An Analysis of the Sak Kha Lai Murals at Wat Phumin and Religious Beliefs

Abstract

This article analyzes the interdependent relationship between sak khalai (traditional ritual tattooing), a corporeal record, and the mural paintings of Wat Phumin, a public record.  Sak khalai, an intangible cultural heritage, holds significance as a rite of passage into full manhood, as symbolic capital that established social status to the extent of reducing dowries, and as a constructor of the ethnic identity of “Lao Phung Dam” (Black-Bellied Lao).  It reflects a syncretic worldview that completely integrates local animistic beliefs (ghosts) with Buddhism. Meanwhile, the mural paintings of Wat Phumin, a tangible heritage, not only record the lifestyle of the Nan people but also play an active role in endorsing and legitimizing the sak khalai tradition through the honorable depiction of tattooed figures in Jataka tales. This is particularly evident in the “Khattana Kumara Jataka”, which may serve as a political allegory reflecting Nan's status as a vassal state of Siam. The prominent depiction of tattooed individuals within the sacred space of the vihara declares the harmonious coexistence of the two belief systems. At a time when the practice of sak khalai is fading, the Wat Phumin murals have transformed from a societal mirror into the final "cultural archive" safeguarding the memory of the Nan people of the past. This has given rise to a dynamic of reinterpretation, as seen in the “Puman-Yaman” image, whose original meaning “masculinity” has been recontextualized as a new meaning “eternal love” in response to tourism.