126th INTG Meeting – A talk by Sirichai Narumit Ajaan Sirichai told of Chiang Mai past [loved], present [raped] and future [hopefully, a marriage of love]. “This city used to be so charming, so well known for its quality.” 1996 will be Chiang Mai’s 700th anniversary, and these are today’s statistics: Up to 50 years ago, Chiang Mai … Read more
123rd INTG Meeting – A talk by Donald Swearer Donald Swearer’s research has focused on the chronicles of sacred mountains and other religious sites in Northern Thailand, such as ‘Phra Chao Liep Lok’ [the Lord Buddha wanders or tours the world], dating from the 15th century on. Buddha tamnan cover a wide variety of texts and take their … Read more
108th INTG Meeting – A talk by Ron Renard Summary of the Talk In the early Southeast Asian world there were basically two classes of people: the Tai who lived in cities and towns (and considered themselves civilized) and the Kha who lived in the forest (and were considered by the Tai to be uncivilized). … Read more
103rd INTG Meeting – A talk by M.R. Smansnid Svasti M.R. Smansnid, or Nunie, was brought up in England before returning to Thailand and was already aware of forest destruction before meeting Ajaan [Phra] Pongsak – until recently the abbot of Wat Pa-lad on Doi Suthep. Dense forests in the mountains allow rains to soak into the soil, and … Read more
70th INTG Meeting – A talk and slide presentation by Vithi Phanichphant Ajaan Vithi’s talk was illustrated throughout by a fine collection of slides of murals, interspersed with spontaneous and humorously penetrating remarks. These murals, previously decorating the walls of a one hundred year old Shan-style temple/pavilion in Wiang Ta Village, midway between Lampang and … Read more
69th INTG Meeting – A talk by Ann Hill Ann Hill discussed the various ethnic groups living in the Sipsongpanna [often written Xishuangbanna] region in southern China, with particular emphasis on: 1) stratification, 2) community, 3) kinship, 4) policy, and 5) relations with other states. She drew on extensive research from two people who have studied … Read more
44th INTG Meeting – A panel discussion with W.R. Geddes, Wanat Bhruksasri, and Peter Hinton Bill Geddes reviewed the national significance of the foreign contribution to development [US$ 60 per capita] and the impact on highlanders, expressed dissatisfaction with the current state of knowledge [especially the widely held and erroneous notion that highlanders are solely … Read more
6th INTG Meeting – A talk by Katherine Bowie Reference #1: Unraveling the Myth of the Subsistence Economy: Textile Production in Nineteenth-Century Northern Thailand Author: Katherine A. Bowie; Source: The Journal of Asian Studies, Vol. 51, No. 4 (Nov., 1992), pp. 797-823; Published by: Association for Asian Studies Reference #2: Assessing the Early Observers: Cloth and … Read more
