Sunthorn Kamyod
Faculty of Liberal Arts, Maejo University
The Kalok dance is a ritual related to therapy under the belief of ancestor spirits of Lanna that has been influenced by the belief of the Mon. The role of the ritual is to treat the participants mentally by mediums conducted along with music. In the ritual, the participants are treated for their illnesses through the medium of ancestor spirits. In addition, in the ritual, women play a significant and powerful role, while the role of men is reduced, leading to less tension in the social structure.
(Presented in the 2017 Chulalongkorn Thai-Tai Heritage Forum: Healing and Herbal Medicine (การรักษาโรคกับการใช้ยาสมุนไพรในวัฒนธรรมไทย-ไท), 22-23 June 2017, Le Meridien Chiang Mai Hotel, Chiang Mai, organized by the Empowering Network for International Thai and ASEAN Studies, Institute of Thai Studies, Chulalongkorn University, Lanna Studies Center, Faculty of humanities ,Chiang Mai University and Thai Language Department, School of Liberal Arts Mae Fah Luang University)