S13-4

Ethnoarchaeological Interpretation of ‘Frog Festival’: Rock Painting at Pha Taem Wasuphon Site, Northeastern Thailand

The 8th Regional Office of Fine Arts, Khon Kaen Province, Fine Arts Department, Ministry of Culture, Thailand

In 2015, the Fine Arts Department conducted surveys in Khon Kaen Province, upper northeastern Thailand. Ten new rock art sites were found - the most outstanding of these was Pha Taem Wasuphon in Chumphae District. This research paper discusses the paintings on the rock wall of the limestone cliff, focusing on the ritual depiction through ethnographic and archaeological data. DStretch was applied to enhance the pictures and capture the distinctive features in the portrayals. Information from accounts and previous research were studied as comparatives. The depiction of the main scene comprises more than 200 human figures, two men playing the drums and a gong, a frog-like standing man, a frog figure, and humans standing in front of a house-like shape. The study indicates that these are scenes from a fertility ritual, probably related to the frog festival known as ‘Maguai’ festival that is performed by the Zhuang ethnic group in southwestern China. The depiction of the drum-performance scene is comparable to those of Tham Ta Duang site in Kanchanaburi Province, central Thailand, and the Huashan sites in Guangxi, China. The latter are believed to have been painted by the Luo Yue, the ancestors of Zhuang people, dating back to 2400 - 1800 BP. The drum performance was likely associated with bronze drums of Heger type I (dated from 2200-1500 BP) found at two sites in the provinces of Khon Kaen and Nong Bua Lamphu, around 80 km from the rock art site. In conclusion, the study suggests a possible relationship between the communal belief at Pha Taem Wasuphon and the frog festival of the Zhuang. These archaeological findings support the cultural diffusion theory that people from southwestern China moved down to upper northeastern Thailand over 2400-1500 years ago.