Thai Kreis? Thai forum Members?

[Laowang]

I can find no clear evidence regarding Khun Phan's ethnic identity (at least in English); given his apparent Buddhist religion, it's likely he was ethnic Thai. However, the cities of Nakhon Si Thammarat (Ligor), Songkhla, and Patani were all ethnically mixed (Thais, Malays, and Chinese), and in that milieu it is likely he would have viewed the keris as an object of magical power, as PenangsangII has suggested.

It seems clear from both scholarly sources (and the opinions of contributors in this forum) that to the degree keris culture exists within the borders of the Thai nation, it exists because of ethnic Malays who are now part of the Thai state. There are, of course, contemporary Thai collectors of keris, just as there are many collectors of keris in this forum who are not ethnic Malays.

[Nathaniel]

Originally Posted by Laowang

I can find no clear evidence regarding Khun Phan's ethnic identity (at least in English); given his apparent Buddhist religion, it's likely he was ethnic Thai. However, the cities of Nakhon Si Thammarat (Ligor), Songkhla, and Patani were all ethnically mixed (Thais, Malays, and Chinese), and in that milieu it is likely he would have viewed the keris as an object of magical power, as PenangsangII has suggested.

It seems clear from both scholarly sources (and the opinions of contributors in this forum) that to the degree keris culture exists within the borders of the Thai nation, it exists because of ethnic Malays who are now part of the Thai state.

Good point Laowang

There has definitely been intermarriage between different tribes, religions, etc. Many of us are mixed mutt's I'm Chinese, Dutch, English & Irish.... Many Thai nationals are have some Chinese blood in them from one side or both. I know many Thai who are mix of several groups...Mon, Lao, Chinese, Thai, Tai Yai, Tai Lue, Hmong, Shan, Malay, Khmer...so then you might find a mix of customs & tools used...plus just even just plan borrowing/ adaptation as many have suggested...if you find a better rat trap, then use it

[DAHenkel]

I did not mean to imply that the Tai living in Nakhon dont keep and wear keris. For that matter anywhere else. Clearly though they adopted them from the Malays in the south.

[Laowang]

Originally Posted by DAHenkel

I did not mean to imply that the Tai living in Nakhon dont keep and wear keris. For that matter anywhere else. Clearly though they adopted them from the Malays in the south.

For my part, I don't mean to imply that ethnic Thai in southern Thailand do wear keris. Our only proof, at the moment, is a single photograph of Khun Phan; without some sort of authoritative biography, we're operating on pure speculation as to his ethnic background. We also have no way of knowing from the single photograph whether he was in his formal dress (with the keris being part of it), or displaying trophies from his years of policing. In the essay "Luang Pho Thuat and the Integration of Patani", the historian Patrick Jory notes that Khun Phan received a 'knife' as a token of gratitude from the sultan of Kelantan, after capturing a notorious bandit. It's possible that 'knife' is a keris, given that it was awarded by the sultan, but again this is pure speculation.

Historically there has been much intermixing between ethnic groups in the region, at least between Chinese-Thai and Chinese-Malay (as many of you are well aware). I'm not as familiar as to mixing between Thai-Malay, although historical accounts of Nakhon and other cities in the region in the 16th-18th centuries tell of populations "so mixed that visitors had trouble identifying with whom they were dealing." Nakhon at that time period was ruled by ethnic Thai, but the elite were probably bilingual (Thai and Malay), with many high officials of Chinese and Indian extraction. Primary ethnic groups were Thai, Malay, and Chinese.

The amulet craze Khun Phan is linked to is, I assume, the Luang Pho Thuat amulet craze. Jory notes that the amulet craze, and the promotion surrounding the affiliated Buddhist temple (Wat Chang Hai in Pattani), are linked to the Thai government's policy of integrating Pattani into the Thai Buddhist heartland. The mention of the keris in the book The Heritage of Thai Culture seems somewhat suspicious in this regard (which is something Alan notes as well). By claiming the keris as having roots in Thailand, the Thai government bolsters its claim over the former sultanates of Pattani and Songkhla and their peoples, not unlike its use of the Luang Pho Thuat amulet craze to reinforce that claim.