Maintaining Factors of Thai Lue’s Life Ritual, Phayao Province

Abstract

       This study aimed to analyze the maintaining of Thai Lue’s life ritual in Phayao Province among despite of society changes. Folklore methods were employed using naturalism of cultural folklore research methods. The researchers divided the ritual experts into two groups. The first group was the information providers providing life ritual information in which the researcher conducted the interview and observation as a participant during the procession. Then, discussion group was held by the second group of experts in order to find the cultural identity of Thai Lue’s ethnic group appeared in the ritual. This was followed by synthesizing data gained from the interview with experts and examining practices of Thai Lue in Phayao including the data obtained from group discussion in order to analyze of factors affecting the maintaining of Thai Lue’s life ritual.  The results revealed that the factors affecting the maintaining of Thai Lue’s life ritual in Phayao despite of society changes in the present time were the beliefs towards the supreme power of abstraction, the proud of being Thai Lue ethnic, the process of building and transferring knowledge of culture to Thai Lue’s youth including the important roles and function of the ritual.