Ban Noi: Cultural Heritage and Beliefs and Approaches to Revitalization in Contemporary Society among the Tai-Yuan Ethnic Group in Don Rae Subdistrict, Mueang District, Ratchaburi Province

Abstract

This study investigates the meanings and values of the Baan Noi (small house) in Tai Yuan funeral rituals, examining its cultural contexts, symbolic significance, and possibilities for revitalization in contemporary society. Using a qualitative design grounded in phenomenology, data were obtained through field notes, interviews, audio-visual documentation, and non-participant observation with local sages, community scholars, villagers, abbots, and community leaders.

          Findings indicate that the Baan Noi embodies the belief that it is the dwelling place of the spirit after death. Following cremation, it is placed at a crossroads to symbolically guide the spirit home, reflecting the cultural notion that the spirit returns to its dwelling on the seventh day. The construction process reflects communal solidarity: men build the structure, women prepare ritual components, and purification rituals such as thamni thoranisan are performed to remove inauspiciousness. The invocation of the “Four Guardians” (Thao Thang Si) highlights the syncretic integration of Buddhist and indigenous beliefs. The study recommends documenting and archiving the Baan Noi ritual as community heritage, both for intergenerational transmission and public dissemination. Such efforts would safeguard its spiritual significance and indigenous wisdom, thereby sustaining Tai Yuan ethnic identity amid social and cultural transformation.