Community-driven care of Lanna palm-leaf manuscripts

Abstract

Palm-leaf manuscripts are an important part of the heritage of the Lanna culture of northern Thailand. The purpose of this article is to explore the practices and attitudes towards managing palm-leaf manuscripts in three communities in northern Thailand with a view to developing a community-centric understanding of sustainable care for palm-leaf manuscripts. The study was based on interviews, which were analysed thematically. It was found that Buddhist beliefs in earning merit and the cultural value of palm-leaf manuscripts underlie community involvement. Leadership was also important, although models of leadership were different in each case. External organizations such as universities play a key role in cataloguing, preserving and using palm-leaf manuscripts. Digitization, although central to the value to external organizations, does not really promote community access. Reflecting on the drivers and challenges in the three villages, a model of community-driven care for palm-leaf manuscripts is proposed.