Museums and ICH in Thailand · 2011-08-08 Museums and ICH in Thailand - Paritta Chalermpow...

Museums and ICH in ThailandParitta Chalermpow Koanantakool

August 8, 2011

2011-08-08 Museums and ICH in Thailand - Paritta Chalermpow Koanantakool2

● Overview of how museums in Thailand developed, and how the concept and expression of museums have shifted.● Overview of culture, folk culture, cultural heritage before the advent of Unesco's ICH.● Why museums and ICH now? What roles museum curators, cultural practitioners, researchers, can play? Some SAC museum programmes.

Agenda


What is a 'museum' in the Thai context?Thai museum official discourse traces its origin to royal collection. The word 'phiphitthaphan', Thai word for museum, is taken from the name of a royal palace built in 1859 to house royal collections which King Rama IV showed to ambassadors, diplomats, and high-ranking Siamese. The word literally means 'various objects/materials'.

In the nineteenth century the English word 'museum' was used when the royal collections were temporarily opened in a royal palace for public viewing in 1874.


Museums were then perceived as a marker of civilization embodied in objects of antiquities, objects of fine craftsmanship, precious objects, sacred objects, royal and national treasures.


Purpose of national museum

Until the 1980's the national museums represent the museum landscape in Thailand. The purpose of the museum as stated in the official summary is to"collect, classify, catalogue, and display archaeological and artistic artefacts collected and acquired by the museums, research and analyse the content of the artefacts, and stage exhibitions..."

(translated from the website of the office of the national museums)


New museum movementThe 1980's saw an increase in the number, kinds, and forms of museums. The 'museum boom' phenomenon is related to several factors – economic growth, rural and urban development, growth of civil society, new perspective of the past and heritage, tourism, policy.


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2011-08-08 9

Shift in the form and function of museums

State-run Run by monastery, school, community, individualObject-based Object / story / peopleExpert knowledge Folk / laymen / community knowledgeFocus of antiquities, high art Diverse – everyday artefacts, ethnic, virtualConserve, classify, catalogue Community development, empowerment


The Muslim way of life museum, Satun. “The muslim way of life museum is one instrument to communicate with members of the community, and encourage them to appreciate the value of living in moderation...”.The museum aims to collect stories of customs, culture, local way of life.“The museum aims to make young people feel attached to their home village. Some of the handicrafts have been forgotten. By putting them in the museum, the children will get to know them, appreciate, and safeguard them, rather than neglect them”.From Matichon, June 28, 2011.

New museum vision


Intangible cultural heritage before ICH

● It should be noted that there existed a space of collection in the Thai culture prior to the introduction of museum which is the concept adopted from the west. Buddhist monasteries have always stored a collection of religious and lay artefacts – Buddha images, relics, manuscripts, ceremonial objects, utensils. They were also a site where cultural knowledge – religion, art, crafts, medicine, is tranfered from one generation to the next. ● In traditional cultural space such as a monastery, there is no divide between the tangible and intangible.


Examples of some efforts by community museums to safeguard ICHLai Hin monastery museum and the (re)discovery of the importance of the water irrigation system, and memory of migrant workers.


Si Khom Kham monastery museum and the discovery of new evidence of the 1902 'Ngiao' uprising


Pratupa virtual museum and the revival of the Salak Yom ceremony of offering gifts to Buddhist monks.



Challenges: limited resources, sustainability

● Small museums have great potentials and great spirit, but limited resources (funding, personnel, ideas, time, etc.), and lack sustainability."Fall and rise, fall and rise, fall and rise, fall and rise....There is no conclusion chapter, we always come back to chapter 1" Mr. Songsak Kaewmun, Lai Hin museum keeper

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Challenges: collaboration and participation

● Strength of community museums depends on collaboration and participation of the community, and negotiation with relevant government departments and other players who have different frames of understanding and expectation of museums."..things that affect the survival of museums...different attitude of local people, or community members. Some communities are split between the or bor tor (sub-district local administrative organisation) and the monastery, lack of cooperation from the local government, in some places those in power are more interested in seeking profits from commercial enterprises rather than safeguarding culture or museum, some have problems of land title when museums are housed in property belonging to other agencies..."

Interviews of local museum keepers participating in SAC local museum featival 2010 in Khao Pai Duay Kan journal, year 7, no 2 (Feb – May 2011) p 40


Challenges: Always conflicting views on heritage

● Heritage is a contested issue, full of conflict of interests: tradition vs change, safeguard vs commercialise, museumise vs dynamic...Views on the revitalisation of the Salak Yom ceremony“In the past there were only local things, not so pretty, not so beautiful, not so valuable...The Salak Yom trees today are better, more beautiful...” Head of the Buddhist organisation of Lamphun.“I wish it didn't turn out like this...” Grandmother Tha, 90, of Pratupa community.


SAC museum programmeSince 2003 SAC has initiated and explored some modalities for researching and collaborating with small, community museums in many parts of Thailand.● Local Museums digital database ● Research in ethnography of museum● Capacity building activities (training workshops, newsletters, creating forums, museum festivals)


Local Museums digital databasehttp://www.sac.or.th/databases/museumdatabase/


Museum Ethnography


Capacity building activities


Local Museums Festival


Each museum is unique. Diversity of museums needs an alternative museology that takes into account the specificity of each case, and the understanding of the context of each museum.In this training, it is hoped that as museum curators, cultural practitioners, researchers, etc. we can share and learn about● How communities identify and define their heritage, the significance and value of each item of ICH,● How museums can collaborate with various individuals and agencies within and outside the communities,● How the ethnographic methodology and documentation can help safeguarding ICH.

What role can you play?


Thank you

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Museums and ICH in Thailand · 2011-08-08 Museums and ICH in Thailand - Paritta Chalermpow...

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