Tuwoh: The Way of Life and Local Wisdom of Palm Sugar Collector in the Charang Sub-district, Yaring, Pattani

Abstract

 The research aimed to study palm sugar collectors' way of life and local wisdom in the Charang sub-district, Yaring district, Pattani Province. It is qualitative research. The sample consisted of eight agriculturists with one year's experience harvesting and producing palm sugar. The research tools were semi-structured interviews and participant observations. This article examined the data using both content analysis and descriptive analytics.
The findings of this study revealed that 1) the lifestyle of palm sugar collectors aligns with Islamic principles, known as "Tawakkal to Allah." These principles include delegating all tasks to God, leading a self-sufficient life, leveraging community resources to establish a career for family support, and fostering interdependence among neighbors by sharing food and
possessions. 2) This study can identify four key factors that contribute to the wisdom of palm sugar collectors: 1) The fresh sugars are presented from spoiling-they place Takian sticks at the bottom of the cylinder and pack them in a bamboo tube; 2) They immerse the palm sugars in mud in the field, preventing the palm trees from sending glucose to the flowers and allowing them to flow naturally; 3) They gather the ashes from the stove that boils the palms and place them on top of the palm trees to extract more sugar from the bunches; and 4) A traditional cleaning method involves blanching the cylinder to clean and disinfect it. As a result, palm collectors, whose livelihoods depend on natural resources and local knowledge, rely on palm trees as a bridge to foster relationships within their community.