THE VALUE AND ROLE OF PHAYA CHANG NANG PHOM HOM TALE OF BAN NONG BUA, PHU LUANG DISTRICT, LOEI PROVINCE

Abstract

               The academic article was part of the research, titled “Development of Innovative Model from Narratives of Mekhong Communities to Enhance Reading Skills of Youth.” Its objectives were to analyze the value of the Phaya Chang Nang Phom Hom story, and to analyze the roles of the Phaya Chang Nang Phom Hom story. The target group were sage villagers, folk wise persons, and storytellers, selected by the purposive sampling and the snowball sampling. The interview, focus group discussion, and workshop were used to collect the qualitative data, which were engaged in the descriptive analysis.

               The value of the tale “Phaya Chang Nang Phom Hom” revealed that (1) the essence of the story indicated love and relationship between humans and animals, (2) the storyline reflected the fate of people upon their act (Kamma), happiness, suffering, separation, and fulfillment, (3) it gave rise to the merit-making of Nong Bua Village and brough about the unity of people in the community, (4) it came about the worship of the Phaya Chang Nang Phom Hom statue in order to create the community identity and promote the local tourism, (5) The story-telling within the family reflected love and pride in their own locality, and (6) The community rites demonstrated the local wisdom in the natural resource conservation of  the locality.

               The tale “Phaya Chang Nang Phom Hom” played two significant roles: (1) the transfer of a story about their own locality, and (2) the education that demonstrated that the discipline construction and the observation of the social behavioral standards, the  construction of the local pride, the gracious cultural creation, the creation of traditions as the only belief of the society, the identify creation for the community, and the construction of mental awareness and value for the community.