Nora Beads : Means for Promoting Self-Sufficiency Economics

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Nora beads are a small handicraft made from organic substances. They are scraped,
molded or casted in various shapes and strung together. They have been used to decorate
Nora costumes for more than 100 years. The Nora bead decorations are in 5 pieces: one
piece around the breast called Roap-Ok or Phan-Ok, two pieces on the shoulders and
another two pieces around the front and the back of the neck. Nora beads reflect a way of
life that is rich, nature-loving, and self-sufficient. Their patterns represent aspects of the way
of life in Nakhon Si Thammarat through the following: the Phikun flower, the Phim-Phong (a
bamboo frame used to mold sticky rice for making Phong, a local sweet), triangles, round
glass beads and Khanom Tad (a rhombus shape). These bead patterns are named according
to their natural characteristics, their representation of familiar objects in daily life and crafts.
There are two design patterns, especially for the shoulders: a sharp end type (triangular) and
an end-cut type (triangular with a cut at one end). Beads are a profitable and low cost
investment. Because they are made during free time outside of other work and with little or
no fossil fuel energy, their creation fits within the concept of conservation promoted by the
King’s “Sufficiency Economy.”