist work, always do nothing without eating, literatures by emphasizing the usage of being sharp-tongued, rude, ruthless and Tai language as the original manuscript. she likes to bully own husband. So, this At the present time, the earlier said kind of wife can be compared with valuable literatures have been studied mistress. and transliterated as appeared in 4. Matabhariya: a wife, like Buddhist temples of Assam and mother, always wishes own husband to Arunachal Pradesh. get well, takes care husband, like According to the original mother takes care child, and prefers to manuscript of Tai people, it is disclosed keep or collect the wealth that own that Tai language was used to write in husband worked hardly and such the manuscript aged about 1,000 overwhelmed. So, this kind of wife can years. It is discovered and kept in the be compared with mother. Buddhist temple. This original 5. Bhaginibhariya: a wife likes to manuscript is called among Tai people respect to own husband, as if the as the Tripikaka (Three Baskets of younger sister or brother respects to the วารสารครุศาสตร์ปริทรรศน์ฯ - ๑๖๑ – ปีที่ ๕ ฉบับที่ ๒ พฤษภาคม-สิงหาคม ๒๕๖๑ elder one, being gentle-mined, Tai people in Assam have the courteous and follows own husband. So, important identity for each group. this kind of wife can be compared with Villages will locate around the temple younger sister/ brother. and school. Importantly, they will set 6. Sakhibhariya: a wife, like the temple to play a large role as the companion, has good behavior and is central place in order to run the glad to see own husband as if friends different religious activities.