Phraya Anuman Rajadhon (; , also spelled ''Phaya Anuman Rajadhon'' or ''Phrayā Anuman Rajadhon''; December 14, 1888 – July 12, 1969), was one of modern

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 ...

's most remarkable scholars. He was a self-trained

linguist Linguistics is the scientific study of language. The areas of linguistic analysis are syntax (rules governing the structure of sentences), semantics (meaning), Morphology (linguistics), morphology (structure of words), phonetics (speech sounds ...

anthropologist An anthropologist is a scientist engaged in the practice of anthropology. Anthropologists study aspects of humans within past and present societies. Social anthropology, cultural anthropology and philosophical anthropology study the norms, values ...

and

ethnographer Ethnography is a branch of anthropology and the systematic study of individual cultures. It explores cultural phenomena from the point of view of the subject of the study. Ethnography is also a type of social research that involves examining ...

who became an authority on the

culture of Thailand The culture of Thailand is a unique blend of various influences that have evolved over time. Local customs, Animism, animist beliefs, Buddhist traditions, and regional ethnic and cultural practices have all played a role in shaping Thai cultur ...

. His name was Yong Sathirakoses (, );

Phraya The Thai nobility was a social class comprising titled officials (''khunnang'', ) in the service of Thai monarchy, the monarchy. They formed part of a hierarchical social system which developed from the time of the Ayutthaya Kingdom (14th century � ...

Anuman Rajadhon was his noble title. He also took his family name, Sathirakoses, as a pen name by which he is well known. His prolific work and his interest in a multitude of culture-related fields, from

folklore Folklore is the body of expressive culture shared by a particular group of people, culture or subculture. This includes oral traditions such as Narrative, tales, myths, legends, proverbs, Poetry, poems, jokes, and other oral traditions. This also ...

to sociology, set the foundations for a long-lasting cultural awareness among young Thai scholars. Phraya Anuman Rajadhon was the first Thai scholar to conduct a serious study of Thai

folkloristics Folklore studies (also known as folkloristics, tradition studies or folk life studies in the UK) is the academic discipline devoted to the study of folklore. This term, along with its synonyms, gained currency in the 1950s to distinguish the ac ...

, taking notes on the nocturnal village spirits of

Thai folklore Thai folklore is a diverse set of mythology and traditional beliefs held by the Thai people. Most Thai folklore has a regional background for it originated in rural Thailand. With the passing of time, and through the influence of the media, large ...

. He established that since such spirits were not represented in paintings or drawings, they were purely based on popular traditional oral stories. Thus most of the contemporary iconography of ghosts such as

Nang Tani Nang Tani (; "Lady of Tani") is a female spirit of the Thai folklore. According to folk tradition, this ghost appears as a young woman that haunts wild banana trees (''Musa balbisiana''), known in Thai language as ''Kluai Tani'' (กล้ว� ...

, Nang Ta-khian,

Krasue The ''Krasue'' (, ) is a nocturnality, nocturnal female spirit of Southeast Asian folklore. It manifests as the floating, disembodied head of a woman, usually young and beautiful, with her organ (anatomy), internal organs still attached and tr ...

, Krahang, Phi Am, Phi Hua Kat, Phi Pop, Phi Phong, Phi Phraya, Phi Tai Hong and Mae Nak Phra Khanong has its origins in Thai films that have become

classic A classic is an outstanding example of a particular style; something of Masterpiece, lasting worth or with a timeless quality; of the first or Literary merit, highest quality, class, or rank – something that Exemplification, exemplifies its ...

Biography

Moved by an innate curiosity and having an eye for detail, Phya Anuman Rajadhon observed and took notes on Thai society at a crucial time when much of the traditional culture was being overwhelmed by modernity. As years went by he studied in depth the

language Language is a structured system of communication that consists of grammar and vocabulary. It is the primary means by which humans convey meaning, both in spoken and signed language, signed forms, and may also be conveyed through writing syste ...

, popular customs,

oral tradition Oral tradition, or oral lore, is a form of human communication in which knowledge, art, ideas and culture are received, preserved, and transmitted orally from one generation to another.Jan Vansina, Vansina, Jan: ''Oral Tradition as History'' (19 ...

social norms A social norm is a shared standard of acceptance, acceptable behavior by a group. Social norms can both be informal understandings that govern the behavior of members of a society, as well as be codified into wikt:rule, rules and laws. Social norma ...

and the

value system In ethics and social sciences, value denotes the degree of importance of some thing or action, with the aim of determining which actions are best to do or what way is best to live ( normative ethics), or to describe the significance of different a ...

of the Thai people. He worked in different locations, including the Oriental Hotel in

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estim ...

, during his youth and middle age. In the years when Phya Anuman Rajadhon worked as a clerk at the Thai Customs Department, he befriended a Mr. Norman Mackay, who helped him to polish his broken English. He had no academic titles and did all the training he needed for his research and compilation work on his own. Phya Anuman Rajadhon took a special interest in popular culture. Many of the ancient habits of Thais that he recorded and described would have died unnoticed if they had not been put down into writing by him. Often his descriptions were accompanied by illustrations. As a writer he wrote novels under the pen name Sathirakoses. He also wrote works on important Thai cultural figures, including a biography of Phra Saraprasoet '(Trī Nākhaprathīp)' (1889–1945), a likewise dedicated author and commentator in the field of Thai literature. He knew Phra Saraprasoet well, as they worked together as co-translators of many works. One particular work which he co-translated into Thai with Phra Saraprasoet was "The Pilgrim Kamanita", a novel by Danish Nobel laureate Karl Adolph Gjellerup about a young Indian merchant's seek for truth and his encounter with Lord

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha (),* * * was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist legends, he was ...

. The translation was admired for its beautiful Thai prose and was selected as one of the textbooks for the Thai secondary school curriculum. Recognition came to Phya Anuman Rajadhon only towards his later years, when he was invited to universities to give lectures and began travelling abroad. He was given the post of President of the

Siam Society The Siam Society Under Royal Patronage () was established in 1904 with a mission to promote knowledge of the culture, history, arts, and natural sciences of Thailand as well as those of neighbouring countries. The premises of the Society in Bangko ...

and ended up becoming one of Thailand's most respected intellectuals, both in the last years of his life and posthumously. The commemoration of the 100th year of his birth was staged in 1988 by

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

, where social activist Sulak Sivaraksa, founder of the Sathirakoses-Nagapradeepa Foundation, described Phya Anuman Rajadhon as a National Hero.

Selected works

Only a fraction of Phya Anuman Rajadhon's works has been translated into English.NLA Catalogue – Phya Anuman Rajadhon
/ref> *''Essays on

Thai Folklore Thai folklore is a diverse set of mythology and traditional beliefs held by the Thai people. Most Thai folklore has a regional background for it originated in rural Thailand. With the passing of time, and through the influence of the media, large ...

'', Editions Duang Kamol, *''Popular

Buddhism Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

Siam 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 ...

and other Essays on Thai Studies'', Thai Inter-religious Commission on Development and Sathirakoses-Nagapradipa Foundation, Bangkok 1986 *'' Thet Maha Chat'', Promotion and Public Relations Sub-Division, Fine Arts Department, Bangkok 1990 *''Life and Ritual in Old Siam: Three Studies of Thai Life and Customs'', New Haven, HRAF Press, 1961 *''Five papers on Thai custom'', Southeast Asia Program, Dept. of Far Eastern Studies, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 1958 *''Some traditions of the Thai and other translations of Phya Anuman Rajadhon's articles on Thai customs'', Thai Inter-Religious Commission for Development & Sathirakoses-Nagapradipa Foundation, Suksit Siam, Bangkok 1987 *''The Nature and Development of the

Thai language Thai,In or Central Thai (historically Siamese;Although "Thai" and "Central Thai" have become more common, the older term, "Siamese", is still used by linguists, especially when it is being distinguished from other Tai languages (Diller 2008:6 ...

'', Thai Culture, New series; no. 10, Thailand; Fine Arts Dept., Bangkok 1961 *'' Thai Literature in Relation to the Diffusion of Her Cultures'', Thailand Culture New Series; no. 9, Thailand; Fine Arts Dept., Bangkok 1969 *''Thai Language'', National Culture Institute, Bangkok 1954 *'' Chao Thi and some traditions of Thai'', National Culture Institute, Bangkok 1956 *" Phra Cedi", ''Journal of the Siam Society'', Bangkok, 1952 *''Thai Literature and Swasdi Raksa'', Thailand Culture Series; no. 3, National Culture Institute, Bangkok 1956 *''Introducing Cultural Thailand in Outline'', Thailand Culture Series; no. 1, Thailand; Fine Arts Dept., Bangkok 2006, *"The Story of Thai Marriage Custom", ''Thailand Culture Series'', no. 13, National Culture Institute, Bangkok, 1954. *'' Loy Krathong and Songkran Festivals'', The National Culture Institute, Bangkok 1953

Journal articles

;

Journal of the Siam Society The ''Journal of the Siam Society'' (JSS) is a scholarly journal published by the Siam Society in Bangkok since 1904. History The ''Journal of the Siam Society'' is published by Siam Society, The Siam Society Under Royal Patronage in Bangkok, Th ...

(JSS) *JSS Vol. 38.2c (1951)
"The Loi Krathong"
* JSS Vol.40.1d (1952
"Phra Cedi"
* JSS Vol. 40.2f (1952)
"The Ceremony of Tham Khwan of a Month Old Child"
* JSS Vol. 41.2c (1954)
"The Phi"
* JSS Vol. 42.1d (1954)
"The Water Throwing"
*JSS Vol. 42.1e (1954)
"Bathing ceremony"
*JSS Vol.42.1f (1954)
"Amusements during Songkran festival"
*JSS Vol. 42.2b (1955)
"The end of Buddhist Lent"
* JSS Vol. 43.1e (1955)
"A Note on Divination By Ahom Deodhais"
*JSS Vol. 43.1f (1955)
"Me Posop, the Rice Mother"
*JSS Vol. 45.2e (1957)
"The Golden Meru"
*JSS Vol. 48.2c (1960)
"Fertility Rites in Thailand"
*JSS Vol. 49.1e (1961)
"Some Siamese Superstitions About Trees and Plants"
* JSS Vol. 49.2f' (1961)
"Thai Traditional Salutation"
*JSS Vol. 50.2d (1962)
"The Khwan and its Ceremonies"
*JSS Vol. 52.2d (1964)
"Thai Charms and Amulets"
*JSS Vol. 53.1h (1965)
"Data on Conditioned Poison"
*JSS Vol. 53.2b (1965)
"A Study on Thai Folk Tale"
*JSS Vol. 55.2b (1967)
"Notes on the Thread-Square in Thailand"
*JSS Vol. 58.1i (1970)
"Obituary Phy Anuman Rajadhon"
*JSS Vol. 76.0v (1988)
"Phya Anuman Rajadhon (Obituary by Somchai Anuman Rajadhon)"

References

External links

; Bibliography and personal photographs * Public Relations Division, Silpakorn University. (n.d.
''Phraya Anuman Rajadhon.''
Bangkok: Silpakorn University. * Somsi Sukumonlanan. (2006)
''My Father: Phraya Anuman Rajadhon.''
Bangkok: Sathiankoset–Nakhaprathip Foundation. ; Works
A collection of works by Phraya Anuman Rajadhon (e-books)Phya Anuman Rajadhon – GooglebooksA Comparative Study of Family Institution between Professor Phaya Anuman Rajadhon's Literary Works and Contemporary NovelsPIPL – Anuman Rajadhon
* ttp://chnm.gmu.edu/cyh/primary-sources/375 Custom of Cutting the Topknot, Thailandbr>Thai Ghosts
{{DEFAULTSORT:Anuman Rajadhon, Phraya 1888 births 1969 deaths Thai anthropologists Thai ethnographers Thai writers Thai folklore Alumni of Assumption College (Thailand) Academic staff of Chulalongkorn University Folklorists Fellows of the Royal Society of Thailand Recipients of the Dushdi Mala Medal, Pin of Arts and Science Phraya R 20th-century anthropologists

Biography

Selected works

Journal articles

See also

References

Further reading

External links