Phi Ti Su Khwan: Conservation and Transmission of the Spiritual Encouragement-Ritual of People in Isan Society

Abstract

Problem statement: Phi Ti Su Khwan is a ritual of Isan people (northeast people of Thailand) which is performed for encouraging power of life of people at an appropriate period in their lifetime. Khwan (spirit) is a non-physical part of body; it acts as consciousness which affects physical health. At present, the majority of ritual leaders are very old and they seem to lack their descendants because the descendants lack knowledge, skill and qualifications concerning spiritual encouragement-ritual. The purposes of this research were to investigate the difficulties of conservation and transmission of spiritual encouragement-ritual and to conserve and transmit it in Isan society. Approach: Research areas are Kaksin, Maha Sarakham and Khon Kaen Province which locate in the north of northeastern Thailand. These areas have the diversity of traditions, culture and ethnic groups. Moreover, they are old provinces where the ritual leaders have lived and transmitted spiritual encouragement-ritual to new generation until now. The data were collected from 123 ritual leaders by means of a survey, an interview, an observation and a focus group interview. Research results were presented by means of a descriptive analysis Results: (1) The difficulties of conservation and transmission of spiritual encouragement-ritual revealed that the majority of ritual leaders in Isan society were very old and they seemed to lack their descendants because the descendants lacked knowledge, skill and experience concerning spiritual encouragement-ritual so people in Isan society revealed that there were 4 ways of transmission: The first, it was transmitted through temples or communities, the third, it was transmitted through senior-ritual leaders and the fourth, it was transmitted through self-learning. Conclusion/Recommendations: The leader of spiritual encouragement-ritual must has extra characteristic that differs from general person in order to maintain his successful life and people’s acknowledgement.