From: ssg9328@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Samart Srijumnong)
Subject: Re: Tham-Kwan+ ceremony (posted for Cliff Sloane)
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Mon, 25 Jan 1993 07:47:44 GMT
Keywords: Thailand


>I am doing some work on the Tham-Khwan+ ceremony, and have some questions
>that some of you may be able to answer.

>1. When is the Tham-Khwan+ used for healing purposes? When people decide
>   to use this as part of therapy, what other therapies are they likely to
>   have tried?

First of all, let's begin with the concept of Khwan+ in Thai culture. Thai
people believe that every being, man and animal alike, has Khwan+ which is
probably the same as "soul" as is believed by a relatively more modern
populace. This Khwan+ can leave the physical body and travel to places 
inconceivable to human beings. Hence, Riak"Khwan+ ceremony is arranged 
for a sick person whose Khwan+ is believed to leave the body and travel.
As Riak" means to call, Riak"Kwan+ ceremony is an action to recall the 
Khwan+ bring good health to the person. In other occasions, Khwan+
ceremony is done to assure the success of passing to another status..
somewhat like the rites of passage, e.g. the Riak"Khwan+Naak (when
a man is becoming a monk). 


As far as healing, Riak"Khwan+ is regarded as an effective way to restore
the health of the person. Not all kinds of sickness, however, are regarded
healing purpose in those cases. Fever is mostly a relevant syndrom to be
healed by Khwan+ ceremony.
healing purpose. 

When the word Khwan+ is prefixed by Tham- as used by Khun Cliff, it has
of the counterparts. However, Tham-Khwan+ is also used to mean Khwan+
ceremony in general. 

Another word used as the prefix of the term Khwan+ is Suu' as in Suu'Khwan+.
Such phrase is widely used in the North and the Northeast of the country.
It probably has the same meaning as Riak"Khwan+. 
 

>2. How are the various Tham-Khwan+ ceremonies different? For example, how
>   does a healing ceremony differ from the Tham' Khwan+ Naa"?

I am not quite sure what Tham-Khwan+Naa" is but there are many types of
Khwan+ ceremony. In the book, Pra'Pe-Nii-Boo-Raan-Thai-Ii-Saan+ written
by Phramahapreecha Parinno, Ubonrajathani: Siritham Printing House, 1982, 
the writer describes Suu'Khwan+ ceremony in various contexts: for new mother
(MEE"OOk'Kam-), for the newly born baby (Dek+Noi"), Suu'Khwan+Huen- (Ruen =>
house), Suu'Khwan+Luang+, Suu'Khwan+Kwian (cart), Suu'Khwan+Kaw"Kuen"Law^
(rice being brought to the barn), Suu'Khwan+Naak" (person being ordained),
Suu'Khwan+Baw'Saw+ (bride and groom), Suu'Khwan+Khon-Puey' (sick person), 
Suu'Khwan+Kuen"Baan"Mai' (home warming), Suu'Khwan+Gnua-Khwai- (cattle), 
and the likes. The book is in Thai.

Different practices are done for these different purposes, one of which is
the words chanted by the magicman. 

Another book, Muang Metaphysics by Richard B.Davis (Bangkok: Bandora, 1984),
there is one part under topic "Buffalo Suukhwan" which neatly explains 
the ceremony including cosmological background, procedures, chanting words,
for example (pp. 165-169). 

>3. According to Phya Anuman Rajadhon, the latter is the most common. Is
>   this an accurate statement? 

I was trying to look up for the term used here by Khun Cliff in one of Phya
Anuman Rajadhon's books, Essays on Cultural Thailand, in the chapter on
"The Khwan and Shaving of the Fire-hair ceremonies," but could not find 
the usage of the phrase. I would probably base on different reference, I
guess. 

>4. I have a commercial recording of Tham-Khan+Naa" that begins with a
>   ranad playing Sathoukan. Is it considered essential to begin a ceremony
>   with Sathoukan? Do they ever play the rest of the Hom+Rong-?

Assuming Khun Cliff meant Tham-Khwan+Naak", yes there are some music played
during the ceremony. Sathoukan is normally used for any ceremony that will
bring in good effect (Mong-Khon-). My background knowledge on Thai traditional
music is too little to comment on Hom+Roong- though it sounds, to me, like
the music which used in theartical performance, e.g. Likay. 

>For references, I have the following on hand:
>various essays by Phya Anuman Rajadhon
>passing mention of Sathoukan in Dhanit Yupho's essay for the National
>Museum publication series.
>Deborah Wong's article on the Hom+Rong- in the Wai"Khru- ceremony.
>Can anyone suggest other places for me to look? Thank you. Please reply to:

>Cliff Sloane :: cesloane@staff.tc.umn.edu
>Metropolitan State University