New mahout house and elephant shelter housewarming ceremony
On 14th of December, 2009 the elephant fund committees of Baan Pai Noi and Baan Pai Yai arranged the mahout house-warming ceremony on the elephant island. The construction of the mahout house was just finished at the beginning of December 2009, the elephant shelter was finished in October 2009 already. The construction of the mahout house has been sponsored by the students of the Green Campus College from the Netherlands. The students joined Bring the Elephant Home as volunteers for our Trees for Elephants project in June 2009 and worked together with many others: the villagers of Baan Pai Noi and Baan Pai Yai, partner organization- PDA, the local government and the mahout families. The ceremony has been organized to bless both elephants and the new mahout family. From now on they will live on the island to take care of the elephants all the time.
An Isarn style house-warming ceremony
The house warming ceremony starts at 9.00 A.M. by the mahout making an offering to the “Prakram spirit house”, a legendary mahout of the past. Especially the mahouts living in Surin and Buriram pay respect to Prakram, by offering the rice whisky, food, incense and candles, to plead the spirits to bless the mahouts to control the elephant more easily. The musicians also play traditional Isarn sounds during the whole ceremony.
After the ceremony the participants help to fill the stock of water and rice, in order to bless the residents to have a comfortable and plentiful life. Then the mahouts feed a lot of fruit to Nok Noi and Sri Prae until they are full and take them to the shelter. The village elders come to bless the elephants and then they roam freely around the island to eat grass. At the end of the ceremony, all participants enjoy lunch together in the new mahout house.
Please see photos below:
Mahout house at the riverside.
The mahout of Nok Noi make an offerings to the “Prakram spirit house”.
The musicians play “Kan“ an Isarn instrument during the ceremony time.
The mahout feeds the elephants a lot of fruit.
Baan Pai Yai village leader and mahout brings Nok Noi and Sri Prae to their shelter.
The village elders come to bless the elephants in their new shelter.
Participants enjoy lunch together at the end of the ceremony.
