Isan Travels, Isan Morals

One of the books I most enjoy dipping into is Isan Travels by Étienne Aymonnier. The book is published in English by White Lotus Press in Bangkok. It was originally published in French in 1895 as Voyages dans le Laos. Since I am going on some travels to France this week, I am reminded of his book. By 'Laos' Aymonnier meant the whole area we now call Isan, as well as what we still call Laos.

When Aymonier got to Ubon (or Oubon, as he would have it, being French), he gave a summary of a few of the features he saw as being 'common to the customs of the Laotian poplulation'. He says that 'their character is gentle and generally hospitable' but then goes on to say 'their morals are licentious ... The girls of Laos are generally pleasant, nice, very capricious, and easily seduced ... the most striking aspect of Laotian morals is the moral condition of young girls.'

Of marriage, he wrote that 'the man must furnish a cash dowry the amount of which varies, depending on the area and the financial condition of the couple, from twelve to eighty ticals or more. Only poverty-stricken men marry without giving a cent, according to the Lao.

The fiancé also shares in providing for a feast, either with pigs, oxen, or buffalo, according to the traditions of the young woman's family. The feast, enhanced by music, lasts from one to three days, according to the parents' wealth." 

He describes the fines which parents levy if a young man is found to have touched 'her arms or hands' or for  'audaciously putting his hands on her waist ... and if the beauty had refused him nothing.' He sums up this situation like this: 'One could imagine that, in this kind of moral environment, parents with daughters can envisage without too much displeasure (my emphasis) the prospect of creating for themselves a small source of revenue.'

I'm sure that if M. Aymonier were around nowadays he would be saying "Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose" and I'm sure I will be saying that a lot when I am in France over the next couple of weeks.

Comments

[Mike]

Hi Lawrence

"The girls of Laos are generally pleasant, nice, very capricious, and easily seduced ..."

Well he was a French man :-)