Ngo Pa (Thai: เงาะป่า, pronounced [ŋɔ́ʔ pàː]), also known in translation as Romance of the Sakai, is a Thai poem in the form of a lakhon nai traditional play written by King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) in 1906 and first published in 1913. The King wrote the play while spending eight days recovering from a bout of malaria, and took inspiration from his impressions of the Maniq people, a Negrito group in Southern Thailand. The story is a tragedy featuring a love triangle involving Sompla and Hanao, rivals competing for the affection of the beautiful Lamhab. The work is noted for employing the novel concept of ethnography in its conceptualization of the story's background, as well as its simple-yet-engaging klon verse, and has been commonly included as reading material for Thai secondary school students.[1][2]

Title page of the first printing, from the Chulalongkorn University Library

References edit

  1. ^ ศิริน โรจนสโรช. "เงาะป่า". Thai Literature Directory. The Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Anthropology Centre. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
  2. ^ Porath, Nathan (2002). "Developing Indigenous Communities into Sakais". In Benjamin, Geoffrey; Chou, Cynthia (eds.). Tribal Communities in the Malay World. ISEAS / IIAS. ISBN 9789812301666.

Further reading edit

  • Hamilton, Annette (June 2006). "Reflections on the 'Disappearing Sakai': A Tribal Minority in Southern Thailand". Journal of Southeast Asian Studies. 37 (2): 293–314. doi:10.1017/S0022463406000567. S2CID 162984661.

External links edit