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Do you agree that Sukhothai was the first Siamese or Thai civilization? A lot of it depends on your definition of Thai, Siamese, and deciding on when if not where the seeds of a nation truly begin. Dvarawati culture was well established all throughout Thailand for thousands of years even before Khmer influence. A great deal of Thai arts, architecture, and religion is derived from Dvarawati. The Thai cities of Nakhon Pathom, Ratchburi, Kampaeng Saen, Nakhon Sawan, and Lampang among others were established and ruled by Dvarawatian civilization much earlier than Sukhothai, Lanna, and even the golden Khmer era . Many argue Dvarawati were Mon originating from Myanmar , therefore not Thai. They might as well conclude the same for Sukhothai. The script that Ramkhamhaeng used hundreds of years ago looks nothing like the script we see today, but much more resembles Khmer. Though initial vassal state, Sukhothai was glorious in toppling the waning Khmer empire, and contributed much to the evolution of Thai culture and traditions, it was far from being the first Thai kingdom. Both Lanna and Lanchang kingdoms outdate Sukhothai. Lanna, though widely-known, never reached the power like that of Sukhothai and Ayutthaya , not to mention was often a part of Burmese influence and control. So it's understandable why most central Thai history books give it less attention. Almost obsolete though, is Lan Chang kingdom. Lan Chang had its sway over much of present day Northeastern and Northern Thailand for many centuries, often intermarrying with the royal families in Chiang Mai, Sukhothai, and Ayutthaya . Why then, are there so many Thai people who have never even heard of the kingdom of a million elephants? One reason might be because of its Lao heritage and affiliation. To call someone or something Lao in Thai can be derogatory if not mocking. Believe it or not, at several points in history, the area of modern-day Laos was more densely populated than its neighbors---quite opposite from today.
Where did all the Laotians go?
Ever wonder why Isan (Northeastern Thai) people can speak and understand Lao language so well? During Jao Taksin's rule, manpower in the millions were forcefully relocated from the Eastern banks of the Mekong ( Laos ) to the Western banks ( Thailand ) It's no wonder Isan is the most populated region of Thailand . You've probably never heard or read that Ramkhamhaeng, considered father of the Thai by many, was apparently caught in the act with another king's wife. The Ruler of the Payao Kingdom (now a province east of Chiangmai / south of Chiangrai) Ngam Muong and Ramkhamhaeng were initially good friends. The latter was supposedly caught in the act with a wife of the former, princess Ua Chiangsen, imprisoned, and nearly executed! If it weren't for the ruler of Chiangmai Lanna kingdom, Mengrai's mediating, Ramkhamhaeng might not have lived to see off the glory of the Siamese civilization emerging. In the end, the three rulers made a pack of friendship from the incident uniting the power of the three Thai states against Chinese aggression from the north. This story may or may not be true. It is derived from Northern chronicles and is a topic that you wouldn't want to debate in public. According to director of Thai studies department at Chulalongkorn University, Dr. Sunait Chutintaranont, the focus of the tale wasn't on Ramkhamhaeng's adultery, but more to emphasize on King Mengrai's important role in uniting the Thai states. As we can see, there is usually more to history than local textbooks can provide. One pioneer Thai historian / writer is the late M.L. Manich Jumsai. Born in 1908, he won the king's scholarship to study in Europe in 1925. He pursued his education in language and education before returning to Thailand in 1933 where he became a lecturer and worked for the ministry of education. While in Europe , he studied foreign records of Thailand and Southeast Asia filling in many gaps of Thai history. This was pioneering work for his time. During those times, access to foreign records was limited. Though his findings and works are still widely referenced in undergraduate studies, they are of limited use for the post-graduate level. As Dr. Sunait puts it, "Although, his works are interesting and informing, they are written in the old style of academic writing without references. It is not possible, therefore, to use his works as teaching materials in today's post-graduate level. Concerning foreign records, today there are much more foreign records available on Thai Studies--enough to construct a sufficient understanding of Thailand ." Through centuries of warfare, many local records were lost or destroyed. The importance of foreign records is not only to fill in these gaps, but also to balance the objectiveness. History is always written by the winners. And it's usually written and taught with biases for obvious reasons. So often the dirt is filtered so much before it ever reaches the textbooks. Perhaps when, where and how it all began isn't worth the headache. Instead, we should be asking 'when will it end?' and 'What can we do to keep it going?' Then we are left with answering the question of what that 'it' really is or should be?
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