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Books from Barks and Palm Leaves: Our Ancestral Heritage |
Books from Barks and Palm Leaves: Our Ancestral Heritage
Books from Barks
M. de la Loubère once recorded in his book, The Kingdom of Siam, that “The Siamese make paper from cotton rags and tree barks called “koy”. But the paper does not have a smooth texture. Nor is it as white or fine quality as ours.”
From this record by the French envoy to the Court of King Narai, it is evidence of how Thai people had kept historical records. The koy paper was in use until the Fifth Reign of Bangkok after printing had been imported and become widely popular.
Books made from koy or old Thai-style books were unique. They were normally in one long folded piece of paper of various lengths, written lengthwise and opened from the reader’s side.
There were two kinds of koy books called after its paper color: the white and the black. Writing materials varied. To write in a black book, people used white pencils made from white clay or ground abalone shell mixed with glue. For the white book, people used dark and colored materials, such as black from soot or Indian ink, red from natural vermilion, gold color from golden foils, and yellow from a blend of resin and mineral.
In addition to verbal records, certain books related to Buddhism also contained intricate illustrations, adding to their aesthetic values, and reflecting beliefs and lifestyles of each period.
Producing koy Paper
Koy paper is made from bark of koy, a tall standing tree found by rivers or in forests. Koy paper production was popular in the Central Region. To begin the process, the bark is sun-dried and soaked in water for a few days until it disintegrates. Then it is shredded, sprinkled with lime, steamed until soft, and soaked in limewater for another day. After that it is washed in a basket, squeezed dry, and molded into desirable sizes. This is melt in water and poured onto a square wire mold, scraped level, and sun-dried. The white book is basted with white glue made from rice flour and limewater. The black paper is basted with rice glue mixed with soot or finely ground charcoal.
Palm-Leafed Scriptures
Apart from koy, a kind of palm leaf called lan was often used for Buddhism-related accounts. The palm was chosen for its light and soft quality, convenient for maintenance and transportation, and highly durable. The oldest lan record found, Tingsa-nibat-sakul-raj Jataka, a Lanna scripture, is more than 500 years old.
Records were normally ‘engraved’ on the leaf with a pointed metal pencil and blackened with soot. The leaves were then stringed and tied into a book.
Presently lan is still used for scriptures, but printed instead. Folk artists particularly in Lanna, however, still hand-engrave them.
From Lowly Leaves to Sacred Scriptures
Lan is a kind of palm often grown in temples for its leaves. To begin the production process, leaves are selected, sun-dried for 3 days, and cut into desirable sizes. Then they are boiled and sun-dried to make it more durable, soft, and white. The leaves are stacked, trimmed, and holed for stringing, before being sterilized in an oven, cleaned, smoothed, and engraved.
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