Shans in Thailand To Set Up A Cultural Foundation

Shans in Thailand To Set Up A Cultural Foundation

A meeting in Chiangmai of respected monks and laymen yesterday took the decision to apply for registration of a cultural foundation to be formed soon after wardo.

The meeting, held at Mae-ai Luang Temple, and chaired by Sunanda Jonglaeng, a Thai of Shan descent well known among Shan cultural communities, resolved that 5 persons selected at the previous meeting on 16 April would set out to apply for registration of the Khru Maw Tai Foundation, a non-political organization dedicated to cultural, literature and humanitarian activities.

The meeting was attended by representatives of Shan literature and culture groups from Maesai, Mai-ai, Fang, Chaiprakarn, Chiangdao, Chiangmai, Maehongson, Wianghaeng and Bangkok. Khanit Wanakamol, a Shan lecturer from Chiangmai Teachers' College and Renu wichasilp from Chiangmai University, both of whom are esteemed academics in Thailand, also attended. 

The meeting, in addition, solved two linguistic hazards.

One was the selection of the words "Khru Maw" to represent the Shan sages to whom the foundation would be dedicated. However, to the Thais, the words simply mean "teachers (and) doctors" and could therefore be mistaken as a foundation for teachers and doctors. Nevertheless, the meeting, with assistance from the participating scholars, decided to adopt "Khru Maw" as the words derived from 'Guru", a Pali word meaning a pundit of great standing.

Sao Karngsurh, (1787-1881), one of the nine scholars Traditionally honored by the Shans, is regarded as the greatest. He wrote more than a hundred treatises during his lifetime.

Another hurdle was the word "Tai". While most Shans call themselves Tai, a word that embraces the whole ethnic and linguistic grouping that include Thais, "Tai" written in Thai without a y-postfix(yaw-yak), can also mean "kidney".

"So when we say (Khru Maw Tai), many people may think our foundation is to do with kidney specialists," said Khanit, evoking langhere from the participants.

To this, Ms. Renu pointed out that in the Thai scholastic circles, 'Tai' without a y-postfix had been adopted, and her suggestion was approved by the meeting. 

N.B A sum of Baht 200,000 as a bank deposit, not to be touched thereafter, is a prerequisite for the application. And another sum of Baht 100,000 has been designated for the Foundation's activities, which will include the annual Khru Maw Tai Festival to be held in February 2001. The founding committee has already collected B. 200,000 and readers, especially Shans, are requested to fill up the balance by sending their remittances to the following bank 

account:

Kawngthun Chao Khrumaw Tai
Bangkok Bank, Mae-ai Branch,Chiangmai 50280A/C: 510 0188423