Traditional Boat, Thailand "Powerful Spirit"

[ArMoo]

นำบทความที่แปลจากบทความ "เรือยาวประเพณีไทย" อ.ขวัญทอง สอนศิริ (ขุนโจ้)
ผช.เลขานุการ สมาคมเรือพายมาฝาก เพื่อเผยแพร่ประชาสัมพันธ์ เรือยาวประเพณีไทย ครับ
อ้างอิง http://www.siamnava.com | http://www.rcat.or.th

Traditional Boat



Water and Life

The Thais, along with all early civilizations, started their settlements near bodies of water. Thus, water becomes an important part of life as a whole, giving life and the way of living.

   1. Water characterizes coolness, kindness, and love.
   2. Water gives the idea of living as one and cooperation.
   3. Water suggests the adaptation to the environment.
   4. Water represents truthfulness.

Boats and the Thai living

Boats perform an important role in Thai society as transportations and entertainment. After finishing their work of plowing the fields and planting rice, villagers may drop by for boat races, which later becomes a popular sport.

From mountains to rivers

One long boat is carved from a single tree. The two models are flat and pan-shaped bottoms. Takian wood is the most popular wood used. They are usually found in the mountains of tropical forests, usually near bodies of water. The hard wood has perfect strength, buoyancy, weight and durability. The people also believe that the spirit that dwells within the tree will bring victory and success. There is generally 4 types of Takian wood (Thong, Hin, Nyu and Yuak) , but the Thong Takian wood is preferred because of its beauty and ?powerful spirit?.

[ArMoo]

When choosing a tree, the health and the falling of the tree are to be considered. When a tree falls, the wood might break. The height of the tree is measured with trigonometry or directly with a rope. When falling a Takian, offerings must be prepared for the spirit.

A Takian is best 3.5 meters thick at the base and 2.5 at the other end. The length of the wood varies with boat size.

   1. Large Longboat 13-15 wa (104-120 ft.)
   2. Medium Longboat 11-12 wa (88-96 ft.)
   3. Small Longboat 10 wa (80 ft.)
   4. Tiny Longboat 7 wa (56 ft.) ? commonly made from the lighter Nyiw wood

v 1 wa = 96 inches = 8 feet

In the making of the boat, carvers must determine which part of the wood will become the front and rear of the boat. Most of the time the base of the tree is used as the front. With a larger front and smaller rear, a fish-shape boat is created. This model is believed to be better at ?cutting? through water. Some boats are carved the opposite way. Every boat goes through a complex series of procedures upon completion.

When the longboat is ready for trial, offerings are again prepared to invite the spirit into the boat. Placed in the water, the boat must take a final test before it can be used. The carver will check it for maximum potential. If there are mistakes, corrections have to be made immediately.

Traditional Longboat Racing

There are generally 4 categories for longboat racing, based on the number of oarsmen present in each boat.

   1. Large Longboat 41-55 persons
   2. Medium Longboat 31-40 persons
   3. Small Longboat 30 persons maximum
   4. Tiny Longboat
          * Large 12 persons
          * Medium 10 persons
          * Small 7-8 persons

Boats races are held throughout the rainy season, bringing villagers joy. Many compete to earn the title ?God of Speed? of Thai waters. Besides the racing boats, narrators are an important part for the fun. A good narrator has these aspects: Knowledge of the boats, participants and watercourses; Art of speech, loud, clear voice and exciting personality; Quick-witted, able to point out important events.

refer : http://www.rcat.or.th | http://www.siamnava.com