Inheriting and Preserving the Wisdom Heritage of the Folk Songs of the Central Region

Abstract

This research article aims to present the collection and
management of the body of knowledge relating to Thai folk songs
of the central region with the community participation in 35
provinces which are part of the central region’s cultural area
between 2013 and 2014.In so doing, the researcher investigated
the status of the local folk song groups and how the folk artists
passed on their knowledge to others. In addition, the inheritance
problems and the threats to Thai folk songs in the central region
were analyzed together with the strategic solutions to help
preserve these folk songs in a sustainable way. Thefindings reveal
that there are 37 Thai folk song groups scattered in 20 provinces
in the central region. These traditional folk song bands include
14 ‘phlengchoi’ groups, 7 ‘phleng song khrueang’ groups, 9
‘phlengrua’ groups, 19 ‘lamtat’ groups, and 9 ‘phlengi-saeo’
groups. Interestingly, most of the folk song groups have been
facing the same inheritance problems. There are 4 types of threats
to the folk songs as follows: changes of way of life and Thai
value crisis; discontinued policies and implementation from both
government and private sectors; social, political, and economic
crises; and natural disasters. This research article also proposed
the solutions to help preserve the folk songs of the central region

in accordance with the strategic plans issued by the Department
of Cultural Promotion, Ministry of Culture.