低地ラオ族の村落構造 : パ・カオ部落 Ban Pha Khao の場合(<特集>東南アジア調査報告)

抄録

This village field work was carried out at Pha Khao community near Vientiane (Laos) from December 1957 to the end of February 1958. The main purpose of this work was focused on the dominant principle of integration about Lao village structure. After discussing natural environment, settlement pattern, village history, administration hierarchy, and material culture, the author deals with interpersonal relationships of the community into three dimensions, namely social differentiation, social stratification, and social integration. (1) Social differentiation. The type of family structure, marital system, descent and inheritance, kinship terminologies, sex differenciation, and local relationships are discussed here. As to the family structure, nuclear family is the most dominant type at Pha Khao and is characterized by matrilocal (or matrilocal neolocal) residence. With regard to the kinship system, Pha Khao recognize bilateral descent. Land inheritance is also bilateral, but the house is inherited by one of the daughters frequently by the youngest one. Pha Khao has no unilinear kin group, but after 1944 Nam Sa Kun (family name) was traced through the paternal line. As to the kinship terminologies they reveal, like other Thai people, some particularity among these living in the Mainland of Southeast Asia, namely the fact that skewed equation, Yuman principle, and teknonymy are to be found. (2) Social stratification. Occupation and structure of occupational consciousness, property of inhabitants, age stratification, and villagers' status structure are discussed here. At Pha Khao, about fifteen percent are non-agricultural families and these families are increasing every year. In the dry season, some of the villagers make charcoal and produce earthen vessels. There is not much difference between the rich and the poor among the inhabitants, but three distinct statuses are found among the inhabitants which are caused by personal talent, leadership, and property. (3) Social integration. Buddhism and its system, folklore, school teaching, and cooperation are discussed here. Like other Thai people the Wat (Buddhist temple) is the center of social integration at PhaKhao, but on the other hand the elementary school has tend to increase gradually its integral power. As to the supernatural problems, the author thinks Chao Phi (guardian spirit of land or village) is most important to be analysed. In regard to cooperation, local connexion or friendship bonds have a principal function. In addition, the author attempts to observe the communication system, population mobility, impact of urban cultures and reaction of the inhabitants to such change elements. In sum, in many respects, Pha Khao has a loosely structured society. There are no classes, castes, age grades, secret societies. In other words Pha Khao has not a vertical structure, but it has a horizotal one. As already mentioned present Wat is an axis of Thai village community, but before Buddhist diffusion the problem is what is the nucleus of Thai village community. In order to analyse Thai village structure from a historical point of view, the author believes that pre-Buddhist age structure of Thai village is one of the most important problem.