Chanthathong age 66 male married who serves as a

Chanthathong, age 66, male, married, who serves as a secretary of Gongpown sub-
district administrative committee in Gonpown sub-district of Nathan minor-district in
Ubonratchatani province. Chanthathong verbalized:
When we are considering doing something significant, we need to consult with
the elders of our kin group because we respect them. With respect to converting
to another religion such as Christianity, they certainly will not be in agreement
(trans. from the Thai by the author).
139
The Isan realize the consequences of not listening to the counsel of the kin
group elders who are responsible for the kin group’s welfare and happiness. The
negative sanctions against an entire household because a single member of that
135
Chansamone Saiyasak, “The Three Fears of the Isan People,” Sermon
on Sunday morning at Mekong Church Nonprasert, 17 September 2006.
136
Piker, A Peasant Community , 152.
137
Fordham, “Protestant Christianity and the Transformation of Northern
Thai Culture,” 5.
138
Warawut Namsaena, Bok villager, Nathan minior-district,
Ubonratchatani province, Thailand, interview by author, 14 August 2006.
139
Naipat Chanthathong, Secretary to the Gongpown Sub-District
Administrative Committee and village elder of Nachoom village, Nathan minior-
district, Ubonratchatani province, Thailand, interview by author, 13 August 2006.

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household is not acting in conformity to the kin group’s norms can include
discontinuation of protection, economic and labor support, and termination of
relationships. Other kin groups in the village communities are also often advised of
the negative sanctions. As a result, the sanction devastates one’s livelihood,
especially during times when support from the kinsmen is essential. In this regard,
Potter noted:
During a life crisis, such as marriage, ordinations, and funerals, one’s bilateral
kindred always come to help. Whenever it is necessary to build a new house,
members of one’s kindred will be the first people to offer assistance. In times of
illness, scandal, or some other dreadful occurrence, one’s uncles and aunts and
cousins all come to visit and offer support.
140
As a result, the Isan villagers continue to live with the mental attitude that “any man
in the village is not alone. He has a moral claim on his friends and a large number of
relatives to help or protect him.”
141
More importantly, the Isan villagers define a kin group as individuals
related by blood or marriage under a common ancestral spirit. This delegates the
intimate relationships and subordination to the control of the spirit. The intimate
relationships include primarily the bilateral kinsmen. The importance of the bilateral
kinsmen is described by Potter:
Outside one’s immediate family, the members of one’s bilateral kindred are the
people to whom one owes the greatest respect, affection, mutual support and
cooperation. These are the closest relatives one has; and they are much closer
than unrelated neighbors or fellow villagers in general.