Thailand Elephants

Paper #4: Elephants of Thailand: Myth, Art, and Reality by Rita Ringis

Elephants have been revered in Thailand for many centuries. The beautifully illustrated book Elephants of Thailand by Rita Ringis presents Thai attitudes toward the elephant and explores the elephant’s role in present-day Thai life.

As the emblem of the Thailand nation, Thai elephants are a symbol of power and peace and are known for their strength and importance in battle. On many occasions in the past, kings mounted these sturdy beasts to defend their nation in battles against the Burmese. In present day, elephants are still useful for their immense strength. From four years of age, they are trained to execute exacting physical labor and quickly learn to obey the words of command. Elephant trainers familiarize the novice elephants with their mahout, or driver, and teach elephants the basics of labor – such as mounting and dismounting, kneeling, rolling, pushing, and carrying – while restraining them in a wooden ‘crush,’ which is made of chained logs. By age ten, elephants can lift seven hundred kilograms and haul two tons of wood.

As a social symbol, elephants are well known for their intelligence, memory and pleasant nature. A Thai legend has it that a marriage is like an elephant-- the husband is represented by the front legs, which are the sources of direction, and the wife is represented by the back legs, the powerhouse of the family. This metaphor translates into the Thai view on male and female roles in society; the woman provides the cohesion, stability, and driving force in a traditional Thai family.

Though most of the two thousand six hundred remaining Thai elephants are found in various elephant work camps in the forests and mountains, some of these elephants also play a large role in cultural aspects of society. Some elephants entertain thousands of people each year through dancing, playing music, and painting. Elephants are trained to perform dance routines to various genres of music such as rock, jazz and folk. Specially trained elephants can sway and prance to the rhythm, swing their trunks, keep the beat, and sway their heads back and forth to the rhythm. When the music changes, their steps adjust to the shift in music (i.e. from a fast tempo to a slow, melancholy waltz). Other talented elephants can hold a paintbrush and brush precise strokes to create paint masterpieces (see link*).

Elephants are a vital part of the Thailand way of life. They are not only a symbol of royal power, but they also embody the essence of Thai culture. As loved animals, they come to represent the cherished values of hospitality, work ethic, and talent in the arts in Thailand. Their widespread influence in the lives of the Thai people, whether they provide physical labor or spiritual guidance, is what makes them the most widely revered figure in Thailand.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=He7Ge7Sogrk