HAMYON

Kamthieng House Museum's wood carving collection - 'Hamyon'. This intricate, carved wooden plaque above the bedroom door is considered a protective talisman for the family, dividing the private family space inside, from the public verandah space outside. Beyond this point, those who are 'tang-phi' (literally 'of a different spirit') meaning 'of a different clan', must ask permission of the ancestral spirits (phi pu-ya') to enter.The 'ham yon' is variously believed to represent the protective power of the ancestral spirits, or of the male head of household. The latter is based on a loose interpretation of the word 'ham', meaning 'testicles', and 'yon' the northern Thai derivative of the Sanskrit word 'yantra', for 'magic diagram or symbol'. But many northern scholars find this interpretation linguistically problematic.The proportion of the 'ham yon' is base on the foot of the main male householder, multiplied by 3 or 4, according to status. Usually installed with a new house, the 'ham yon' plaque is taken down and beaten ritually to remove its power, each time the main male householder changes. A new 'ham yon' is then commissioned and installed with the proper rites. These 'ham yon' are only a part of carved wood collection, which were purchased by the Siam Society from northern Thailand in 1965. The whole collection includes cover 200 items. All of them are over 200 years old.