Knowledge as an Other : An Essay on the Knowledge of Traditional Healers in a Mon-Khmer Village in Lao PDR

Abstract

The aim of this article is to examine the knowledge of traditional healers who are called moo in Laos, based on the case of a Mon-Khmer village. In the modern context, knowledge is thought to exist in a person's brain and to belong to that person. Interiorization is an important idea in discussion on education. Knowledge is subordinate to an individual. In the field village, moos are considered to be more intellectual than other villagers. According to the villagers, most moos attain their status by "studying." Knowledge acquired by "studying" is considered the source of the moos' magical power. It seems that the moos control and use knowledge as power in healing rituals. My research, which included interviews, reveals that the moos feel they gained "something like the spirit (phi) " by "studying." Moreover, they feel that it dwells within their bodies. This paper focuses on this phenomenon considering the "sense" of the moos. The study reveals a possible alternative to the traditional notion of knowledge. It is the alternative agent which coexists with the self within the moos' bodies.