New Photos Added - Isaan Go-Go Girls

Ten new photographs from last night's Mahlam Lao stage show have been added to the gallery - "Isaan Go-Go Girls"

http://hale-worldphotography.smugmug.com/People/Isaan-Go-Go-Girls/8185157_q4YxR#826378674_f82CZ

Songkran Has Started

Songkran, Thai New Years, is officially April 13 to April 16.

But this is Thailand and things are not always what they appear to be or are supposed to be. So it is with Songkran. Songkran here in Isaan started on Friday 9 April.

Friday was a busy day for us. It started with me getting a haircut - relatively easy task of moving my chair from the computer desk to outside underneath our carport for Duang to cut my hair. After showers, we drove out to the village where Peelawat, our 14 month old grandson, lives. Duang and I were going out to a small village where her "sister" lives. A celebration complete with a Mahlam Lao Show was being held to "take care" of Buddha. Buddha in this sense of the word meant the Monks. "Take care" meant to give the Monks offerings. For me, the details and nuances really didn't matter. There was going to be a show and an opportunity to document another aspect of village life in Isaan.

Duang has one biological sister - an older sister. We were going to visit a younger "sister". Like I have written before and will undoubtedly write again things are not always what they appear to be. I had met this "sister" at our wedding but I had the impression that Duang and she were very good friends - like sisters. It is only recently that I understood that their relationship is closer than being very good friends. When the woman was born, her mother was unable and unwilling to care for her baby. Duang's mother was still nursing so she took in and fed the baby. In Isaan, this type of arrangement is not all that uncommon. Lao Loum people have a very strong sense of community and the ravages of poverty often dictates alternative life styles especially for the welfare of babies.

After picking up Peelawat and Duang's daughter we drove out to Nong Boydan(?) Village to have lunch with Duang's "sister". Lunch was very good and there was plenty of food. There was a surprise. For some reason Peelawat decided to take care of me. His mother gave him a small piece of hot dog, he took a bite and then offered it to me by putting it up to my mouth for me to take a bite. This behaviour continued all day long. Peelawat ensured that his grandfather had food and drink. He was given a small bottle of yogurt milk to drink through a small straw. After each sip, he gave to me to take my sip. We also shared a bottle of soy milk together. I was given a plate of mango as part of lunch. Peelawat enjoys sitting in my lap so he had access to the mango. He took the fork from the plate, stabbed a piece of mango and put the fork up to my mouth. He ended up feeding me the entire plate of mango. Later when it was time to go to the festival, Duang put powder on his face, arms, legs and neck. People in Isaan use powder to keep cooler and ward off prickly heat. You will always see babies and children with white powder spread all over their bodies. During Songkran the practice is expanded to many more adults, cars, trucks, and motorbikes. Besides splashing water on people to cool them during Songkran, people douse others with scented powder. After Peelawat was all powdered up to go out to the festival, he took the container of powder and put some powder on his hand. Gently he rubbed his hand on my cheek and neck to get me ready to go out into the sun. We all laughed and joked about Peelawat's caring for me and only me that day. There is a very strong tradition of caring for and respecting elders here in Isaan but at 14 months old, Peelawat's behavior was unexpected. His behavior was also wonderful entertainment.

We went to the local Wat were a festival was being held to raise money for the Wat. There were booths selling food and refreshments. People had set their sahts on the ground in the scattered areas of shade throughout the Wat grounds. In one of the buildings where people had hung talisman to be blessed, women with very small children and babies sat inside to avoid the glaring sun as well as some of the 100F (38C) heat. We sat there for awhile before checking out the mouse game of chance that I wrote about yesterday.



The Mahlam Lao Show was going on and we recognized the khene player and lead female performer from some of the shows that Duang's brother puts on. This appears to be the season for shows. The performers live pretty much in the same neighborhood in central Udonthani and act as independent contractors to the leaders of shows. The same is true for the dancers.


Duang and Peelawat went off to seek some shade as I wandered around photographing the festival. The people were all very friendly and thoroughly enjoying themselves. A couple of the Kathoeys (Ladyboys) were eager to have their picture taken which I obliged their requests. They were getting a little bit annoying, as drunks can often be, until Duang showed up with a glass of Coke for me. Having marked her territory, so to speak, the Ladyboys were no longer a problem for the remainder of the afternoon. After awhile I looked down and saw Peelawat at my side. He looked up into my eyes and raised both his arms - his signal to pick him up. According to Duang it was his third attempt to be with me in front of the stage. I was busy the previous two occasions and had not noticed him. I traded the camera for Peelawat and we watched the singing and dancing up close. He loved the show and excitement. He provided some entertainment of his own by showing off some of his dance moves. He also did a great job of handing money to the performers as tokens of appreciation for their work.

A big part of the Mahlam Lao Show ritual is for members of the audience to walk up to the edge of the stage. The performer will go to the edge of the elevated stage, squat down, give the Thai gesture of respect (wai), and accept the audience members offering of money, flowers, garlands, and sometimes paper chains similar to what we used to make in elementary school for Christmas decorations. Some members of the audience will offer glasses of beer or whiskey. Later as the show continues and more and more beer along with whiskey are consumed, the audience will go up to the stage to just hold the hand of the performer and increasingly as time goes on - the dancers. The performers graciously accept the offerings with out missing a beat - high drama, and great entertainment.


Even in this rural location there were plenty of Ladyboys in attendance at the festival. There are supposedly many ways to determine whether or not a person is a real woman or a Ladyboy. Many of these ways are familiar - look for an Adam's apple, size of the hands, size of the feet and so on. In Thailand there is also another way - the size of the breasts. If the breasts are large and full, you can be fairly certain that it is a Ladyboy. I believe that there is also another method - observe the dance moves. The more energetic and enthusiastic the dancing the greater probability the person is a Ladyboy. Ladyboys in Isaan are tolerated quite well and their presence at Mahlam Lao shows adds to the entertainment value of the event. Despite the oppressive heat on Friday, the Ladyboys and others put on impressive dance displays.

Duang became concerned about Peelawat and my safety at the front of the stage so she came forward to have us return with her to the shade of a tree away from the "mosh pit". The high concentration of dancers directly in front of the stage is where the fist fights frequently or more accurately ALWAYS break out. There were no fights Friday while we were there but after we left, there were several fistfights. We have only been to two Mahlam Lao shows were there has not been at least one fight.

Peelawat and I spent the remainder of our time at the show sitting in the relative shade eating shaved ice. After I had drank a glass of Coke, Peelawat grabbed ice out of the glass and ate it. He would then grab a handful for me and place it in my mouth much to every one's amusement. Around 3 P.M. we left for Tahsang Village.

It was on our drive to and from Tahsang Village that the start of Songkran became apparent. At several locations small groups of young children had set up along side of the narrow country road. The children were all wet from their efforts to splash water passing vehicles. They were having a great time smiling, laughing, and dancing around either filling a barrel with a small hose or flinging water from small plastic buckets. Such joy needs to be shared in my opinion. As I approached the groups I would feign panic about the possibility of our truck getting wet. This only encouraged the children's efforts to throw their water. For some groups, I would stop the truck about 50 feet from the children. This confused them and often they would throw their water at a vehicle passing in the opposite direction. As we passed the children standing with their empty buckets I honked the horn several times and waved. Duang would just laugh and tell me that I was crazy just like the children. I repeated this stunt and stopped 50 feet from a group of children. They were completely confused until finally a little girl about 4 years old sweetly motioned to me to pass by and indicated that they would not throw water. I could not help but smile. She had spoiled my fun but given me a very nice memory for the start of Songkran 2553 (2010).

New Photos Added - Isaan Go-Go Girls

Some new photographs have been added to one of the galleries, "Isaan Go-Go Girls", located on my photography website

http://www.hale-worldphotography.com/People/Isaan-Go-Go-Girls/8185157_q4YxR#534645833_s5QuD

Yes, They Khene

Last Sunday, around 7:30 P.M., we received a phone call from Duang's brother, "Number 4", asking us to attend a performance that he was giving in Udonthani that night at 9:00 P.M. I always enjoy the shows as well as the very interesting people watching opportunities that the audiences always provide so we accepted without hesitation.

Well it turned out that the performance was not exactly in Udonthani, as in the city of Udonthani, although we had to drive through the city to get to the location. However, the village was in Udon Thani Province so perhaps it was our misinterpretation. Fortunately his girlfriend waited for us in her car inside the city so that we could follow her to the performance.

The performance was held in a small farming village typical of this area of Isaan - in the middle of the rice paddies, narrow streets, and a combination of raised wooden houses and concrete block homes.

Upon arrival we realized that this was another funeral celebration. Several awnings had been erected with guests seated at tables that had bottles of beer as well as whiskey set upon them. Some young women and young men were busy bringing food to the guests.


Off to the side of the awnings and next to the house was a long table. Upon the table were three "bahn" (Thai) "hehan" (Lao). These are handcrafted spirit houses made largely out of banana stalks and bammboo. They are quite ornate and are used as and in offerings to the spirits. Next to each bahn was a framed photograph of a deceased family member. Small yellow candles were burning in front of the photographs.

The people of Isaan, the ethnic Lao Loum, believe that the spirits of deceased people need to be nourished with food and drink. As part of their Buddhist beliefs, the people believe that they can assist their ancestors in the after life by earning "merit" for them. Buddhists believe that we are in a continuous cycle of of birth, death, and rebirth until we reach enlightenment. Until we reach enlightenment, our new life's status is determined on how we lived our last life and how much "merit" we had gained. Living relatives can earn merit for themselves as well as for their specified departed loved ones by making offerings in their name and honor. Often these celebrations are held one year following the person's death however the ceremony is quite often delayed until the family can save enough money to afford it.


Part of the celebration involves having a group like Duang's brother's to perform. It is quite interesting to see go-go dancers, electric guitars, and electric organ perform in an event associated with death. One thing for certain is that at these events there will be playing of the khene.


The khene is a free reed bamboo musical instrument. It is the quintessence of Lao culture and the Lao experience. The khene, which is also spelled "kaen", "khen", and "khaen" is a mouth organ comprised of several bamboo tubes of various lengths, each with a free reed inserted in them connected to a hardwood chamber. The instrument has been around for thousands of years and is considered the mother of Lao music.

Kaens come in various sizes but all sizes share the similarity of being constructed of two rows of bamboo tubes. There is a 6 tube size, 14 tubes, 16 tubes, and 18 tube size. The length of the khene is related to the number of the tubes with the 18 tube version also being the longest of the instruments.

The khene is played by blowing into the central chamber and using the fingers of both hands to change the notes. The instrument is related to the harmonica and accordion of Western music. The sound, to me, is a very rhythmic "sing-song" sort of like a "Hee-Hawing" or braying of a donkey. I find the music to be rather hypnotic and I can easily accept as well as recognize its ancient heritage.

As part of the morlham shows that are widely held throughout Isaan, a portion of the show is focused around the traditional music of Laos or more specifically "Lao" people. Laos is a political demarcation determined in a large part by the European colonial powers. The ethnic Lao people, in particular the Lao Loum, Low Land Lao, inhabit Northeast Thailand as well as Laos. The shows typically start off with rocking electrified music complete with go-go dancers. After about three or four of these songs, which seem intended to get every one's attention as well as to stir them up, the tribute to the Lao traditions starts. The recognition of today's music's origins as well as honoring the Lao Loum heritage involves singing with only a khene as accompaniment. The songs initially are performed by either an older man or woman. They sing traditional songs in the traditional style. The traditional style involves an introduction that involves the extended pronunciation of words in a sort of warbling tone. Each word is stretched out using the singer's complete range until it seems that they will run out of breadth. After the introduction, the singer sings in such a manner that their voice is almost as much an musical instrument as singing the words. As much as I detest American "Rap" and "Hip Hop" (I won't call them music), the traditional Lao music is similar in that it tells stories with the verses often being created on the spot. I am pretty certain that the violence and vulgar lyrics of the modern form is not used in the Lao.

For funeral celebrations the traditional portion is a greater part of the performance. I get the feeling that the traditional music serves as a link and bridge to the past a manifestation of the bonds that keep the family traditions alive. After several traditional songs, the band will play several modern songs - several of which utilize the khene. Since the khene is not an amplified instrument, the khene player will either stick a microphone in his belt or the singer next to the khene player will use their microphone to ensure that the audience can hear the khene.


After completing the modern music set, the performance returns to a very traditional ritual. The relatives of the deceased go up on stage and kneel facing the audience. The relatives have offerings of food, drink, and items such as sahts (woven reed mats) and mohn (ornately decorated small rectangle pillows)set before them along with a framed photograph of the deceased. A singer then will perform several traditional Lao songs in the warbling lament style with only the amplified khene providing the accompaniment.

After the offering ritual, the show returns to it's modern music. The khene player provides great entertainment during the modern songs. Whereas during the traditional music, he was very still and respectful, during the modern songs, he, as we used to say back in Rhode Island - "He gets down and dirty". The khene player dances and prances around the stage while playing. Quite often he accentuates a hard drum beat of the song with a severe pelvic thrust usually in time with similar motions by the go-go dancers. At times the khene player will jump into the air and move his feet through a bicycle motion while playing. On some songs that have fast driving beats, he keeps time to the beat with a flury of pelvic thrusts while playing. No one gets offended. In fact the more antics like this that he does, the more the audience goes up to the stage to give him money.


Yes he khene ("can" - a play on words, they are pronounced the same) and he does.

Giving Back - Thanks For The Votes

Yesterday was a very busy day for us.

Peelawat, our 6 month old grandson dropped by with his parents to return the pickup truck that they had borrowed for three days. We loaded their motorbike into the back and we all headed back to Tahsang Village - to drop them off back home as well as to offload the bike.

They had borrowed the truck to take care of family business and to bring Peelawat to the doctor for his 6 month check-up. The poor little guy had had a rough day. He received his second haircut and apparently did not like the noise or feel of the clippers. At his checkup, he got another shot. He was already running a slight fever by the time they got to our house. Despite his problems, he was still in a good mood without any crying. He was just a little subdued for him and he went to sleep in the truck as I held him during the trip out to the village.

We had gotten a call from Duang's cousin earlier in the morning. She wanted to let us know that there was going to be a Mahlam Lao show in a nearby village that afternoon. I have written about these shows before and how they mark various celebrations throughout Isaan. Well yesterday I learned of another reason to have a show - politics!

After settling Peelawat into his home and having something to eat, Duang, her cousin, another village woman and I headed out to see the show. The justification as well as the responsibility for the celebration was the election of a new Village Headman. He was recently elected and was giving back to the community by arranging as well as sponsoring the show. Village Headman are important men or women in Thailand. When we went to get my "Yellow Book" (House Occupant Book for a Foreigner), we had to take our Village Headman, actually a woman, to the Provincial Offices to have her testify and sign that I am actually living in the house. In Tahsang Village when one of the local young women ran off and abandoned her baby to live with a crazy man in a distant village, it was the Village Headman that called the other village to arrange for her return. He also accompanied the relatives to the other village to retrieve her.

We arrived after the celebration had started - perhaps not too long but long enough for just about everyone to be well on their way to being drunk. The show was a typical village Mahlam Lao event. There were a couple canopies set up to protect people from the sun. Underneath the canopies plastic chairs and tables were set up for people to eat and drink. Additional tables and chairs were set up underneath the elevated houses that surrounded the area where the show was going on.

The people were all very friendly. The show was going on full tilt. We were welcomed by some old friends of Duangs from the village. We were immediately introduced to the Village Headman as well as the local Police official. They insisted that we join them for eating and drinking.

We had previously eaten so we got away with not eating anything. However my desire to not drink anything was countered with the argument that I had to wish everyone good luck and happiness which could only be properly done with alcohol. I relinquished and had a couple glasses of beer with ice. Here in Isaan, people drink beer out of glasses with ice cubes.

Duang's friend dragged her out on to the dance area and kept trying to get her to dance. One of the village woman dragged me out to dance and I was a more willing dance partner. Everyone was enjoying themselves.

I took several photographs. The young men were congregating in front of the stage doing their thing like they do at all of these occasions. The performers were keeping everyone entertained.

As time went by, Duang's friend became more and more persistent. Her friend then kept trying to speak to me however due to her condition and the loudness of the show, I had no idea what she was saying or even trying to say. In a short while an altercation broke out on the perimeter of the crowd between some young men. This happens at just about every one of this celebrations usually in front of the stage. The heavy drinking, testosterone levels, hot sun, and the Lao Loum sensitivity to not losing face all combine into combat. Since everyone is related and there is a strong village identity, fights between two men frequently escalate into potential bigger scenes. After a couple of blows, or due to their inebriated state the first wild swings, the sides form up. By this time, the mothers head into the area along with their sisters to yell at their son as well as the other participant. Sometimes uncles head into the fray but in their efforts to break up any pending violence often lead to them squaring off amongst themselves. By this time the show has stopped with the singer pleading with everyone to behave themselves. The Police move in followed by the Village Headman. The Police are often ignored but some how their presence distracts everyone so tensions subside. The Village Headman makes some statements and peace is restored if only temporarily. Usually there will be one or two more flare ups before the show is shut down. As they say "A good time was had by all"

Years ago when I attended the company family picnic, we would always stay until a fight broke out. Once the fight broke out I knew that we had seen all there was to see so we could go home. Nothing has changed. We took our cue and left - safe and definitely not sorry.

When we got home to Udonthani, Duang's cousin (one out of 93) came over and we bought a new Toyota pick up truck - but that is the subject of tomorrow's blog.