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

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

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

linguist Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure. Linguis ...

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

and

ethnographer Ethnography (from Greek ''ethnos'' "folk, people, nation" and ''grapho'' "I write") is a branch of anthropology and the systematic study of individual cultures. Ethnography explores cultural phenomena from the point of view of the subject o ...

who became an authority on the

culture of Thailand The culture of Thailand has evolved greatly over time, from its relative isolation during the Sukhothai era, to its more contemporary Ayutthaya era The Ayutthaya Kingdom (; th, อยุธยา, , IAST: or , ) was a Siamese kingdom tha ...

. His name was Yong Sathiankoset ( th, ยง เสฐียรโกเศศ);

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

Anuman Rajadhon was his noble title. He also took his family name, Sathiankoset, 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 shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, ranging ...

to sociology, set the foundations for a long-lasting cultural awareness among young

Thai Thai or THAI may refer to: * Of or from Thailand, a country in Southeast Asia ** Thai people, the dominant ethnic group of Thailand ** Thai language, a Tai-Kadai language spoken mainly in and around Thailand *** Thai script *** Thai (Unicode block ...

scholars. Phraya Anuman Rajadhon was the first Thai scholar to conduct a serious study of Thai

folkloristics Folklore studies, less often known as folkloristics, and occasionally tradition studies or folk life studies in the United Kingdom, is the branch of anthropology devoted to the study of folklore. This term, along with its synonyms, gained currenc ...

, 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 ( th, นางตานี; "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 as in Thai language as ' ...

Nang Ta-khian Nang Ta-khian ( th, นางตะเคียน, "Lady of Ta-khian") is a female spirit of the folklore of Thailand. It manifests itself as a woman that haunts ''Hopea odorata'' trees. These are very large trees known as ''Ta-khian'' (ตะ� ...

Krasue The ''Krasue'' ( th, กระสือ, ), known as ''Ahp'' ( km, អាប) in Cambodia; as ''Kasu'' ( lo, ກະສື, ) in Laos; as ''Kuyang'' ( id, Kui'yang), ''Leak'' ( id, lei'yak), ''Pelasik'', ''Pelesit'', or ''Penanggalan'' in Indone ...

Krahang Krahang ( th, กระหัง, ; or , ) is a male spirit of the Thai folklore. It manifests itself as a shirtless man, wearing a traditional loincloth, who flies in the night. Royal Institute Dictionary, 1999 edition, first printing (2003) ''Kr ...

, Phi Am,

Phi Hua Kat Phi (; uppercase Φ, lowercase φ or ϕ; grc, ϕεῖ ''pheî'' ; Modern Greek: ''fi'' ) is the 21st letter of the Greek alphabet. In Archaic and Classical Greek (c. 9th century BC to 4th century BC), it represented an aspirated voicele ...

Phi Pop Pop ( th, ปอบ) is a cannibalistic spirit of Thai folklore. It manifests itself as a that likes to devour human viscera. Pop is related to the Phi Fa spirit. Legends A traditional legend says that a long time ago a flower could take control ...

, Phi Phong,

Phi Phraya Phi (; uppercase Φ, lowercase φ or ϕ; grc, ϕεῖ ''pheî'' ; Modern Greek: ''fi'' ) is the 21st letter of the Greek alphabet. In Archaic and Classical Greek (c. 9th century BC to 4th century BC), it represented an aspirated voicele ...

Phi Tai Hong Phi Tai Hong ( th, ผีตายโหง) is a ghost of Thai folklore. It is the vengeful and restless spirit of a person who suffered a violent or cruel death. Origins ''Phi Tai Hong'' usually has its origin in a man or a woman who died sudd ...

and

Mae Nak Phra Khanong Mae Nak Phra Khanong ( th, แม่นากพระโขนง, meaning 'Lady Nak of Phra Khanong'), or simply Mae Nak ( th, แม่นาก, 'Lady Nak') or Nang Nak ( th, นางนาก, 'Miss Nak'), is a well-known Thai ghost. Ac ...

has its origins in Thai films that have become

classic A classic is an outstanding example of a particular style; something of lasting worth or with a timeless quality; of the first or highest quality, class, or rank – something that exemplifies its class. The word can be an adjective (a ''c ...

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. The structure of a language is its grammar and the free components are its vocabulary. Languages are the primary means by which humans communicate, and may be conveyed through a variety of met ...

, popular customs,

oral tradition Oral tradition, or oral lore, is a form of human communication wherein knowledge, art, ideas and cultural material is received, preserved, and transmitted orally from one generation to another. Vansina, Jan: ''Oral Tradition as History'' (1985 ...

social norms Social norms are shared standards of acceptable behavior by groups. Social norms can both be informal understandings that govern the behavior of members of a society, as well as be codified into rules and laws. Social normative influences or soci ...

and the

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

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 estima ...

, 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 Sethyankōsēt, often spelled as ''Sathirakoses'', ( th, เสฐียรโกเศศ). He also wrote works on important Thai cultural figures, including a biography of

Phra Saraprasoet Phra () is a Thai term that may refer to: *''Phra'', a Thai-language term for Buddhist monk *''Phra'', a Thai-language term for priest *''Phra'', a Thai-language word used as a prefix denoting holy or royal status, including in Thai royal ranks ...

'(Trī Nākhaprathīp)' (1889–1945), a likewise dedicated author and commentator in the field of

Thai literature 300px, ''Samut Thai'', a traditional medium for recordation and transmission of Thai and other literature in mainland Southeast Asia Thai literature is the literature of the Thai people, almost exclusively written in the Thai language (althoug ...

. 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 Karl Adolph Gjellerup (2 June 1857 – 11 October 1919) was a Danish poet and novelist who together with his compatriot Henrik Pontoppidan won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1917. He is associated with the Modern Breakthrough period of Scandin ...

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 śramaṇa, wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, 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 ( th, สยามสมาคมในพระบรมราชูปถัมภ์) was established in 1904 with a mission to promote knowledge of the culture, history, arts, and natural sciences of Thai ...

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 is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

, where social activist

Sulak Sivaraksa Sulak Sivaraksa ( th, สุลักษณ์ ศิวรักษ์; ; pronounced ; born 27 March 1933 in Siam) is a Thai social activist, professor, writer and the founder and director of the Thai NGO " Sathirakoses-Nagapradeepa Foundation", ...

, 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 Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...

Siam Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 mi ...

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 Culture, New series; no. 10, Thailand; Fine Arts Dept., Bangkok 1961 *''

Thai Literature 300px, ''Samut Thai'', a traditional medium for recordation and transmission of Thai and other literature in mainland Southeast Asia Thai literature is the literature of the Thai people, almost exclusively written in the Thai language (althoug ...

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 Loy Krathong ( th, ลอยกระทง, , ) is a Thai festival celebrated annually throughout Thailand and in nearby countries with significant South Western Tai cultures ( Laos, Shan, Mon, Tanintharyi, Kelantan, Kedah, and Xishuangbann ...

and

Songkran Songkran is a term derived from the Sanskrit word, ' (or, more specifically, ') and used to refer to the traditional New Year celebrated in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, parts of northeast India, parts of Vietnam and ...

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 The Siam Society Under Royal Patronage in Bangkok, Thailand. At 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 Silpakorn University (SU.) ( th, มหาวิทยาลัยศิลปากร; ) is a national university in Thailand. The university was founded in Bangkok in 1943 by Tuscan–born art professor Corrado Feroci, who took the Thai name S ...

. (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) Academics 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