Animism
runs deep in Thai belief, although with out
conflicting with Buddhism. Traditional belief systems revolve
around the hierarchy of spirits, or phi. The spirits, who have
unlocalized, general dominion, are broadly deviled into good and
harmful beings. The good, originally known as celestial spirits,
or phi fa, later became identified as thep. This comes from the
Indian devata, meaning minor divinities, and often inaccurately
translated into English as ‘angels’ (as in ‘City of Angels’, the
Thai name for Bangkok, Krung Thep).
Of most immediate importance to daily life, however, are the
territorial spirits, who live with nature and are identified with
its physical elements, such as water, mountains, caves and
forests. They are not only spirits of place but also masters-
jao- of their particular area of the natural environment. As
such, they must be propitiated so that the humans who must share
the habitat with them will not offend them. More than that, the
spirits’ help is needed to assure success for the family and the
community.
There are in total nine territorial guardian spirits. These are:
Protector of the House; Protector of the Gates and Stairways;
Protector of the Bridal Chamber; Protector of the animals;
Protector of the Store-houses and Barns; Protector of the fields
and Paddies; Protector of the Orchards and Gardens; Protector of
the terraces; and Protector of the Temples and Religious
Establishments.
Traditionally, temporary shrines were erected for ceremonial
occasions when the spirits had to be invoked: birth, marriage,
death and house building. This practice at house building led to
the maintenance of a permanent shrine, because there was always
the risk that the guardian spirit of the land, phra phum, would
not accept the continued presence of the householder and his
family. They were, after all, usurping the spirit by erecting a
building and moving in. The full title of the guardian spirit is
phra phum jqo thi, the final two words meaning ‘master of the
place’. A specialist is needed to supervise the siting of the
spirit house, to make sure that every aspect is appropriate. If,
for instance, it were located in the shadow of the house, the
spirit would not give his protection. Daily offerings of a little
rice are placed at the spirit house and a special annual offering
of pig’s head and chicken is given, usually on New Year’s Day
(this occurs in April in Thailand).
The spirit house generally takes the form of a miniature
traditional Thai house, usually with a little porch or veranda on
which the offerings are placed. The style is open to
interoperation, as these examples show. Are often placed within
the tiny house. One specific figure is Jawet, a divinity holding
a sword, or a book and whip. The book contains the register of
the good and evil acts committed by humans living within the
area.
In village communities, the guardian spirit of the land is
honored as the phra phum ban (spirit of the village) with a
specific (quite substantial) shrine in the form of a small house
raised on posts, and located in its own fenced enclosure. Every
year, at a special ceremony, the community traditionally offers
food and other gifts. This custom is still maintained to an
extent, but in the past it was taken very seriously. A British
engineer, Holt Hallett, recounts, in his book A Thousand Miles on
an Elephant in the Shan states (1988), that when he was there in
1976, the villages were closed off and forbidden to strangers on
the occasion of the sacrifice to the village tutelary spirit at
the new year.