Nora

             Nora¹ or Manora is a folk performance that has been passed down over a long time and      widely performed in southern Thailand. Nora's performance consists of singing and dancing. Some are performed as a narrative drama, while others as a ritual.

           According to myths, local literature, and even literature of the central region that mention    this folk performance (such as in I-nao in the reign of Rama II), they all suggest that it was once called ‘Chatri’ as far back in the reign of Rama II.

          When Chatri reached the central region, people noticed that it was similar to this drama,    so they called it ‘Lakhon Chatri ’ (Chatri drama). I-nao, composed by the Prince Damrong Rajanubhab, refers to the Royal Cremation of Somdej Phra Pathom Borom Mahachanok and is an elegy written by Krom Muean Si Suren. It mentions that Chatri drama was performed in the royal cremation in Bangkok (in the poem, the word ‘Chatri’ is still used). Below is an example:

          According to the poem, Chatri drama is described as a beautiful dance with the sound of          percussion and clappers as background music, and tells a story of ‘Rotthasen’.

          Later, some parts of the story of Phra Suthon, such as the scene of Phran Bun catching and sending Kinnari to Manora, were adapted into a Chatri drama as shown in the chapter of Manora. The drama attracts numerous people because of its good plot, the enigmatical charm of Kinnari, and a thrilling scene from one of the main characters; the hunter called ‘Phran Bun’. As a result, some costumes in the Chatri drama were changed and new dances were choreographed based on the style of Kinnari. Besides this, the character’s name, appearance, and the personality of Phran Bun were designed to represent a jester called ‘Phran’. These became key elements of Chatri drama. Chatri was usually performed in a topknot cutting ceremony. People consequently called the performance ‘Manora’ instead of Chatri. Due to the southern dialect’s characteristic of syllable reduction, the word ‘Manora’ was simplified as Nora, and the word ‘Chatri ’ fell out of fashion and eventually became obsolete.

          Based on written record, Chatri was also called ‘Manora Chatri’ in the local literary poem,    ‘Manora Nibat Khamkap’ in the version of Matchimawat Temple in Songkhla Province, which is believed to have been finished in 1868. The poem about the theatrical performance of Phra Suthon and Nang Manora tells about the Manora Chatri that sings about Meri, a woman who wanders around the garden while getting drunk. The narration of the poem indicates that, despite different stories, Manora Chatri was also used as the name for this kind of performance.

          From the gist of Chatri legend and a prayer to Nora’s teacher that have been handed down including places and people mentioned in them, it is believed that Chatri drama in the south of Thailand was developed into a form of high arts in the southern royal court at least since the Ayutthaya Period. Moreover, the places mentioned in the evidence pointed out that the areas of ancient Phatthalung were the place where Nora started to develop into a high art, such as the Songkhla Lake region, for both the west coast (in the current Phatthalung Province) and the east coast (Phatthalung ancient city is currently Sathing Phra District, Ranot District and Krasae Sin District in Songkhla Province), in ‘Khun Sattha Tha Khae’ (Ban Tha Khae is in Mueang Phattalung District), ‘Ko Kachang’ or ‘Ko Sichang’ (Laem Chan or Laem Kachang which is a part of Koyai Sub-district, Krasae Sin District in Songkhla Lake). Furthermore, there is more evidence found in Ban Phram Chan, Phraya Thom Nam, Phraya Lui Fai, a gold Buddha image, the tradition of Ta Yai Yan at Tha Khura Temple, Sathing Phra District (check, Ta Yai Yan), and the image of Chao Mae Nuan Samli (Thuat Samli) that is located in Pha Ko Temple, Sathing Phra District. The legend claims that Mrs. Nuan Samli became pregnant by eating a white lotus flower and was punished by being adrift on a raft from a town. All of these confirm that the legend and the prayer to Nora’s teacher cleverly documented historical facts about Chatri as much as the freedom of people in that period of time would allow them to.

          During the Thonburi Period, performing arts were being maintained for the joy of the country. The capital city authorized Nakhon Si Thammarat, which was the major city of southern Thailand, to be the center for cultural investigation as it was not destroyed while the country was at war with Burma. Cultural documents and practices of its people were observed and brought back to the capital city. Both central Thailand and the South exchanged their cultures. The mutual modification of Chatri from the South and Khon from the capital city possibly happened during this period. For example, Prince Damrong Rajanubhab made an assumption in I-nao that Piphat² in the Chatri drama was older than that of Khon drama because it had a five-instrument ensemble, which is almost exactly the same as the musical elements in the Indian formula. On the other hand, the five instruments of Piphat in Khon drama were modified and do not follow the Indian formula. For example, the Klong Thap was replaced by a Thai xylophone and a double-gong was replaced by a gong circle.

            According to the words of Mr. Chongphakdi (Khao), who had performed Nora Chatri drama in Trang Province before working as a civil servant in Bangkok, there were 12 moves called ‘The Song of Teachers’ (such as the Mae Lai Move, Khao Khwai Move, Kin Non Move, Long Chak Move, and Maengmum Chak Yai Move). They were different from the dance poems and formula of the Nora Chatri drama in Nakhon Si Thammarat, which featured many strange moves and were not as widespread as ‘The Song of Teachers’ (such as the Khom Wian Move, Buddha Ham Man Move, and Narayana Nao Son Move). Prince Damrong Rajanubhab concluded that the formula for the training of Nora was invented afterward. When considering the Khrop Khru³ Ceremony performed in the central region, the way a big bowl (patterned with 12 Chinese zodiacs) is flipped and placed in the middle of the stage before a monk so that a performer could sit on it, is the same fashion as the Khrop Khru Ceremony for Nora. Moreover, the 12 Chinese zodiacs belonged to a southern city that Nakhon Si Thammarat was in charge of.

            According to ‘Le Lakhon Nora ou Lakhon Chatri Classique Siamois’ by Rene Nicolas, published in volume 18 of the Journal of the Siam Society in 1924 (this was after the publication of the textbook about I-nao drama, which was printed in 1921), the costumes used in Chatri dramas of Nakhon Si Thammarat consisted of shoulder loops and a long necklace. This resembled the costumes used in Khon dramas in the capital city. It also mentioned that the Na Phat⁴ in Chatri dramas has nine songs: the Ram Sat Drama, Phleng Rew, Samoe, Choet, Ot, Long Song, Lom, Choet Ching, and Phleng Ching. These suggest that the influence of Khon and dramas from the central region permeated into Chatri dramas by Chatri teachers in Bangkok.

         King Rama VI composed “Phra Bharata Boek Rong” as an opening performance for Thai    operatic dance drama. A dance teacher, Bharata Muni, was assigned to dance as an act of worship and to be a model for the students. In addition, the king also composed Phra Pharata’s dialogue “I will dance for you, remember. It would be better if the dances are followed because these are ancient dances (get up and dance in the Manora style).” This would be followed by Chom Talat Dance as shown below.

         The poem mentions about 41 Nora dance moves: the Pathom, Phra Phrom Si Na, Sot Soi Hoi Pen Phuang Mala, We Hon Yon Cha, Hai Nong Non, Phisamai Ruam Riang, Khiang Mon, Tha Tang Kan, Han Pen Mon, Moraka Khaektao Binkhao Rang, Kratai Chom Chan, Jan Song Krod, Phra Rot Yonsan, Man Klap Lang, Chu Chai Nat Krai Khao Wang, Kin Non Ron Ram, Khao Ma Proep Tha, Phra Rama Nao Sin, Matcha Long Warin, Longlai Pai Sin Ngam Sopha, To Len Hang, Kwang Yon Tua, Ram Yua E Paeng Phat Na, Hong Thong Loi Long, Hera Len Nam, Kwang Doen Dong, Suriwong Songsak, Chang San Wan Ya, Do Sa Na Rak, Phra Lak Phlaeng Son Chorali, Khi Non Fon Fung, Yung Fon Hang, Khat Changyang Nang Ram Tang Song Sri, Nang Long Hai Dai Thi, Chak Siso Samsai Yai Phleng Ram, Krabi Ti Tha, Chin Sao Sai, Chani Rai Mai, Mekkhala Lo Kaew, Chak Lam Nam, and Phleng Ram Taekon Khru Son Ma.

          There are two aspects raised in this royal literary work that are worthy of further consideration.

         First, the king’s purpose of composing the work by adopting a dance style and moves of        Manora (Chatri) to the Phra Pharata dance as an act of worship, suggests that he was confident that Manora or Chatri of the South was the model for dramas in the central region and was worthy of preservation.

          Second, the dance moves in the royal composition might be partly derived from the narration    of southern Chatri dramas the king saw while visiting southern cities (such as in R.E. 128). Additionally, the dance moves recorded by the ingenuity of the king, who established the impeccable model, were later learned by the southern Nora performers, who have been holding and passing them down for a long time. Such a long tradition and practice is seen in Nora performances by the Nora family, Khun Uppatham Narakon (Nora Phum Thewa). Their Pathom dance moves are very close to those in the aforementioned royal work, despite a small difference of supplementary linking words between some moves or names of certain moves such as ‘Khat Chang Nang Move’ and ‘Khat Chang Yang Move’ (in the southern Thai dialect and culture, the word ‘Khat Chang Yang’ is generally used and known).

¹ Adapted from “Nora” (p. 4321-4341) in Southern Thai Encyclopedia (Volume 9) (1999). Thai Cultural                    Encyclopedia Foundation, Siam Commercial Bank, Bangkok.
² Piphat is a type of ensemble in Thai traditional music, which features wind and percussion instruments.
³ Khrop Khru is a Thai ritual in which performers pay respect to their teachers. It also marks an official occasion      in which the performers are accepted as students.
⁴ Na Phat is a song played for accompanying dance actions and the emotions of the characters. It is also played      as an accompaniment in the Wai Khru Ceremony and Khrop Khru Ceremony which includes Thai music