Folk Taxonomy about “Wan Saiyawet” with Beliefs and Rituals in Contemporary Isan Society

Abstract

This research article aims to study the way of thinking about the folk taxonomy of “Wan Saiyawet” in isan society and to analyze the transmission of beliefs and rituals. Including the role of the aforementioned wan with the framework of folklore concepts. Collected field data between 2021 and 2023. The results of the study revealed that folk healers and wan collectors in isan have systematic methods for categorizing the types of “Wan Saiyawet”. As “medicine” and “magic,” they use empirical knowledge to create meaning and organize hierarchies of wan. Which knowledge about the classification of wan is related to the transmission of beliefs and rituals. Both the ritual of finding wans rituals using wan to treat illness and rituals in which wans are made into sacred objects. Folk taxonomy including beliefs and rituals have the function of curing illness. It is a spiritual refuge. It is a pattern to control the behavior of Isan people. Help build a knowledge network of wan growers. Moreover, it also has the function of creating added value for faith businesses in the context of the creative economy. This study therefore serves as a guideline for studying plant folklore (Plant Lore) in the future.