Phraya Anuman Rajadhon
Encyclopedia
Phya Anuman Rajadhon, Phaya Anuman Rajadhon or Phrayā Anuman Rajadhon , born 1888, died 1969 in Bangkok
, was one of modern Thailand
's most remarkable scholars. He was a self-trained linguist, anthropologist and ethnographer that became an authority on Thai culture.
His prolific work and his interest in a multitude of cultural-related fields, from folklore
to sociology
, set the foundations for a long-lasting cultural awareness among young Thai
scholars.
, popular customs
, oral tradition
, social norms and the value system
of the Thai people.
He worked in different places, including the Hotel Oriental in Bangkok
, during his youth and middle age. In the years when Phya Anuman Rajadhon worked as a clerk at the Thai Customs Department, he got to know a Mr. Norman Mackay who helped him to polish his broken English.
He had no academic titles and did all the training he needed for his research and compilation work humbly, tirelessly and on his own.
Phya Anuman Rajadhon took a special interest in popular culture. Many particular ancient habits of Thais he recorded and described would have died unnoticed if they would have not been put down into writing by him. Often his descriptions were accompanied by illustrations.
As a writer
he wrote novels under the pen name
Sethyankōsēt, often spelled as Sathirakoses, . He also wrote works on important Thai cultural figures, like a biography of Phra Saraprasoet '(Trī Nākhaprathīp)' (1889–1945), a likewise dedicated author and commentator in the field of Thai literature.
Recognition came to Phya Anuman Rajadhon towards his old age, when he was invited to universities to give lectures and began travelling abroad. He was given the post of President of the Siam Society and ended up becoming one of Thailand's most respected intellectuals, both in the last years of his life and posthumously.
The commemoration of the 100th year of his birth was staged in 1988 by UNESCO
, where social activist Sulak Sivaraksa
, founder of the Sathirakoses-Nagapradeepa Foundation, described Phya Anuman Rajadhon as a National Hero.
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
, was one of modern Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
's most remarkable scholars. He was a self-trained linguist, anthropologist and ethnographer that became an authority on Thai culture.
His prolific work and his interest in a multitude of cultural-related fields, from folklore
Folklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
to sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
, set the foundations for a long-lasting cultural awareness among young Thai
Thai people
The Thai people, or Siamese, are the main ethnic group of Thailand and are part of the larger Tai ethnolinguistic peoples found in Thailand and adjacent countries in Southeast Asia as well as southern China. Their language is the Thai language, which is classified as part of the Kradai family of...
scholars.
Biography
Moved by an innate curiosity and having an eye for detail, Phya Anuman Rajadhon observed and took notes on the Thai society that surrounded him at the crucial time when much of the traditional culture was being overwhelmed by modernity. As years went by he studied in depth the languageLanguage
Language may refer either to the specifically human capacity for acquiring and using complex systems of communication, or to a specific instance of such a system of complex communication...
, popular customs
Folklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
, oral tradition
Oral tradition
Oral tradition and oral lore is cultural material and traditions transmitted orally from one generation to another. The messages or testimony are verbally transmitted in speech or song and may take the form, for example, of folktales, sayings, ballads, songs, or chants...
, social norms and the value system
Value system
A value system is a set of consistent ethic values and measures used for the purpose of ethical or ideological integrity. A well defined value system is a moral code.-Personal and communal:...
of the Thai people.
He worked in different places, including the Hotel Oriental in Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
, during his youth and middle age. In the years when Phya Anuman Rajadhon worked as a clerk at the Thai Customs Department, he got to know a Mr. Norman Mackay who helped him to polish his broken English.
He had no academic titles and did all the training he needed for his research and compilation work humbly, tirelessly and on his own.
Phya Anuman Rajadhon took a special interest in popular culture. Many particular ancient habits of Thais he recorded and described would have died unnoticed if they would have not been put down into writing by him. Often his descriptions were accompanied by illustrations.
As a writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
he wrote novels under the pen name
Pen name
A pen name, nom de plume, or literary double, is a pseudonym adopted by an author. A pen name may be used to make the author's name more distinctive, to disguise his or her gender, to distance an author from some or all of his or her works, to protect the author from retribution for his or her...
Sethyankōsēt, often spelled as Sathirakoses, . He also wrote works on important Thai cultural figures, like a biography of Phra Saraprasoet '(Trī Nākhaprathīp)' (1889–1945), a likewise dedicated author and commentator in the field of Thai literature.
Recognition came to Phya Anuman Rajadhon towards his old age, when he was invited to universities to give lectures and began travelling abroad. He was given the post of President of the Siam Society and ended up becoming one of Thailand's most respected intellectuals, both in the last years of his life and posthumously.
The commemoration of the 100th year of his birth was staged in 1988 by UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
, where social activist Sulak Sivaraksa
Sulak Sivaraksa
Sulak Sivaraksa [] is founder and director of the Thai NGO “Sathirakoses-Nagapradeepa Foundation”, named after two authorities on Thai culture, Sathirakoses and Nagapradeepa...
, founder of the Sathirakoses-Nagapradeepa Foundation, described Phya Anuman Rajadhon as a National Hero.
Selected works
Only a fraction of Phya Anuman Rajadhon's works have been translated into English.- Essays on Thai Folklore, Editions Duang Kamol, ISBN 974-210345-3
- Popular BuddhismBuddhismBuddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
in Siam and other Essays on Thai Studies, Thai Inter-religious Commission on Development and Sathirakoses-Nagapradipa Foundation, Bangkok 1986 - Thet Maha Chat. Promotion and Public Relations Sub-Division, Fine Arts Department, Bangkok 1990
- Life and Ritual in Old Siam: Three Studies of Thai Life and Customs, New Haven, HRAF Press, 1961
- Five papers on Thai custom, Southeast Asia Program, Dept. of Far Eastern Studies, Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y. 1958
- Some traditions of the Thai and other translations of Phya Anuman Rajadhon's articles on Thai customs, Thai Inter-Religious Commission for Development & Sathirakoses-Nagapradipa Foundation, Suksit Siam, Bangkok 1987
- The Nature and Development of the Thai LanguageThai languageThai , also known as Central Thai and Siamese, is the national and official language of Thailand and the native language of the Thai people, Thailand's dominant ethnic group. Thai is a member of the Tai group of the Tai–Kadai language family. Historical linguists have been unable to definitively...
, Thai Culture, New series; no. 10, Thailand; Fine Arts Dept., Bangkok 1961 - Thai Literature in Relation to the Diffusion of Her Cultures, Thailand Culture New Series; no. 9, Thailand; Fine Arts Dept., Bangkok 1969
- Thai Language, National Culture Institute, Bangkok 1954
- Chao Thi and some traditions of Thai, National Culture Institute, Bangkok 1956
- Phra CediPhra Pathom ChediPhra Pathom Chedi is the tallest stupa in the world with the height of . It is located in the town of Nakhon Pathom, Thailand.The name Phra Pathom Chedi means Holy chedi of the beginning. The stupa at the location is first mentioned in Buddhist scriptures of the year 675, however archaeological...
, Journal of the Siam Society, Bangkok 1952 - Thai Literature & Swasdi Raksa, Thailand Culture Series; no. 3, National Culture Institute, Bangkok 1956
- Introducing cultural Thailand in outline, Thailand Culture Series; no. 1, Thailand; Fine Arts Dept., Bangkok 2006, ISBN 9744178108
- The story of Thai marriage custom, Thailand Culture Series; no. 13, National Culture Institute, Bangkok 1954
- Loy KrathongLoy KrathongLoi Krathong is a festival celebrated annually throughout Thailand and certain parts of Laos and Burma .-Overview:...
and Songkran festival, The National Culture Institute, Bangkok 1953