Abstract:
To study the folk literature, both oral and written, of the so-called Luang Phrabang Lao groups, who came to settle in Amphoe Dansai, Loei Province, and Amphoe Lom Kao and Amphoe Lom Sak, Phetchabun Province, from Luang Phrabang, the old capital of Laos, some two hundred years ago. The aim of this thesis is twofold, namely, to describe the nature of the extant Lao folk literature in the areas covered by this thesis, and to assess its role in preserving the cultural identity of the Luang Phrabang lao in their new cultural milieu. The findings of this study reveal that the Luang Phrabang Lao groups in Thailand still cling to their cultural heritage, but in the meanwhile, they have had to adapt themselves to the new political and socio-economic environment. To further preserve their identity they proved creative in producing new pieces of oral and written folk literature. Folk literature, thus, played an important role in perpetuating their traditional world view and ways of life. In asserting their identity, the Luang Phrabang Lao used folk literature as a means to maintaining their cultural separatedness. This reflects three phases of literary creativeness, each in response to the changing socio-political development that encroached upon their communities. The first phase involved the inculcating of historical consciousness. The second represented a reaction against the ideological domination of the Thai government. The last, however, represented their willingness to integrate themselves into Thai society for acceptability and various benefits. It was in this last phase that they began to identify themselves as chao thai chua sai lao Luang Phrabang, literally meaning Thai descending from Luang Phrabang Lao ancestry Finally, this study shows that, though the Luang Phrabang Lao communities preferred to perceive of their identity as a distinct one, they were not immune from the dynamics of politcal and socio-economic developments in Thailand. Having adopted Thai nationality, they still identify themselves as ethnically belonging to the Lao of Luang Phrabang.