Dance in the Funeral Ceremony of the Mon People

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to study the history, inheritance, and elements of the dance performed in the funeral ceremony of the Mon people, who are part of the Wanka Village dance troupe in Sangkhla Buri District, Kanchanaburi. This article employs qualitative research methods to gather information from documents, interviews, and observations. The results were analyzed using folklore theory and the concept of artificial dance to address the specified research objectives.

The findings reveal that the history of the dance during the funeral ceremony of the Mon people, who fled from war since the Ayutthaya period, may have included performers. This performance has been passed down from ancestors, preserved through strict remembrance and practice, with the belief that it brings merit by honoring the dead and sending the deceased to heaven or a better world through rituals. The Wangka Village dance troupe, under the leadership of Mr. Sakda Saengsawang, has continued this tradition. The troupe's leader inherited the Mon funeral ceremony dance style from Mr. Jae Chin No Last Name (the founder of the Wanka Village Dance Troupe) and his father, Mr. Man Punnakanea. In earlier times, the dance was performed exclusively by men due to Wangka Village's relatively small female population. Later, during Mr.Sakda's era, Mrs. Wae Saengsawang (Mr. Sakda's wife) introduced a new form of the dance, encouraging women to participate in funeral performances. The dance retained the style inherited from Myanmar, where men carry the castle while moving their feet in unison, symbolizing a battle for the deceased, and sing mourning songs for Mon monks who had passed away. Women now follow the same movements as the men and dance to the tune of the song. The performance consists of a total of 39 dance moves and 28 songs. In the funeral ceremony, the performance begins with paying respects to the teacher, followed by dancing, singing, and playing music. A total of 32 men and 32 women participate, integrating various fields of knowledge, such as architecture, painting, literature, composition, and folk dance, into the dance elements of the Mon people's funeral ceremonies.