The Maintenance of Identity of the “Chong” Ethnic Group: A Case Study from Song Nai Ban Ritual in Ban Thung Kai Dak, Amphoe Mueang, Trat Province

Abstract

This paper aims at examining the maintenance of the identity of the “Chong” ethnic group in Trat province in the Song Nai Ban Ritual at Ban Thung Kai Dak, Amphoe Mueang. The study reveals that the Chong, an ethnic group in Trat Province, has a significant ritual called “Bun Song” or “Song Nai Ban”, a spirit worshiping ritual that shows the Chong’s maintenance of identity in the following aspects: 1) the spirit food offering that indicates the relationship between the Chong and their ancestors; 2) the summonsing of wild animal spirits that expresses the relationship between the Chong and the forest; 3) the battle with spirits that reproduces the Chong’s narratives of war; and 4) the ritual space and the Chong’s territorial declaration. All of these aspects bring about an attempt to maintain the Chong’s identity and their harmonious engagement with the generation of today.