งานวิจัยและบทความ

The people of northeastern Thailand believe that Don Pu Ta (the ancestral spirit forest) is a sacred space where their ancestral spirit can be found. The care they provide the forest and their own descendants living in communities with such forests provides for tranquil life. Recent and incessant forest destruction has greatly altered the traditional role of the Don Pu Ta and the behavior of the Thao Cham (elders) ritual. The study assesses the present condition of Don Pu Ta, the role of the Thao Cham, rituals, attitudes and beliefs, the relationships in the community regarding Don Pu Ta, values, as well as the impact on the mental health of the people in the community.

Don Pu Ta were examined in nine provinces of the northeast. Data were collected through interviews with 385 community leaders and other appropriate individuals in the northeast. The findings of the study showed that, despite the changes, people in the northeast still maintain close links with the Don Pu Ta and interact with it every season of the year. They gather forest produce from the area as food, for sale, as medicine, or for use in handicraft or utensil manufacture. The Don Pu Ta have Thao Cham who are selected to serve to facilitate communication between the ancestral spirits and the members of the community. They preside over propitiation, divination, and other ceremonies before the ancestral spirits which the villages continue to value, trust, and believe in. They regard the Don Pu Ta as sacred space and that those who violate it will be punished by the ancestral spirits. The power of these spirits and the behavior of the Thao Cham continue to influence the community’s way of life. This predisposes the villagers to conserve their ancestral spirit forests so as to maintain their force through the maintenance of their traditional culture that supports the villages’ agricultural activities.