Cultural Landscape of Traditional Community : A case study of Klong Kwae-Om Community, Samut Songkhram Province

Abstract

This article is the cultural landscape study of traditional community, a case study of Khlong Khwae-Om community in Samut Songkhram province. The study aims to inspect more of physical, social, culture, and economic characteristics which have impacts on the cultural landscape and to
summarize the context of cultural landscape of Khlong Khwae-Om community that reflects the identity of the traditional community in Samut Songkhram. The study was conducted with qualitative research methods which is based on the history of Khlong Khwae-Om settlement as well as analyses the issues related to the physical, social, culture and economic characteristics to come up with the summary of the cultural landscape reflecting the identity of traditional community in Samut Songkhram. According to the analysis of the related basic components of traditional community, it shows that (1) the geographic and ecosystems of Khlong Khwae-Om community, Samut Songkhram is an area that set in the fresh water. In addition, the water and wind systems influenced by the coastal ecosystem creating tides system, diversity of biological and natural resources which cause (2) settlement along the Khlong Khwae-Om river banks in the form of residences. Expanding farmland for farming has become a waterfront community in the context of a raised garden which reflects area management to survive and to improve living conditions in human settlement. (3) The activity system is directly passed on from lifestyle and cultural backgrounds. This system would not have been happened without the area to do activities and time. The use of agricultural areas with raised farming leads to business and social activities which are hidden in the way of life and human behavior, family and social practices. This shows the social systems of coexistence and interdependent society. The last factor is (4) culture that affects human belief in the environment, geography, economic, social features and etc. This creates a worldview that humans can interpret as values for social practices called “Farm Culture”. These conditions has brought Khlong Khwae-Om community to the traditional community with cultural context of a waterfront community in a fresh water ecosystem represented by Farm Culture. Fresh water ecosystem is a medium and cultural landscape is a result that reflects the identity of the traditional community in Samut Songkhram
province.