muban
Muban (; , ) is the lowest Administrative divisions of Thailand, administrative sub-division of Thailand. Usually translated as 'village' and sometimes as 'hamlet (place), hamlet', they are a subdivision of a tambon (subdistrict). , there were 74 ...
'') in the
Nakhon Pa Mak
Nakhon Pa Mak () is a rural subdistrict (''tambon'') in the Bang Krathum District of Phitsanulok Province, Thailand.Bang Krathum District of Phitsanulok Province,
Thailand
Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...
.
Etymology
The first word ban (Thai: บ้าน) means home or village.Thai/English Dictionary /ref> The second word dong (Thai: ดง) means forest or
jungle
jungle is land covered with dense forest and tangled vegetation, usually in tropical climates. Application of the term has varied greatly during the past century.
Etymology
The word ''jungle'' originates from the Sanskrit word ''jaṅgala'' ...
. The third word phayom (Thai: พยอม) is a type of
rainforest
Rainforests are forests characterized by a closed and continuous tree Canopy (biology), canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforests can be generally classified as tropi ...
tree of the genus ''
Shorea
Fruit of a ''Shorea'' species
''Shorea'' is a genus of about 47 species of mainly rainforest trees in the family Dipterocarpaceae. The timber of trees of the genus is sold under the common names lauan, luan, lawaan, meranti, seraya, balau, bang ...
'' indigenous to Thailand.Shorea roxburghii /ref> While there is no common name for phayom in the English language,
Philippine mahogany Philippine mahogany is a common name for several different species of trees and their wood.
* Botanically, the name refers to '' Toona calantas'' in the mahogany family, Meliaceae. It is endemic to the Philippines.
* In the US timber trade, it is o ...
is a mixture of ''Shorea'' genera. A loose translation of the name as a whole would be "phayom wood forest village". There are few phayom trees left in Ban Dongphayom, as villagers have cleared the majority of the land for agriculture over the years. The phayom tree is an
endangered species
An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching, inv ...
.
Geography
Ban Dongphayom lies in the western portion of Nakhon Pa Mak, bordering Ban Sam Ruen.Ban Dongphayom at ZoomHit.com /ref> It is on land between the Wang Thong and the
Wat Ta Yom
Wat Ta Yom () is a subdistrict (''tambon'') in the Bang Krathum District of Phitsanulok Province, Thailand.
Etymology
The first element ''wat'' (Thai: วัด) means 'temple'; the second element ''ta'' (Thai: ตา) means 'eye'; the third el ...
Wang Thong River
The Wang Thong River (, , , also known as the ''Khek River'') is a river in Thailand. Its source lies in the Phetchabun Mountains in the Amphoe Khao Kho, Khao Kho District, Thailand.
The current village headman of Ban Dongphayom is Phu Yai Ban Lamiet Muenpet. This position is an elected post, which is then followed by appointment by the Ministry of the Interior.
Economy
Ban Dongphayom is a rural agricultural residential village. Resident farmers in Ban Dongphayom are primarily engaged in the business of growing
rice
Rice is a cereal grain and in its Domestication, domesticated form is the staple food of over half of the world's population, particularly in Asia and Africa. Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice)—or, much l ...
. However, most farms are diversified, growing
sugar cane
Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fib ...
,
banana
A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large treelike herbaceous flowering plants in the genus '' Musa''. In some countries, cooking bananas are called plantains, distinguishing the ...
s,
mango
A mango is an edible stone fruit produced by the tropical tree '' Mangifera indica''. It originated from the region between northwestern Myanmar, Bangladesh, and northeastern India. ''M. indica'' has been cultivated in South and Southeast As ...
s,
papaya
The papaya (, ), papaw, () or pawpaw () is the plant species ''Carica papaya'', one of the 21 accepted species in the genus '' Carica'' of the family Caricaceae, and also the name of its fruit. It was first domesticated in Mesoamerica, within ...
s,
chili pepper
Chili peppers, also spelled chile or chilli ( ), are varieties of fruit#Berries, berry-fruit plants from the genus ''Capsicum'', which are members of the nightshade family Solanaceae, cultivated for their pungency. They are used as a spice to ...
s,
coconut
The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family (biology), family (Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, ...
s, spices and herbs. Farmers in Ban Dongphayom also typically raise livestock such as
cattle
Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, bovid ungulates widely kept as livestock. They are prominent modern members of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Mature female cattle are calle ...
,
chicken
The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated subspecies of the red junglefowl (''Gallus gallus''), originally native to Southeast Asia. It was first domesticated around 8,000 years ago and is now one of the most common and w ...
and
pig
The pig (''Sus domesticus''), also called swine (: swine) or hog, is an omnivorous, domesticated, even-toed, hoofed mammal. It is named the domestic pig when distinguishing it from other members of the genus '' Sus''. Some authorities cons ...
s. A public pharmacy is also run from one of the homes in Ban Dongphayom which supplies medication to Ban Dongphayom villagers and residents of surrounding villages in Nakhon Pa Mak. Villagers also engage in
fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment (Freshwater ecosystem, freshwater or Marine ecosystem, marine), but may also be caught from Fish stocking, stocked Body of water, ...
in the
canal
Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface ...
which flows through the village. As of 2001, running water had just been installed in Ban Dongphayom, and the water quality was not yet suitable for drinking.
Electricity
Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter possessing an electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described by Maxwel ...
is available and most homes have
television
Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...
s. Phone lines, however are not installed. Some villagers use
mobile phone
A mobile phone or cell phone is a portable telephone that allows users to make and receive calls over a radio frequency link while moving within a designated telephone service area, unlike fixed-location phones ( landline phones). This rad ...
s for communication outside the village. Transportation in and out of the village is over narrow dirt roads. These roads are the primary route for transportation in Ban Dongphayom, although the canal is navigable for small boats. Small bridges such as the
bridge
A bridge is a structure built to Span (engineering), span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or railway) without blocking the path underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, whi ...
at Ban Dongphayom prevent larger vessels from navigating the canal.
Wildlife
Ban Dongphayom is a natural habitat to a wide variety of
insects
Insects (from Latin ') are hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body (head, thorax and abdomen), three pairs of jointed ...
,
reptiles
Reptiles, as commonly defined, are a group of tetrapods with an ectothermic metabolism and Amniotic egg, amniotic development. Living traditional reptiles comprise four Order (biology), orders: Testudines, Crocodilia, Squamata, and Rhynchocepha ...
,
amphibians
Amphibians are ectothermic, anamniote, anamniotic, tetrapod, four-limbed vertebrate animals that constitute the class (biology), class Amphibia. In its broadest sense, it is a paraphyletic group encompassing all Tetrapod, tetrapods, but excl ...
,
fish
A fish (: fish or fishes) is an aquatic animal, aquatic, Anamniotes, anamniotic, gill-bearing vertebrate animal with swimming fish fin, fins and craniate, a hard skull, but lacking limb (anatomy), limbs with digit (anatomy), digits. Fish can ...
and other wildlife. Venomous
snakes
Snakes are elongated Limbless vertebrate, limbless reptiles of the suborder Serpentes (). Cladistically Squamata, squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping Scale (zoology), scales much like other members of ...
are a threat to the residents, and villagers take precautions in their daily activities to avoid being bitten.
Mosquitos
Mosquitoes, the Culicidae, are a family of small flies consisting of 3,600 species. The word ''mosquito'' (formed by '' mosca'' and diminutive ''-ito'') is Spanish and Portuguese for ''little fly''. Mosquitoes have a slender segmented body, ...
are also a problem due to the amount of standing water in the nearby rice farms, although there are no recent cases of
Malaria
Malaria is a Mosquito-borne disease, mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects vertebrates and ''Anopheles'' mosquitoes. Human malaria causes Signs and symptoms, symptoms that typically include fever, Fatigue (medical), fatigue, vomitin ...
reported.
Siamese fighting fish
The Siamese fighting fish (''Betta splendens''), commonly known as the betta, is a freshwater fish native to Southeast Asia, namely Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam. It is one of 76 species of the genus '' Bet ...
(Betta splendens) are found in the canal flowing through the village, and children of the village often collect them for pets.
Crabs
Crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura (meaning "short tailed" in Greek), which typically have a very short projecting tail-like abdomen, usually hidden entirely under the thorax. Their exoskeleton is often thickened and ha ...
live in the standing water of the rice farms.
Culture
Residents of Ban Dongphayom are
Theravada
''Theravāda'' (; 'School of the Elders'; ) is Buddhism's oldest existing school. The school's adherents, termed ''Theravādins'' (anglicized from Pali ''theravādī''), have preserved their version of the Buddha's teaching or ''Dharma (Buddhi ...
Buddhists. Ancestor worship is practiced, and homes often have shrines dedicated to elders of the family who have died. Offerings of food and drink are placed beside the shrines. Children of Ban Dongphayom attend school in neighboring Ban Sam Ruen. They travel to school by bicycle and on foot. There is no bus service. Large celebrations are commonplace in Ban Dongphayom, as local weddings and other events such as coming-of-age ceremonies and death anniversaries are well attended by the entire community. Celebrations involve days of preparation and entertainment is customary. Singers and dancers are typically hired for these events. Traditional ethnic clothing is no longer worn by villagers of Ban Dongphayom, other than for certain religious ceremonies. Men of the village, however, often obtain astrological
tattoos
A tattoo is a form of body modification made by inserting tattoo ink, dyes, or pigments, either indelible or temporary, into the dermis layer of the Human skin, skin to form a design. Tattoo artists create these designs using several Process of ...
on their bodies, which they believe protect them from danger.Thai Temple Tattoos at InkedBlog discussion of Thai astrological tattoos)
Monks use different tools to make the tattoos. Some of the monks use sharpened sticks of bamboo; others use thin weighted metal rods.
Wat Dongphayom
Wat Dongphayom (Thai: วัดดงพยอม) is a small temple in Ban Dongphayom.Wat Dongphayom at WebWat.net Thai) Wat Dongphayom was built in the 1980s on the grounds of a defunct cemetery. The temple has two monks. Ban Dongphayom villagers generally worship at nearby Wat Sam Ruen, not at Wat Dongphayom, although Wat Dongphayom has merit-making activities on Buddhist days. Funerals of Ban Dongphayom residents are generally held at nearby Wat Grung See Jayrin. Wat Dongphayom consists of a single small building, and does not have a chedi.
Ban Dongphayom boat race
Ban Dongphayom is the starting point for an annual long-boat race. One such race took place on 6 October 2001 and was publicized by Thailand's Department of Agriculture Extension.Ban Dongphayom Boat Race at Department of Agriculture Extension Thai)
The exact date of the race is not tied to the calendar, but rather depends on the water level of the canal.