Description
Elephants have held an important role in the cultural history of Northern Thailand. They are iconized in sacred settings, their images reminding all of their relationship to the foundations of Northern Thai society. Originally used as beasts of burden, they facilitated the development of regional trade networks through difficult mountainous terrain as well as travel by foreign explorers. When teak became a hugely marketable product, their contribution was indispensable in forest to river transport accessing collection points. Most importantly, elephants remain important to Thai culture. Modern laws of ownership and management have been implemented according to international standards. There has been a significant evolution in the relationship, particularly in the context of global concern for the environment.
Presenter: Rebecca Weldon
Raised in Laos, the Kingdom of a Million Elephants, she has worked in local ethnographic museums and studied the cultural history of elephants in Northern Thailand.