"Pa Dong Hor" The Spiritual Forest area of Dan Sai villagers.

Cultural Ecology to Conserve Forest and Biodiversity of the Local Communities

Reported by Jeerasak Tridech

Community networks in Dan Sai district has a vital role in conserving forests and biodiversity through a cultural approach, especially traditional beliefs about Pa Dong Hor or Pa Don Hor that has long been served as a forest culture for people living in the district and on the Phetchabun mountains range whose race relations and culture are unique.

Pa Dong Hor exits in every village and its features are very similar with Don Phu Ta in the northeast Isan region of Thailand. The land in each village sizedaround 1 – 30 rai. Pa Dong Hor is a forest ecology that has been inherited for generations with Guan Jum(Guan: an expert in traditional ceremonies; Jum: a spirit medium) acing as a spiritual leader and forest guardian.Pa Dong Hor is connected to the revered stupa of Phrathat Sri Song Rak in terms of traditional rituals. Strict regulations, traditional beliefs and taboos have been created around Pa Dong Hor. Local communities call these practices that can help protect forest ecology and biodiversity in the area “Ka La”or known in the North as “Kheuk”.Due to long-term efficient forest protection, indigenous trees, native plants and all the layers of the forest structure not only survive but thrive. Thus, Pa Dong Hor has long been considered the Bank of Indigenous Plant of the local communities.

Roles of Pa Dong Hor in ecology

From scientific standpoint, Pa Dong Horplays a major role in ecology in many aspects which can be described as follows:

1.) Pa Dong Hor is home to an incredible wealth of biodiversity, plants and animal species. Thus, the forest areas are so full of herbs and orchids that have extensive medicinal properties. Giant trees such as Makha, Pradoo, Khanso, rubberwood and Krabakalso help propagate native herbal plants in other areas.

2.)Pa Dong Hor provides a propagation environment for native plants and reduces loss of genetic diversity in terms of indigenous plant. Even though Pa Dong Hor is fragmented forest covering area of 1 – 30 rai, the forest is ecologically significant as it serves as the origin, habitats and food sources for animals. Thus, Pa Dong Hor is identified as a home range or where animals live and reproduce, securing genetic diversity of the forest and gene flow of wildlife such as wild chickens and Siamese firebacks. Furthermore, Pa Dong Hor is also seen as a wildlife and plant corridor to support their migration and reproduction. The regulations, culture and strong beliefs of the local communities save native plants and wildlife from being poached and the forest has evolved into a safe zone.

3.) Pa Dong Horis located in upstream areas where a great variety of plants such as wild bananas, Tetrameles nudiflora, elephant ears and bamboo treesgrow. Pa Dong Hor’s structure consists of forest trees at different levels; high, medium and low.Tuber crops contribute canopy coverage, maintaining temperature and soil humidity of the forest.High humidity also creates a good ground for mold, lichen and mushroom, while plant leaves left on the ground develop into microorganism and later fertilizer. The natural fertilizer will be incorporated in other area once the rain pours, making the forests outside Pa Dong Hor increasingly abundant and suitable for farming.

4.) Pa Dong Hor acts as a carbon sink of the local communities. Many trees in Pa Dong Hor aged over 100 years and each one has the capacity to soak up and store emitting planet-warming carbon, equivalent to thousands of trees.

5.) Pa Dong Horis not owned by individuals but considered community assets. The villagers own and care for the forest. Pa Dong Hor is thus defined as “host” or “master”, showing the forest ownership. Meanwhile, the forest management principles and mechanisms are designed in line with the ancient wisdoms to reduce vulnerabilities caused by natural disasters such as heavy storms, monsoon rains or drought in the upstream watershed of the villages. Pa Dong Hor’s rich natural resources are not only important for people's livelihoods, but the forest also serves as a local genetic hotspot.

Roles of Pa Dong Hor in sociology

Shrines are strategically located in high ground of Pa Dong Hor or Pa Don Hor. Hor refers to shrine or spirit house. In every village, 3 – 4 shrines are built around Pa Dong Hor with different meanings attached to each shrine. The meaning of each shrine can be explained as follows:

Shrine 1 The largest shrine that represents Phrathat Sri Song Rak

Shrine 2 The second largest shrine is called Phor Saen Shrine,

worshipping Pu Ta rather than other spirits

Shrine 3 The smaller shrine that is built to pay respect to household spirits

Shrine 4 The smallest shrine for ancestors

The villagers choose appropriate area and call a clear boundary Pa Dong Hor or Pa Don Hor. They worship the so-called “Pu Ta” or guardian spirits who protect all the villages and people. The ceremony to pay respect to the Pu Ta shrine is called “Liang Pu Ta” or “Liang Chaow Ban” which is annually held on the 15th day of the sixth month of the lunar calendar and if the eight month is repeated, the ritual will be postponed to the 15th day of the seventh month. The ceremony day is considered a large family gathering. Every year, villagers who have left home for job and a higher education or got married and have moved to other provinces will return to the villages and redeem their vow since local people have a strong belief in supernatural beings. Guan Jum or a spiritual leader of the ceremony is a person whom Pu Ta chooses as a medium for spirits and is treated with great respect. Since the areas are considered sacred, Guan Jum must grant permission to the villagers before they enter Pa Dong Hor. Otherwise, they believe they will unavoidably face bad fortune.

During the ceremony, the villagers prepare and make offerings at the Pa Dong Hor spirit houses. They are forbidden to work in the field or leave the villages while the outsiders are advised not to enter the villages before 1 p.m. In case the villagers need to leave the villages or outsiders have to visit the villages, one chicken and an earthen jar of alcohol must be offered at the shrine.

Pa Dong Hor is believed to have been home to Pu Ta. Thus, villagers strictly follow Guan Jum’s advice to avoid bad luck such as illness, accident or their own death or the death of their families and any community members. One of Guan Jum’s pieces of advice is not to cut down any tree in Pa Dong Hor areas because all the trees and plants belong to Pu Ta.

The villagers also believe paying their respects to the guardian spirits help protect them and let them live a happy life. Pleasing the spirits brings rain and a good harvest all year round. The spirits will watch over their children while they are being away from the villages for work. Due to these reasons, Pu Ta or the guardian spirits have been recognized as good angel spirits that are highly respected by local community members. The existence of Pu Ta doesn’t only mean to protect the villages, but also brings people together for the large gathering to show their respects to the guardian spirits for years to come.