Slavery of Pra That Phanom toward Mekong people and adaptation of historical perception

Abstract

This historical article examines the perceptual adaptation of Mekong people toward the Pra That Phanom since 1353 up to present. The politic of mastering space concept and historical approaches are employed in this study. The researcher explores various data including inscriptions, traveler memoirs, and the oral history of many informants. The study makes four conclusions. First, before 1893, people in both sides of the Mekong River who defined themselves as slaves of Pra That Phanom, stayed and lived in harmony and unity. They were faithful to the same Pra That Phanom. In the third month festival of every year, these people traveled on foot for took nine days and nights on a pilgrimage to worship the Pra That Phanom. Second, during the period 1945-1991, rulers in each country used a divide and rule policy in order to create a new sense of citizenship. At that time, the Pra That Phanom was a part of the national history of Thailand. Therefore, the Vientiane government limited the role of Pra That Phanom and constructed a sense of Indochinese and Lao citizenship for its people. Third, the result of the implementation of politics of mastering space after the Cold War and post-colonial period was that the Bangkok and Vientiane governments produced different bodies of knowledge regarding the Pra That Phanom for their people in their own series. Lastly, since 1991 and the end of the Cold War period, Mekong people should seek ways to adjust their perception by creating greater harmony and reinterpreting the Pra That Phanom history as a regional history.