ISAN IDENTITY BASED ON THE USING INDIGENOUS SCRIPTS, 1880S TO 1930S

Abstract

The purposes of this article were to study the Isan identity through the using Indigenous scripts during the 1880s to 1930s, which was considered a period of change in the use of local scripts resulting from the reform of the political reformation in Siamese society. The results of the study found that the identity of the Isan society can be divided into 3 periods. The first period, before the political reformation of Siam in the 1880s, Isan was an area with its own wisdom in using Indigenous scripts, as can be seen from the widespread use of Tham scripts and Tai Noi scripts in Isan society. The second period, Isan after the political reformation of Siam after the 1880s. During this period, the wisdom in using Indigenous scripts in the Isan area declined significantly due to changes in the political and social context in Isan under the rule of the Siam government, which implemented policies to support the widespread use of Thai scripts in both secular and religious matters. As a result, the popularity of using Indigenous scripts among the people in Isan rapidly declined. The third period, the identity of Isan after the 1930s. During this period, there were movements against the use of Thai scripts and campaigns for people in the Isan region to continue using Indigenous scripts through the role of local folk singers (Molum), but they were eventually controlled and suppressed by the Siam government.