Khao San Dam: The Archaeological Evidence of Burnt Rice Festival in Southern Thailand | ข้าวสารดำา: หลักฐานทางโบราณคดีเกี่ยวกับประเพณีการเผาข้าวในภาคใต้ของ ประเทศไทย
Authors:   Fine Arts Department, Ministry of Culture, Yukongdi Pakpadee 
Published: December 2021

Recently in 2021the 11th office of the Fine Arts Department, Songkhla has reported their annual excavations in Trang Province that archaeologists have found some set of rice while excavation in process namely,1) Khao Kurum Archaeological Site, Huai Yod District and 2) Napala Archaeological Site, Muang District. The artifacts which were found associated with the rice grains on the habitation layer consisted of potsherds, animal bones, grindstone, beads, etc. The grains of rice are short and brown in colour which is examined as carbonized since the beginning at its first left. The primary examination by archaeologists has classified the rice of Napala Archaeological Site as short grain of probably Orysa sativa (Indica or Aus) rice. AMS Radiocarbon dating by Beta Analytic Testing Laboratory shows the AMS standard results and calibration dating of charred material measured radiocarbon age:1440±30BP. Because of their geographical location, both sites are incredibly located on one side of the hill slope, where they were suitable for habitat and plantation, especially tiny paddy fields and farms with sufficient water supply either small stream or well. The found rice, which now still grows uphill, probably called ‘Khao rai’ needs less water or no marsh. Comparative study of ethnographic “Atong” 1 of 12 sub-tribes of the “Garos” Tibeto-Burman in Meghalaya, India which originated slash-and-burnt socio-groups, have shown an interest in growing rice activity. According to their ritual ceremony for planting of paddy, other grain, and seeds takes place. There are many ritualistic offerings of rice such as (1) flattened rice by asking for permission to cultivate the land from the first harvested paddy in May. (2) After the harvesting in September or October, the 1st ceremony of the agricultural year is a thanksgiving ceremony to mark the end of a period of toil in the fields and harvesting of bumper crops, which is probably the most important festival of the Garos locally called “Maidan syla” meant to celebrate the after-harvested festival or burnt rice festival. Their 2nd ceremony is to revive the monsoon clouds. People throw cooked rice on the floor to symbolize hailstones. Noticing the rice, were probably the assemblage of “Khao San Dam” in many activities of these ceremonies, that is the archaeological evidence found in Khao Kurum and Napala Archaeological Sites. In the Southern part of Thailand, once the crops have already cultivated, people celebrate to welcome their outcrops most probably at the end of September to October and mark their end of plantation before the monsoon come. People prepare 4 main rice desserts put together with other necessity stuffs in the “hmrub” special large containers and donate to the ancestors through Buddhist ceremony. Though archaeological evidence shows that southern peninsular was where the migrants from the west especially India origins, who shared same habitat of hillslope, might brought their different traditions through both land trans-peninsular and sea routes then settled down inner western or eastern coast since prehistoric times. The beliefs in animism might belong to some other western migrants and with having “hmrub” is one of their unique cultural characteristic material and tradition remain. Once they settled down then converged to Buddhism, the ritual ceremony may be changed due to religion, but tradition remains the same today, that is, Bun Duean Sib on the 10th of the lunar month or September-October.