Comments on: The origins of power

By: Leif Jonsson

Leif Jonsson — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 21:41:35 +0000

It seems that a people’s relationship with such spirits is what makes a place and keeps it (sometimes) safe from outside attacks. Wyatt relates that one old chronicle of Nan mentions several attacks (from Yunnan and Siam, 14th and 15th c) were repelled with the help of guardian spirits, who were then in Pua, an earlier capital. This chronicle “then gives us a list of twenty-one localities, each of which had regularly to provide specific quantities of lumber for the renovation or rebuilding of these halls [guardian spirit houses]“. Of course, this outsourcing is what marks a kingdom from a village, but there is otherwise a clear structural parallel. Wyatt continues; “The section concludes by telling how the spirits twice killed rulers who did not pay proper attention to them”. So, in reaction to your interesting piece, I think the classification of “external forces and more localised nodes of influence” may need to be tinkered with.

By: Andrew Walker

Andrew Walker — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 06:56:02 +0000

Hi Leif, thanks for the comment. I don’t think anyone in Baan Tiam thinks of the “lord of the lucky tree” as an actual historical figure in any literal sense. But he is, more generally, associated with historical events – such as the incident with the Burmese soldiers. Some may also see him as representing the former (original?) residents of the area, the Lawa. I should also add that the “lord” has many other names – but I would have to dig around in my field notes to find them!

By: Leif Jonsson

Leif Jonsson — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 02:03:24 +0000

This is a question out of ignorance; is the “lord of the lucky tree” made up or was this some title/character? I ask because among Mien highland neighbors, they would invite the soul of the most powerful local official to become the guardian spirit of a village (these were phaya and jao-luang, some were said to have been Burmese). The Mien are of course not “average” highland people, there is considerable variation within and among ethnic groups, but the patterns in anchoring households and villages to the worlds of states and spirits/divinities are fun to play with in terms of historical configurations of power and place and people.