El docente y la relación de contenidos

The period of the dominance of traditional Thai recordkeeping practices covers the longest amount of time in Thai recordkeeping history. The old materials and almost all practices have been supplanted over time, yet the traditional practices and use of records and archives were designed in accordance with Thai beliefs and ideas.

Before Siam received influence from the West in the midst of its imperialist ambitions, the notion of keeping records was more to record events than to keep records created in daily life. The evolution of this recordkeeping system can be traced through historical evidence in Thailand as follows.

Prior to and during the Sukhothai Period (1238–1583)

According to Thai textbooks, Sukhothai is considered the first capital of the Thai kingdom; however, the fact is that Sukhothai is not distinct from other kingdoms that existed before. The land that is now Thailand used to be occupied by various

kingdoms in different parts of the territory. Despite this reality, Sukhothai is considered the first ‘Thai’ kingdom because of the continuity of the dynasty from Sukhothai to the Ayutthaya kingdom – something emphasised in Thai historical chronicles. This thesis will thus mention recordkeeping in Sukhothai as well as traditions found in other kingdoms.

The Sukhothai kingdom was not big and its political system was not highly

bureaucratic. Having been liberated from Khmer rule, Thai people founded a kingdom

with a small administration. In the early decades of this period, the kingdom had simple administration that sought to reflect the patriarchal ideal of a father governing his children. The population was small enough for it to be feasible for the king to judge trials. Subjects were entitled to use the word “father” in referring to their sovereign. After three kings, another type of king became prevalent: the

Sommuttithep, or godlike king as posited in Hinduism, whose functions were better suited to a more complex society and expansive territory. However, the Sommuttithep system was not yet extensive compared to what is understood as the “next” Thai capital city and kingdom, Ayutthaya, which left many chronicles that were composed to support the kings’ sovereignty.

A typical kind of recordkeeping found before and during the Sukhothai period is the inscription on a stone tablet. With inscriptions, the security of the information was guaranteed by the endurance of the material. This longevity is also one of the reasons why inscriptions are one of the oldest kind of record that has been found in the territory of present-day Thailand. Some inscriptions were created to record heroic deeds for political purposes. Others were created for religious purposes. A notable example is the Ramkhamhaeng stele which is partly autobiography of King

Ramkhamhaeng, his family, his heroic battles and expansion of territory, along with descriptions of social life in the Sukhothai kingdom (1238–1583). Another example of this type is the No.2 inscription, which contains a biography of King

Ramkhamhaeng’s son, who was a monk. The inscription describes his brave and virtuous biography. Other inscriptions, called kalapana, recorded evidence of donations associated with Buddhism (Chalitanon 17-9). Throughout Thai history it has been customary for people to record evidence of their meritorious acts such as when they donate objects or people to temples. This evidence did not work like records of property or daily business in the modern Western sense (Jenkinson 4).¹⁵ In contrast, recordkeeping as evidence in traditional Thai thinking has been related to religion (Pongsripian). It was written as evidence of good deeds or merit made by the donors, which is very important according to Buddhist beliefs. Those who make merit

15 This is the first definition of archives provided by Sir Hilary Jenkinson in his book. However, Jenkinson also gives an example of another kind of archive which is closer to traditional Thai practice:

newspapers whose contents are related to history. He concludes, “It would seem, therefore, that our definition must include both documents specially made for, and documents included in, an official transaction”. Still, there is a distinction between archives in this sense and Thai archives since the Thai archives were specially created for keeping.

are thought to reincarnate in a better life; it is also believed their merit can improve their lives now. In the world in which Buddhism is the centre of life, recordkeeping in this way is necessary. Another practice that is found in inscription writing is to curse people who want to steal donations from the temple (In-on). Some of the oldest inscriptions record Buddhist teachings. Inscriptions of this type date especially from before the Sukhothai period; Sri Lankan Buddhism heavily influenced the quality of knowledge and philosophy in the inscriptions. The Ye thamma inscription, found in the territory of the former Dvaravati Kingdom,¹⁶ is an example of an inscription with these characteristics (Na Bangchang 19). The written characters used before the Sukhothai period were from other alphabets, as the Thai alphabet was not developed until the time of Sukhothai.

Songsan Nilkamhaeng has hypothesised that Sukhothai may have also made use of khoi paper (paper made from bark of the khoi tree), which was used later in daily records during the subsequent Ayutthaya period (Nilkamhaeng 22). However, no evidence of this has been found.

Another way to record information was in tamnan, or myths, which are generally more prevalent in oral traditions. These were written down and kept as evidence of history relating to religion. Tamnan were particularly popular during the fifteenth century in the north of present-day Thailand. They were transmitted in both speech and writing. As these myths’ authors were monks, tamnan are always related to beliefs and typically include some supernatural stories. The actual history is mixed in with these fictionalised accounts. Other texts with religious content, such as the Tipitaka (the Buddha’s and his disciples’ teachings) and canons were also kept. Palm leaf was usually used for the inscription of the sacred text. They were more highly valued than other kinds of manuscripts.

Besides these religious purposes that dominated the early period of Thai

recordkeeping, political purposes were also expressed, typically in heroic stories or glorification. The use of archives as evidence was intentional, in order to justify some rights and to be kept to publicise one’s good deeds. If the records were related to religion, they would be considered sacred and worthy of the best preservation.

16 The ancient kingdom flourished in Thailand from the sixth to late thirteenth century.

Ayutthaya period (1351–1767)

Ayutthaya was the second Thai capital city and remained so for a prolonged period of 417 years. Its governing and administrative systems have had great influence on Thai systems and mentality. Traces of its polity and customs can be seen even at the present time. The social system in this period was influenced by concepts from the Khmer and from India. Sommuttithep, or godlike king, and the feudal system formed the basis of recordkeeping and other administrative systems.

Due to Khmer influence on governance and administration, kingship became central in all processes, including the recordkeeping system. In fact, the Thai word for archives, chotmaihet, is a legacy from this period. This practice is materials used in the making of chronicles, or phongsawadan. In the production of chronicles, many kinds of records are gathered to form a comprehensive view of history. This leads to the tradition of recording events and keeping them as diaries. Chronicles are made from chotmaihet (the word used for archives today) and chotmaihet hon (astrologer’s archives).

Chotmaihet would be comprised of the historical records the alak, royal secretary would make daily. This particular person recorded important activities of the king.

The records were kept in the Ho Satrakhom, which is considered by scholars to be an ancient archives repository (Nilkumhaeng 32). The Ho Luang, which functioned as The National Library, was where literature and manuscripts were kept, whereas the Ho Satrakhom, which can be compared to the current National Archives, was where the information about the time and date when kings were born,¹⁷ and stationery were kept (Prudtikul “Records and Archives Management” 2). Staff working in the Ho Satrakhom were Nai Saneh and Nai Suchinda Humpraeh, who “can be regarded as Thai traditional archivists” (Prudtikul “Records and Archives Management” 2). They are the first known professional archivists in Thai history.

The Ho Satrakhom was also responsible for recording important daily events. The diary was then used by royal astrologers, and became very important historical evidence afterwards. These documents had several names, such as kotmaihet khong

17 The time and date when kings were born were recorded and kept for astrologers to tell the future.

These were considered important records.

phra hora (astrologer’s archives) and het sang mi nai phrarachaphongsawadan (chronicles) (Nilkamhaeng 68). These documents relate personal history, particular history and historical events. The material used in recording important events was khoi paper, or, if durability was required, a stone stele was used.

There were several kinds of records used in communication, namely phra ratchasan (royal letters), thong tra (royal orders), and bai bok (message written on paper). Khoi paper was used for records in general such as letters and royal orders. For bai bok, the thinner khoi paper was used. The papers were sent by being rolled in bamboo, and they were tied with rope after use. Such recordkeeping was for the purpose of politics in the court, and literacy was clearly an important factor.

As mentioned, the Ayutthaya period was long and influential; traditional Thai recordkeeping practice has followed the practice of this period. Even now, the

recording of events is still practised in the NAT as a traditional part of archival work.

Thonburi (1767–1782)

The Thonburi period lasted for only a short transitional period after Ayutthaya was defeated by Burma. The administration still maintained the practices from the Ayutthaya period. It was a short period of only fifteen years, so there were no significant changes to recordkeeping.

Rattanakosin (1782–present)

Rattanakosin is the name given to the period during which the Thai nation has had its capital in Bangkok (which has remained the capital until the present day). During the early period, the polity closely adhered to the governance structures of the Ayutthaya period, including the traditional recordkeeping system. Though in the early reigns of the period (currently in its ninth reign) the strong tradition of Ayutthaya’s court was consistently followed, the royal court in Bangkok eventually evolved under the influenced of the West. Though Western influence had long been present in politics and commerce, the situation intensified during Western Europe’s imperialist period during the reigns of Kings Rama III and IV, finally culminating in the far-reaching

reforms implemented by King Rama V. The pressure from the period of Western imperialism urged Siam to modernise the country along Western lines. Colonisers from Europe were closing in on Siam from both directions; to the west, Burma was taken over by Britain, while to the east Indochina was conquered by France. This led Siam to modernise and westernise the country in order to be seen as “civilised” and thus survive from the threat of colonisation.