Living Heritage of the Shan (Tai Yai): An Integrated Study of Manuscripts and Archaeological Heritage at Hua Wieng Temple, Mae Hong Son, Northwest Thailand

Rasmi Shoocongdej1,2*, Wipada Onwimol2, Siriluck Kantrasri2, and Varis Domthong2

Mae Hong Son, a prominent border province in Northwest Thailand, is characterized by its rich ethnic

and cultural diversity. Since the city’s founding circa 1831, the Shan (Tai Yai) people have played a central role in its governance and settlement. Shan settlers founded numerous temples that became repositories for Phap Sa, a traditional mulberry paper manuscript. These documents record a wide array of religious doctrine, indigenous knowledge, traditional medicine, and folk literature, serving as essential instruments of merit-making and cultural preservation. Despite the efforts of local abbots, local and regional research centres to manage this religious heritage, existing scholarship often lacks a cohesive link between physical artifacts and their broader historical and socio-cultural contexts. This study addresses this gap through a twofold objective: 1) utilising an integrated framework to analyse Phap Sa manuscripts in conjunction with archaeological evidence from Hua Wien Temple; and 2) assessing the functional and symbolic value of the temple’s heritage in relation to the local community and the wider Shan diaspora in Myanmar and Shan State. By framing these artifacts as transnational shared heritage, this study demonstrates how the material culture of Hua Wien Temple reinforces a collective Shan identity that transcends modern geopolitical boundaries.