"Mountain Buffalo": Cultural Images of the People and the Forest “ควายภูเขา” ภาพทางวัฒนธรรมของคนกับป่า

Abstract

This article aims to study the cultural ecology of humans and nature in the western forest area of Thailand by analyzing photographs of Karen mountain buffalo herding in Ban Wung Kasang, Village No. 10, Pong Nam Ron Subdistrict, Khlong Lan District, Kamphaeng Phet Province, through the framework of Roland Barthes’s concepts of “The Third Meaning”, “Rhetoric of the Image”, and Pierre Bourdieu’s concepts related to Cultural Capital and Habitus, by combining the image analysis unit and the socio-cultural analysis unit to cover both the dimensions of the photographs (symbols and meanings) and the social context (habitat and cultural capital). Karen mountain buffalo herding is a long-held culture, in which mountain buffaloes are not only pets but also symbols reflecting the deep relationship between humans and nature, playing an important role in the cultural ecosystem. The existence of mountain buffaloes and the community’s ways of life depend on natural resources such as Khlong Suan Mak and Huai Nam Khao, which are important water sources that help maintain the balance between humans, animals, and the environment in this area. Mountain buffalo herding is not just an economic activity, but also has complex symbolic meanings. This is consistent with Barthes’ concept of “The Third Meaning” and “Rhetoric of the Image”, which reflects the cultural dimensions and deep relationships that cannot be explained through direct description. The relationship between the community and the mountain buffaloes represents a cultural process that contains social meanings embedded in the Karen ways of life in terms of Bourdieu’s theory. The “cultural capital” of the Karen community is reflected in the raising of mountain buffaloes as a legacy passed down from ancestors, which is a habitat deeply rooted in the community’s ways of life and social practices. Raising buffaloes is a tool that connects people with nature and is an example of cultural capital that is produced and re-created through social processes and traditions that are important to the community. In addition, raising buffaloes is an important factor in controlling forest growth by making forest areas more open. This allows the growth of various plants, such as vegetables and mushrooms, that can be found in season, which supports the community economy and generates income. This reflects the profound cultural complexity and coexistence between humans and nature.