An Expansion Of Plakat Thai
To study an expansion of Plakat Thai is to answer two importance questions. First, what is the relationship between human and the fighter? The study shows that fighting fish is a cultural being and developing along with Thai society, more general South East Asia society. Second, what will be the future of fighting fish society? Fighting fish is slowly wide spread to other countries accompany by men. Technology make men fly from one country to another country just a few hours, so fighting fish is no more keep itself in one region. However, I will limit my scoop of discussion only in Thai society that I am living in.
Fighting fish is involved in many parts of Thai social life as Westerner visitors already observed (Dr. Theodore Cantor, 1840 and later Dr. Smith, 1923). But in fact it is concerned in Thais life more than Westerner ever noticed. In the Ayuthaya war time era, fighting fish was used as warfare strategy that Thai soldier introduced it to lead astray Burmese soldier no tension to war. (I get this datum from one booklet, though I did not see the real manuscript yet. This is what I am searching).
Fighting fish and human develop theirs’ relationship from independent external being to the internal thought relationship. We can see this internal relationship in the very old social-political expression metaphoric language. Metaphor symbolic language is representing the cultural thinking. These metaphor symbolic terms derived from observation on the fighting fish behavior that human involving and apply to the symbolic thought then to language that using in everyday life activity.
“Gor Wot” (ก่อหวอด) means “bubbling” or the gathering of bubbles growing slowly and silently. It refers to the political instigated in the negative sense of the term that instigate of the opposition of government. Now it is using wider sense of the term to any social sectors, a purposively growing of the member in the group to do an action towards something.
“Tod Si” (ถอดสี) means color faded or pale, taking from a fighter runaway from fighting and its color is faded, or a faded face when a person feel frighten in the submissive manner.
“Luk Lai” (ลูกไล่) means coward fighter, when training the fighter we let the fighter chasing many coward fighters (Luk Lai). Luk Lai would run around until the fighter stop chasing. Apply to a weaker or a subordinated person or servant that no chance to fight against master. In the present application on fighting fish training, “Luk Lai” means small female that fighter chasing. However, this term not extend its meaning to the human action that female is a “Luk Lai” of male or husband to wife.
“Lao” (เหล่า) means group, clan, family, bloodlines, which derive from the same source or parents. So in one family it has many things in similar or generality. For example, Mr. Precha comes from the hard working family (Lao), so he works like a worker ant. This seems presupposition on human habit and may mislead to that person. Also in fighting fish, one fighting fish can represent to the whole family. “Lao” also implement to covers the phenotype and genotype of the fighter bloodlines. Many fighters in one family may have same or difference colors or difference structures from its parents but the fighting habit would be the same or similar. This concept plays a very significance role in selection of the fighter parents. The breeder would find the parents stock both attack tail, when he want to reproduce the fighter for tail hitter.
Dr. Smith described Fighting fish is a Thai “national sport” and already is a domesticated and cultivated fighter more than 90 years (he described this in the year 1923. May be he read Cantor work). Taking Dr. Smith, fighting fish is presenting in Thai society at least before 1833. (We will see in the below discussion on interview “uncle Peng”, that fighting fish at that time already a captive and cultivated fighter or in short Thai breeder already develop fighting fish to be a sophisticated and complicated fighter already 200 years ago. This fact, against my previous hypothesis that Thai breeder just develop captive fighter only a hundred years ago.
The complexity of the game is reflecting the player’s society type. The player in Bangkok much more complicated than the player in Northeast of Thailand, Betta smaragdina. Fighting fish game also developed along the change of society and people who play this game. Whatsoever, fighting fish no matter playing in Bangkok or remote provinces the game still simple compared to the racing horse or fighting cock.
Fighting fish is developed by Thai farmer in his routine growing crop in the rice field. The farmer so-called peasant is living in the nature more than in the city or town. By peasant society I mean to the widest scope.
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Non-mechanized agriculture
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Small scale of production.
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Often isolated from the mainstream
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Worldview conservative
As a Non-mechanized agriculture, Thais breeders still use family labor to build the tank, get up early (3 a.m.) to find the life food for the new hatches fighters. The breeding method is still in the very traditional way same as has been practiced hundreds years ago. Some of them may try to apply a few chemical product and artificial feed advocated by scientist from Fisheries Department, but they all back to their traditional technique. The breeders are slowly developing theirs own breeding and keeping theirs’ technique private and unique. The numbers of fighters are limited by number of labor in the family. They know that they can not rely or hire other people to breed the best quality fighter. Few of them has been get bad experienced in using advance chemical and hire people. They are all back to the past and push theirs fighters to the future. All fighting fish both game bred and long fin show case in Aquabid are the production of the simple breeding technique.
Fighting fish considered small production when compared to other aquarium fishes such as gold fish, koi, and platy group. But fighting fish is one of a most famous crafted from the farmer. Some breeders even limit the number of his best fighter by keep only 200 out of 800 fries he can bred. Since each breeder has private technique of rearing the fighter. All agree that one can not breed the best fighter by large quantity and handle too many families at one time. This made the fighter of each breeder unique, some player even can distinguished fighter one breeder from other breeder fighter by its uniqueness. On the other hand, fighting fish can not reproduce the same quality in the large scale quantity. Each batch though the same parents has it own variety and uniqueness.
As an isolated from the mainstream, fighting fish breeders mostly are self sufficient economy attitude. They do not refuse the new technology and new economic trend. They are listening with full interest. But in the everyday real life they are still living in the very simple and humble house. One can see a full set of computer and other electronic staff placing on the open air space that nobody pays attention much and they are easy to take away. But they will keep their fighters in the special locker room neat and clean. These people still prefer to smoke raw tobacco from the hand made cigarette etc. They prefer to drive mini truck and dress old and very cheap cloth but living in 10 hectare worth a million dollar. Even the player which seems closed to technology society and took degree from University; very few of them know how to use computer and networking.
As a worldview conservative, they like to talk their childhood day. They do not worry much on what the direction the world is changing. In my fighting fish group they know how good computer and internet is, but very few interesting to use it. They believe that breeding fighter in the traditional way bear the most productive and most effective result. Breeding fighter is still keeping private and verbalized only among the close friend and relative. In short, fighting fish today and hundred years ago can preserve itself on its traditional way. The change is presented only outside but spirit still the same.
The peasant community pattern makes the fighting fish people unique and safeguard them from the digital trend. It can assimilate between what they had with the new form of digital society and cope themselves to be solid and strong enough that they do not feel suffering or alienated to the new trend. They preserve what they have and slowly select what available from outside to suited themselves. They are selector not the selected. A social move on like a snail’s pace at least slow down the global change in community.
This article tells the story of an expansion of fighting fish. Fighting fish is actually a pool of wealth for keeping the treasure of Asian culture heritage. It is a living people dynamic history not a history of State.
(to be continued)
precha@plakatthai.com
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