Khon Masks

On May 1st, we attended a Korb Siarn Khru Ritual at Wat Pha That Nong Mat outside of my wife's home village of Ban Thasang.

Special masks play a very important part of the Korb Siarn Khru Ritual.  I have posted some photos of the masks on Facebook over the past week.  One of my friends asked if they were Halloween masks.

No they are not Halloween masks.  The reply just like the reply for some people to the social media question about if they are in a relationship ... "It's complicated"

The history and culture of Thailand is definitely complicated.  Although Thailand was never conquered or colonized by Europeans, the history of Thailand is a series of conflicts - the rise and fall of kingdoms internal as well as external.  Each progression influenced and progressed to what is today's Thai culture.

The region, now recognized as Thailand was also subject to migrations of peoples from China, Tibet, Cambodia, Lao, as well as Burma.

In regards to religion, I have written before that ... "It's complicated".  The influx of the various peoples bringing their own belief systems and traditions added to the Animist belief system.  Over time Brahmanism, the precursor to Hinduism, exerted its influence over the region's religious beliefs.  Rather than rejected their old Animist beliefs, the people incorporated the Brahman rituals and traditions into their belief system. When Buddhism arrived, the people once again adapted and incorporated the new system and traditions into their religious Pantheon.

Khon masks have their origins in Hinduism, specifically the Hindu epic poem "Ramayana" circa 400 BC.  The Ramayana, like epic poems such as Homer's "The Iliad" and "The Odyssey", Virgil's "The Aeneid", Milton's "Paradise Lost, and Dante's "Divine Comedy, is a long, narrative poem that is  about heroic deeds, intense adventures, heroic deeds and events that are significant to the writer's culture.

The Thais adopted the Ramayana around 900AD with the earliest record of it being in the 1200s.  The Ramakian, Thailand's adaptation, was supervised and portions written by King Rama I from 1797 to 1807.  Previous copies had been destroyed by the invading Burmese  in 1767.

King Rama II, modified parts of the Ramakien for the basis of Khon, a mask dance drama which includes music, singing, dance, narration and acrobatics.  Originally the Khon was traditionally only performed for the royal court to celebrate significant events.

The performers of the Khon wore masks to identify the characters of the Ramakian whom they were portraying.

The characters of the Khon performances are gods, deities, spirits and greater humans.  In the Hindu religion there are 14 worlds - 7 heavens and 7 underworlds each inhabited by various beings.

One group of beings, Rishis, are also known in Thailand as "Ruesi" are sages and seers.  Ruesi was and are hermit sages who spend their time meditating and developing their psychic powers - sort of like wizards.  They collect magical herbs, and minerals.  Using magical ingredients they produce love charms, spells and powerful amulets. The goal of the Ruesi is to help others have a happier life by telling fortunes, conducting rituals and making spells to reduce the effects of bad karma.  Ruesi also are able to ward off evil spirits.  They also help people by protecting them from enemies.  Certain rituals performed by Ruesi can bring good luck and fortune to their devotees.  Some of the Ruesi make Sak Yants, the magical and powerful tattoos know throughout this world.

One of the most important Ruesi rituals is performed once a year is the Korb Siarn Khru - laying the Ruesi mask of the master teacher, Ruesi Por Gae, on the devotee  The Korb Siarn Khru is performed during the Wai Khru Ceremony.  The Siarn Ruesi mask is a full sized mask with head dress with an open mouth, three eyes, two teeth sticking out of the mouth, a moustache, and a beard.  There are also masks of other deities within the Ruesi pantheon - some of them being tigers, elephants, yaks (giants) and other creatures - creatures of the Ramakian, also spelled as Ramakien.

No, they are not Halloween masks, but masks of much greater tradition. meaning, and significance.  Khon masks are also much more complicated - transcending the ages, across great spaces and binding cultures together.

Songkran 2016 (2559 BE) - Bone Washing

We are now past this year's Songkran Festival.  The festival is traditional Thai New Years marked by the passing of the sun into Aires.  In Thailand the astrological calculations are no longer used to determine the start of Songkran. The official Songkran Holiday here in Thailand is April 13 to 15. If any of the official days are a weekend, the day or days are added on to the end of the official period.


That is what is supposed to be but there is the way that things are.  Many places celebrate the holiday for 6 or 7 days no matter what.  Thasang Village, this year celebrated from April 12th to the 16th with Songpoo Day, which has always been before Songkran, being celebrated tomorrow - 21 April. Just to add to the confusion some places celebrate at slightly different times - such as Pattaya concluding their celebration 1, 2, or 3 days after Bangkok.


There is some method to what may appear to be madness either figuratively or literally.  Staggering the local celebration dates allows people, especially those from Isaan and work in the Bangkok or Phuket areas, to celebrate with friends that they work with and still be able to return to their homes to celebrate with family.  Besides it allows a great party to continue even longer.


Songkran is a time when people are expected to return to their villages to pay respect to their elders - living and deceased.  It is a time of family reunions, family parties, celebrations with friends, and religious merit making to go along with merriment in general.  Songkran here in Thailand is like the combining of Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, and the Super Bowl into one grand celebration in America.


The joy and festivities of Songkran often leads to tragedy.  Newspapers keep a tally of what is labelled Songkrans 7 "Dangerous Days".  Thailand's roads are the second most dangerous in the world and even more so during Songkran. 


Songkran also has a more somber and sober side.  It is during Songkran that Theravada Buddhist families will wash the bones of their ancestors.


During Songkran, Thai people demonstrate care, concern and respect for elders by pouring cool water and placing scented powder on elderly people.  Mid-April is the hottest time of the year and the end of the dry season here in Thailand.  Traditionally the people poured cool water on elderly people to help them deal with the heat.  The tradition is still practiced but the rowdy street parties and roving water wars along public thoroughfare's get the most attention nowadays.


Every Songkran people pour water over Buddha statues in homes and in Wats to clean, cool, as well as to show respect. The grounds of the temples are also cleaned up as well as residential property.  At many Wats there are festivals to raise funds for the maintenance of the temple and related property.  During the Songkran Festival families will remove the bones of ancestors to wash them and then return them to their resting places inside of the family Tat.

Everywhere where you drive about Isaan you will see places with colorful and sometimes gaudy concrete structures can be purchased.  Many of them are "Spirit Houses" but many are Tats.  Tats are elaborate structures on temple grounds in which bones are stored.

As family members die, they are cremated, and some of their bone fragments are retrieved by the Monks.  The Monks store the fragments and bury the remaining fragments and ashes on the Wat grounds.  After the family has constructed a Tat, the retained fragments are interned in a special ritual to place them in the Tat.

We arrived at Duang's Aunt's house on the morning of the 15th around 8:00 A.M..  The bone washing ritual was scheduled to be performed before the daily ritual of offering food to the Monks.  Bone washing rituals can be performed at other locations beside the Wat.  Duang's family, this year, opted to have the ritual in the home of the matriarch of the family.

Sahts were placed on the floor for the Monks, family members, and for the trays used in washing the bones.  Two containers of specially prepared water to be used in the ritual.  Duang's Aunt prepared the water by filling the containers with water and the adding flowers and scented powder to the water.

Serving Tray with Ghoats Containing Bone Fragments

A decorative porcelain or decorative metal urn, ghoat, containing the bone fragments was placed on an ordinary metal serving tray along with a metal drinking cup, as well as a bunch of sprigs from a daugkuhn shrub from the grounds of the Wat.  Another decorative metal serving tray was prepared with small portions of food offerings, two yellow birthday type wax candles, two sprigs of jasmine buds for the spirit of the ancestors. 

Washing Bones

The Brahman supervised and lead the family in the ritual.  Water was drawn out of the large container with the metal drinking cup.  The sprigs of daugkuhn shrub were then dipped into the metal cup and withdrawn to sprinkle the scented water over the bone fragments contained in the ghoat.

After the Monks had sprinkled the bones, the tray was placed in front of the immediate family.  Each family member repeated the water sprinkling.  When they had completed. other family members and others came up to the tray and sprinkled water.  The ritual was not limited to adults.  Children here in Isaan are taught manners and religion at a very young age.  These little girls were no exception. 

Our grandson, Pope 19 months old participated despite being ill.

Part of the ritual which was conducted by the Monks, involved chanting while candles dripped wax into a metal container of holy water and some metal coins placed at the bottom. The candles are traditional offerings and the dripping of the wax into water conveys the merit of the offering to the water which is a major vehicle in Theravada Buddhism for conveying merit between people of this world and the spirits of other worlds.  The coins are offerings to the spirits for use on their journeys.

Making Food Offerings to the Spirits

Food Offerings to Spirits Presented to Abbott

The focus of the ritual then became the offering of food to the spirits of the deceased family members.

As the ritual continued, a sii sein was unfurled to connect the food offerings, the Monks and the bone fragments together. The sii sein, a cotton string or sometimes several cotton strings are used in Buddhist as well as Animist rituals.  The strings are tied on the wrists of people in the Bai Sii Ritual, several strings are wrapped around the steering columns of motor vehicles for good luck, and in a funeral processions a thick sii sein connects the Monks who are leading the procession back to the coffin with family members and friends in between holding on to the sii sein as they walk.  At the Wat during the most part of the ritual, the coffin is connected by a sii sein from the crematorium across to the sala where  much of the ritual is being conducted.  As the Monks chanted, family members placed food offerings to the spirits of their deceased family members on a tray supported by a woven basket like structure.

After everyone, who wanted to, had sprinkled or poured water on the bone fragments, Duang's Aunt placed her hand over the open top of the ghoat and shook it several times to agitate the fragments and water.  She then allowed the water to slowly drain into the metal serving tray.  She then repeated the process.  After the second time she removed the bone fragments and held them in one hand while she drained the water from the ghoat into the tray. After inspecting each fragment and brushing off any sand like particles into the metal tray, she returned the fragments to the ghoat.  The top was placed on the ghoat.


The food offerings for the spirit are brought to the two senior Monks who pour water over the offering to symbolize the transfer of merit to the spirit from the family.

Offerings are then made to the Monks in the name of the departed person.  Special bundles had been prepared the day before the Monks.  Items such as tooth paste, tooth brush, hand soap, laundry detergent, toilet paper, and other toiletries had been placed in three of the bundles each contained in plastic shopping bags.  One bundle, the fourth one for the Abbott, was wrapped in a special plain white cotton cloth with sii sein binding at the top.  This bundle contained new items such as pants, eye-glasses, watch, belt, socks, shoes, wallet, underwear, and shirt for the spirits.


After the ritual, the Monk will give the offered personal items to local people who are in need.

Paper Strips With Names of the Deceased Ancestors Are Burned

After paper strips, each of which had a name of a deceased family member written on it, were burned, the Abbott of the "inside Wat" got up and with the assistance of a family male member sprinkled water from the bowl that contained the coins and wax drippings using a bundle of coarse reeds.  The act of sprinkling the water transfers merit to the assembled family members.


As the Abbott, whom I have nicknamed "Rocketman", start about the room sprinkling holy water on people, I grabbed my camera and moved to the far reaches of the room.  I have been there and had it done before!  Rocketman started smiling and the family started laughing ... there was no escape and I was in Rocketman's sights!  As he approached me, I placed my camera behind me as far as I could reach.  Rocketman gently sprinkled me without getting any water on the camera - thankfully.  As I lowered my head in a gesture of respect, he then tapped me on the top of my head three times with fully loaded brush strokes of water.  As well as soaking my hair with water much to everyone's amusement, the three taps were also significant in that they symbolize the three Gems of Buddhism - Buddha, the Teachings of Buddha, and the Sanga (Buddhist religious community).  No doubt that as a foreigner and a Christian, Rocketman must have believed that I needed additional merit for my journey to liberation.


My merit for the day was not over with the triple tap.  One of the other Monks that always gives me heads-ups for photographing rituals, stopped by me on his way out.  He grabbed one of the metal cups and had one of the male family members fill it with water from washing the bones.  He gestured to me that he wanted me to pour it over my head.  I aim to please, most of the time, so my head got doused once again.


It was a memorable day ... paying respect to the ancestors, being with family, and having some laughs.

School Day

Earlier this week, I spent some time in the first grade.  I did not plan on going back to school but like so many things here in Isan, it just happens and leaves you wondering how you got to be so fortunate.


My wife had gotten a phone call earlier in the morning from a relative out in Thasang Village.  A special ritual was going to take place that afternoon - a healing and fortune ceremony for some people who could not afford to go to the hospital.  The relative wanted to know if I would like to come and photograph the ritual.  I have long ago learned to take advantage of all such opportunities - it is in line with my philosophy to experience life events and locations that are "not on the tour itinerary".


It turned out that the ritual was being conducted in a home located just behind the Thasang Village Elementary School.  Duang had me park the truck at the school for convenience.


We arrived at the school, the school that Duang had attended as a child, just after their lunch.  The school has about 50 students, all from Tahsang Village.  Several children were in the process of returning to their classrooms when we got out of the truck.  We could hear the children announcing to each other excitedly about Ta Allen (Grandfather Allen) and Yai Duang (Grandmother Duang) coming to school.  Elderly people are referred to as Grandfather and Grandmother as titles of respect and endearment.  Duang told them we were going to the house behind the school as we made the very short walk across the school grounds.


We attended the ritual and I took many photographs.  After a while I had taken all the photographs that I needed.  Duang asked me if I wanted to go home but I could see that she was involved in the ritual so I said that we would leave when she was ready.  I had my own idea of how to pass the time.  I think Duang knew what I had in mind because as I was getting up from the floor, she said that I could go take photographs of the students at the school.

I walked to the front of the school and entered a large room that served as the schools auditorium but was now the first grade classroom for all 10 students.  I had entered the classroom because even though it was "nap time", Pear was fully awake and welcomed me.  I knew many of the first graders by name - they are our grandson Peelawat's cousins or best friends.

I paid my respects to the teacher who was multitasking - doing some paperwork while listening to the students one by one reading to her.  I sat on the floor and took photos of the children as they woke from their nap and set about their routines.


The class room was an open class room - literally and figuratively.  The doors on each side of the room were wide open, opening to the outside.  The windows were also open - the wood shutters secured from closing.  As is typical for village schools in Thailand, there are no glass or screens for the doors or windows.  The class rooms do not have air conditioning.  Many of the rooms, this room was one of them, do not even have ceiling mounted fans.  Besides helping with ventilation, the open doors and windows also provide illumination for the rooms.  There are not many lights in the class rooms.


The first grade class room being at ground level has a tile floor where as the other classrooms in the elevated portion of the school have wood floors covered with linoleum.

Ancient blackboards and many instructional posters cover the walls of the school.  Since these were first graders, there was no furniture for the students.  Against one wall of the class room there were some cubicles where each student stored their sleeping blanket, pillow, toothpaste, pencil and paper folder and for many - their personal metal drinking cup.  To keep things organized, each cubicle door was decorated with a unique paper with the student's name and a picture that they had colored.

Student Towels and drinking Cups

Outside the class room, a wood rack stored the student's shoes.  Inside of the class room, the students were either barefoot or wore white socks.  Just inside the class room next to the door was a rack from which each student's personal towel and many of their drinking cups were hung.

As the children arose from their nap, without instruction, they quietly rolled up their blankets, gathered up their pillow, and placed them in their cubicle at the far end of the room.  The children were well aware of my presence but they maintained their discipline and composure.  Although the children were interested in my photos and enjoyed seeing them on the viewer of my camera, order was maintained without any intervention on the part of the teacher.  The students did not act like they were fearful or suppressed.  They acted more like responsible little adults - knowing what was expected of them and doing it as a matter of duty.

Two young girls broke off from the others and sat with their backs up against the low stage at one side of the room.  Sharing a workbook, they quietly practiced their reading together.


One boy sat at a table on the stage studying and doing some work in a workbook.

Opposite of him, a girl was doing the same but had time to pose for the camera.

Some of the children silently left the room after taking both their towel and metal cup from the rack by the door.  Outside at a wash station they washed and dried their faces and hands.  After a drink of water from a water jug, they just as quietly returned to their classroom.  They stopped by the teacher's desk to sprinkle powder from a container on their hands and rub the powder over their faces as well as necks.  I am always amazed at the amount of powder that is applied to babies and children after they are washed.

Once inside the classroom, the children started to work on puzzles - most of the puzzles were wood with bright colors.  It was at this point that I started to work on some of the puzzles with the children.  It was fun for everyone involved.  It eventually evolved into the children teaching me using a special wood puzzle - a brightly multi-colored shrimp with ten pieces each with a unique Thai number painted on it.  I knew the numbers in Thai but I did not know the Thai numerals so it was a learning experience - for me.

At about this time, the school principal showed up.  Was I in trouble?  No, this is Thailand or as Duang so often says "Thailand not same Ameerika".  She was checking up on the teacher and as I was later to find out upon returning home and getting on Facebook - taking and posting photos of me interacting with the students.


One by one the children went up to the teacher's desk to demonstrate their reading abilities.  If they struggled at some point the teacher quietly and gently guided them through the rough spot.

Duang arrived to find me hard at work trying to read Thai numerals and after exchanging some pleasantries with the teacher and the children, it was time to return home but not before each of the children saying goodbye to us.

Omsim says goodbye in her own charming way

Thasang Village Elementary School is typical of all the schools that I have visited in Thailand and Laos.  They are old and "spartan" - no way comparing to the physical standards of the USA.  However the standard and environment of the schools parallels the lifestyle of the children and their homes.


I was appalled when Duang and I lived in America to take care of my parents.  The school district tried to pass a bond issue to cover the predicted $45,000,000 cost to RENOVATE the junior high school that I last attended in 1964.  The renovation was required to convert the junior high (middle school" to a "Pre-School" 


As it turned out, Duang ended up attending Night School for English classes at my old school.  Although the school had grown approximately 50% in size, its physical condition was exactly as I remembered it back in 1964 when it was about 5 years old.  Forty-five MILLION dollars to renovate?


There in lies the rub ... just as in the matter of health care, I believe that people equate quality and effectiveness to the physical and material state of the facilities.  The philosophy of "fit for purpose" is no longer much of a consideration today in America today.  Organizations and individuals take much pride in the grandeur of their physical facilities - more of a passion for form rather than substance.


Living overseas I have experienced excellent health care in facilities that most people in America would never consider using because of their physical state.  However the cost of the health care was no where near what people pay for their care in those ultra-modern technological marvels in America.  You do not necessarily always get what you pay for - especially in regards to education and health care - often you are paying for ambiance and unnecessary bling.


There are many ways to attain goals.  The important thing is to have the ability and freedom to make choices - your personal choices.

Tobacco Road - Isaan Style

Tobacco Growing On the Banks of the Mekong River

Life often presents unexpected opportunities and situations that offer insights into the world around us.  Often we limit our world to that which is within our arm's length grasp or well within our comfort zone - unfortunately that limits our ability to better understand the greater reality of our larger world.

Last week, I went with my wife and two members of her family to visit a Ruesi, a wizard, north of our home near the border town of Nong Khai along the banks of the Mekong River.  I naturally brought along my camera gear with me.

We took some back roads and ended up west of Nong Khai in an area called Tha Bo District, in the Phon Sa Subdistrict.  On our way to the Wat where the Ruesi was located, we drove along a paved two lane road along the banks of the Mekong River.  Under the bright blue sky with high wispy white clouds, we could clearly see across the river into LPDR, Lao People's Democratic Republic.


We are still in the dry season here so the Mekong River, although still a good sized river, is way down - perhaps 40 feet  lower than when it will be in full flood later this year.  Today vast sand bars are exposed.  Heavy equipment on both sides of the river, as well as in the river, are extracting and processing large quantities of sand.

Tobacco Plants

Between the road and the river, were plots of dark green large leaved plants.  Duang did not know what they were but her aunt told us that they were tobacco plants.  I was very interested and pleased that I had brought my camera along for this trip.

As we got closer to our destination, more and more aspects of tobacco cultivation revealed themselves - areas of elevated bamboo racks, workmen repairing irrigation systems, more fields of tobacco in various stages of harvest, somlaws stuffed with bundles of tobacco leaves in transit to processing areas and just outside of our Wat destination - a husband and wife harvesting tobacco!

When we arrived at the destination, I left my wife and family members to go off on my own to photograph the man and woman harvesting tobacco close by.  After a short walk down a narrow road and a short distance on a dirt path, I encountered them as they were finishing up their work and preparing to return to their home with their harvest.

Loading Up Tobacco Into A Somlaw

Somlaws are three wheeled motorcycles used for many purposes.  Somlaws, which many are manufactured here in Isaan, are used as taxis in the villages and cities.  They pick up passengers and take them to their destination for a pre-negotiated fee between the driver/owner and the passenger.  The fees are low and the somlaws are very effective ... for short distances ... in good weather.  Go to any local market, and you will sure to find a plethora of somlaws.  Some bring goods to the market.  Some bring goods from the market out to the outlying neighborhoods and villages.  Still other somlaws hustle about bringing people to and from the market.  Somlaws are like the poor man's pick-up truck - but much cheaper.  Duang and I have ridden in somlaws many times.

Somlaws are also used in the various agricultural enterprises in Northeast Thailand.  The man and woman that I encountered near the Wat used their somlaw to transport their crop of tobacco and no doubt for the crop of chili that was distributed amongst the tobacco plants.  I suspect that the family grew chili amongst the tobacco for several reasons.  Since Duang was not with me, I was unable to ask the people directly about their practice.  However in researching tobacco cultivation, I learned that tobacco plants have natural insecticide properties.  I also learned that tobacco production depletes many micro- minerals from the soil and crop rotation is necessary.  Perhaps the people grow the chilies to supplement the soil nutrients and to take advantage of the shade provided by the tobacco plants.

The tobacco is harvested by hand using curved  knives to cut the leaves from the thick ridged stalk of the plant.  The harvest commences with the lower leaves of the plant when they start to turn yellow. After 1-2 weeks the lower leaves of the plant are harvested once again. There are 4 to 5 harvests spaced 1-2 weeks apart for each tobacco plant.  The leaves are cut from the stalk and placed upon recycled fertilizer or sugar bags. When a sufficient amount of leaves have been placed on the flattened bags, the bags are rolled up to form a roughly three foot diameter bundle of leaves.  The bundles are then placed in a cart or somlaw for transportation to the processing area.


After taking some photos of the man and woman, I returned to the Wat and reunited with my wife and her family members.  They had just finished with their visit with the Ruesi so we headed back to our home about an hour to the south

Tobacco Drying In the Sun On Bamboo Mats

On our way to the Wat, I had noticed some interesting sights to photograph.  As we traveled along the local road that runs parallel to Highway 211, we made stops for me to photograph the cultivation of tobacco.

One stop was at an area where tobacco was drying out in the sun.  The area was comprised of several rows of racks constructed of bamboo.  Woven bamboo mats, many of them covered with a loose fibrous layer of shredded tobacco. were placed upon the bamboo racks.  The bare woven bamboo mats were stained from the nicotine of countless layers of tobacco that had been placed upon them.

In addition to the tobacco drying racks, there were several roughly constructed three sided huts distributed along the perimeter of the area.  The huts were work stations for the processing of tobacco.  Within the huts were stalls where bundles of tobacco were stored beneath thick blankets resembling comforters.  There was also a piece of equipment stored under a tarp inside of each hut.  The equipment is used to chop the leaves for drying.

Tobacco Aging In Processing Hut

The processing huts also contained one or two rough lumber constructed tables, edges and flat surfaces worn smooth from many years of use. Use and age had given the lumber a rich patina - a common sight in Isaan.  On our trip out to this area, we passed an area where there were several businesses selling lumber and lumber products.  The fascinating aspect, for me, of these businesses was that the lumber was recycled homes and structures.  In the past homes and structures such as rice storage buildings and work areas were constructed from teak.  Teak is very durable and does not need painting to be preserved.  Today many of the new homes and structures are constructed out of concrete, cinder block, and brick.  Old homes are often carefully dismantled and relocated - making use of the old teak. For old teak houses that are no longer wanted, businesses will purchase the homes, dismantle them, and recycle the wood - cutting it into sections and sizes to be used in modern construction.  Some business will use their recycled wood to produce doors and garden gazebos.

Isaan Tobacco Worker

Soon after arriving at the processing area, we were joined by a local man and his wife.  They were tobacco processors.  As is so typical here, they were very friendly and hospitable.  They graciously and patiently answered all of my questions as translated by Duang.  They brought us to their nearby hut and showed us and explained how the tobacco is processed.

Tobacco Bundles Aging

From the workers we learned that the processing actually takes place at night.  It was confusing to totally comprehend exactly what time and what was done.  Part of the confusion was the information had to be translated twice.  I also strongly suspect that a great deal of the confusion was caused by the Thai way of telling time - the Thai way is not always used which makes it more confusing to understand exactly what time is being referenced.


From the discussions I left the area believing that the workers start at 8:00 PM bringing tobacco to the work area.  The tobacco is offloaded and stored vertically in bundles inside of the processing shed.  The bundles of the tobacco are covered to control the humidity.  After three days, the tobacco is chopped by machines.  According what I was told, the chopping of the tobacco starts at midnight and is completed by 8:00 AM.  Twice, I verified that the man and his wife would be working that night.


Duang and I discussed and agreed to return later that night to observe the tobacco processing.  We returned home to have dinner and for Duang to change into "winter" clothing for the long night to come.  Our nights have been "cold" lately - roughly 50F.


Once we arrived home, Duang convinced me to wait a while longer before returning to Phon Sa.  I woke her up at 11:00 PM to start our trip north.  After stopping at a 7-11 to get some snacks for the night, we headed north up Highway 2 towards the border.  One nice thing about traveling at night is you essentially own the roads.  There is very little traffic and almost no motorbikes after midnight.  This is great, especially here in Isaan, because many roads do not have lights and many also lack adequate reflective markings.  In many places, especially where there is lights, the combination of on coming traffic, street lights, and flashing lights along the road or from vehicles ahead of yu create some confusing situations.  The lack of traffic enables you to slow down as you feel necessary to sort out the confusion.


We arrived at the tobacco processing area at 1:00 AM - the perfectly dark and unoccupied work area!  I was convinced that all the work had been completed.  Duang assured me that everything was "OK, you not think.  I think people come later"  She then opened the back door of the truck cab and laid down to rest.  I remained in the driver's seat, eating snacks, and periodically checking my watch for the time.  The monotony of the night was only periodically interrupted by the occasional passing of a vehicle on the road running parallel to the Mekong River.


At the sight of each approaching vehicle, my hopes rose that it would be bringing the workers to start processing the tobacco.  Every time, those hopes were dashed as the vehicles continued on their way past the small road that lead down to our location.


As the night wore on, small wispy patches of ground fog materialized and floated around and about our truck and the processing area.  After a while, a long while, some lights came on in the distance - across an irrigation canal.  In the distance, I could just barely make out that it was a tobacco processing shed and people were starting to move about.  This gave me encouragement that perhaps Duang was correct that people would be coming to work.


I exited the pickup truck and took a little walk to determine how to get from where we were to where the lights were without getting wet.  I checked it out and went back to get my camera gear along with Duang to go over to the work area.


As we commenced to leave the truck, two people on a motorbike materialized out of the fog - they made no noise because they had shut off the engine and rolled down the hill to where we were parked.  It was two women coming to start work at 2:30 AM.  They were going to work at the area where we were located.  I followed them the very short distance to their shed.  Now the area was quickly coming to life!  The man and woman that we had visited in the afternoon arrived.  Some other men arrived out of the fog.


Lights, single bare florescent tubes, mounted on small diameter bamboo poles or attached to the sheds, provided some illumination.  At the far end of the drying area, the heavy silence of the night was destroyed by the blaring recording of Morlam (morlum) ethnic music answered by the staccato barking of near by village dogs.  It was the start of the work night ... a long work night for sure.

Tobacco Being Shredded by "Turbo" Shredder

Even with the illumination from the florescent lights, it was a surrealistic scene.  People came in and out of the shadows.  The rich color of the aged tobacco being chopped and handled added a color cast to the scene - bundles of tobacco leaves, whirling pieces of shredded tobacco, shredded tobacco piling up on recycled bags placed on the straw covered ground, masses of tobacco being transported in hand carts, and masses of shredded tobacco being made into mats on woven bamboo trays .  The sound of electrically powered machines chopping tobacco provided a baseline to offset the blaring music from afar.  On top of it all, I could hear the distinctive voice of my wife doing one of the things that Lao Loum people (ethnic Lao) do best and most - talk!  It is typical here in Isaan to encounter people and within 10 minutes observers would be led to believe that you were with family members.  The people enjoy talking about themselves and learning about you - it is all very open and candid.

The processing of the tobacco started with setting up the machine to shred the tobacco leaves.  There appeared to me to be two types of machines.  The first machine, one that I had been shown in the afternoon, I refer to as the "Turbo".  The turbo machine is a self feeding electrical machine that uses spinning wheel cutters to chop the leaves.  The chopped tobacco is axially ejected from the machine through a front fairing.  This machine casts quite a bit of chopped tobacco into the area surrounding it.  Fine netting, like the type used in threshing rice, is placed underneath and in front of the turbo cutter on the straw covered ground.  Recycled fertilizer and sugar bags are placed flat on the netting to capture the shredded tobacco.  Sometimes cardboard is set up to more efficiently deflect the stream of shredded tobacco to fall on the recycled flattened bags.

Shredding Tobacco With the "Guillotine"

The other type of equipment used to chop and shred tobacco, I refer to as the "Guillotine".  The guillotine, or perhaps it could be referred to as the "Chop-o-matic", is my favorite.  It is an electrical powered self feeding slicing knife.  Through a complicated mechanism of moving parts and lubricators, a single EXPOSED knife runs moves through cyclic motion cutting the tobacco.  Unlike the turbo slicer, the guillotine requires some maintenance as it operates. Periodically as the  machine was running, the operator would squirt some water out of a recycled dish washing detergent bottle on to the knife then used some sort of pad to rub the outside of the oscillating knife blade.  Duang told me that it was to keep the knife blade cool.  I also believe that it was to help keep the cutting mechanism clean and prevent it from clogging/plugging up.  The guillotine does not put shredded tobacco into the air like the turbo however it is slower. It makes a neat pile of shredded tobacco beneath the cutter.  Periodically the operator would scoop up the pile in his hands and place the shredded tobacco into a hand cart that when filled would be rolled over to the drying racks.


Be it the "Turbo" or the "Guillotine", the shredders are very dangerous machines - exposed belts, moving metal parts that cut, lacerate and pinch.  Machines that as they are configured now would not be allowed to operate in many countries.  The workers are aware of the dangers and I did not observe any with missing hands or fingers.  On top of the mechanical dangers of the machines there were the dangers of the electrical system.  Although it was in a moist outdoor location, there were no GFI (Ground Fault Interrupters), or weatherproof connectors or boxes associated with the 220 volt system. As Duang says "Thailand not like America"

Forming Shredded Tobacco Mat For Drying

Whether shredded by the turbo or guillotine machines the next step in processing the tobacco was to place it on the woven bamboo trays supported on bamboo racks.  Large handfuls of the freshly shredded tobacco are placed upon empty woven bamboo trays about 30 inches wide by 5 foot long.  Under the harsh and dim light of a single florescent light tube some distance away, a woman distributes and pats the shredded tobacco by hand to form a single mat of tobacco fibers about 1/2 inch thick.  When several trays are covered with tobacco mats, they are carried into the shadows and placed upon empty racks to await the rising of the sun.  The worker returns to her work area with empty trays to replace the trays that have been previously filled and so it goes for the entire night.

The tobacco is processed at night to ensure that it can be dried by the sun for a full day.  This minimizes the possibility of  mold growing.  The tobacco is sun dried for one day with the mat turned over once during the drying cycle.  If there is not sufficient sunlight, the tobacco is dried for two days.  The women handling the shredded tobacco as well as the men shredding the leaves wear latex gloves. not to prevent contaminating the product but to protect themselves from getting sick - GTS (Green Tobacco Sickness).  Handling wet tobacco can cause GTS.  I have read that tobacco harvesters should wear rain suits when harvesting tobacco wet from dew.  However the people that I observed harvesting tobacco wear not wearing any type of personal protection.  Although the tobacco processors were wearing latex gloves, the remainder of their clothing was typical of what you find Isaan workers of all types wearing - typically an athletic outfit or jeans and cotton shirt with a tee shirt wrapped around their head to form a sort of balaclava - balaclava Isaan style!


After the tobacco has been dried, it is formed into thick 1 Kg rings - roughly 24 inches diameter and 4 inches thick.  Ten of the rings are placed in a long plastic bag and sold to a representative of the TTM - Thai Tobacco Monopoly.


So what do people do with all that tobacco?  TTM uses it to make cigarettes.  Of the amount of tobacco that makes it to the private market, my wife believes that 80% of it is used in betelnut chewing with 20% going to roll your own cigarettes.  We bought 4 Kg and gave it to Duang's mother.  When Duang gave it to her mother she remarked that there was so much that she would die before it was all gone - a pinch of tobacco is used when chewing betel nuts.  Duang's mom is a good sport and just laughed.


We enjoyed the company of the workers and observing their work until approximately 4:00 AM when we set off for home, arriving at 5:00 AM and straight to bed for a well deserved as well as needed "night's" (morning?) sleep.


I had been presented with a great opportunity to observe and experience a different part of my world.  As always Duang was completely supportive of my desire to show ordinary people doing extraordinary things. It is all out there at all times, day or night, if we just allow ourselves to stretch the boundaries of our comfort zone and zone of experience.  I am fortunate to have a wife, a partner, who is fully willing to travel there with me.  We are also fortunate to live in a region where these encounters and experiences are so easy and available to experience.

More Photographs Are Available

 



 

 

 Twenty-five additional photographs of children are now available for viewing in my most popular gallery: Runny Noses and Dirty Faces - Children


http://www.hale-worldphotography.com/Children/Runny-Noses-and-Dirty-Faces

Month after month this gallery gets the most views on my photography website.  It is also the gallery that I have actually sold the most Limited Copyright License Agreements and prints.

I have enjoyed taking these photographs and wish to share some of Allen's World with others.

My ambition and goal is to show extraordinary people doing ordinary things.  In so doing, I wish to show how different people can appear, to provide a glimpse of other cultures, to celebrate the diversity of mankind, and to demonstrate that despite our appearances we are so much alike.

I consider my work to be documentary style photography in that my goal is to capture a real and true moment at a specific point in time; sort of like “If you had been there then, this is what you should have seen”  As such, there is very little posing, imposed direction or post processing manipulation in my work.