This essay clarifies how Prince Damrong Rachanuphap, who is widely known as the first Minister of the Interior and the ‘father of Thai History,’ displayed and instilled the value of ‘Thainess’ at the Bangkok National Museum during the reign of King Rama VII（1925−1935）.
Soon after the beginning of the reign, the museum was quickly transformed from a ‘general’ museum to a ‘historical and/or archaeological’ museum under the direction of Prince Damrong and was officially re-opened as the ‘Bangkok Museum’ in 1926. At that time, a number of antiquities were transferred to the Bangkok Museum, mainly from provincial museums, the Ministry of the Interior and the private palace of Prince Damrong himself. Accordingly, the museum collection became more clearly characterized as representing Siamese state and territory. In addition, artifacts were displayed in a way that emphasized the unique aspects of ‘Thais’ in contrast to ‘Khmers.’ The efforts to distinguish both cultural aspects are clearly recognized in Prince Damrong’s writings, including A Journey to Angkor Wat（1924）and A History of Siamese Stupas（1926）.
Meanwhile, Prince Damrong attempted to utilize the museum as a part of school training beginning in 1928. He made lectures in front of visiting teachers, and according to his speech draft preserved at the National Archives of Thailand, one of the purposes of this museum education was to ‘make students love their country.’ He defined museum objects as ‘heritage’ from Thai ancestors who had protected the country, and encouraged the audience to leave behind their own ‘heritage’ to descendants. Likewise he stressed the significant role that the Chakri Dynasty and its Kings played in maintaining independence from the Burmese. It can be summarized that his ‘patriotism’ is an ideology that demands the unity of Thais under Royal governance.
Thus, the Bangkok National Museum during the reign of King Rama VII was transformed into an institution that conveys the value of ‘Thainess’ in terms of its cultural and ideological dimensions.
