Building and Sustaining Bonds
As one of the original settlers in Ban Phanthom, grandma La-Orsri's life experiences are clearly reflected in her rich speech she had given us in the temple. As our group was documenting the significance of silverware economy in Ban Phanthom, it was a given that we have to get to know in-depth the life of grandma La-Orsri.
While the land in this area originally belonged to high-ranking palace officers, it later became known for the silvercraft - or krueang thom - which most of the community was engaged in. The process of making Krueng thom does not start and finish with a single person or family, it required the whole community to do it. In fact, there were only 5 - 6 families who owned 'silver kilns', involved in melting and molding the silver. Engraving and detailing had to be 'outsourced' to neighbouring workers with these specific skills. It was natural that everyone knew each other thanks to the trade they were involved in. Grandma Or's family was one of those who owned a silver kiln. Not only was she able to locate the places that were once a part of this economy, she was able to tell us which were the kilns and which were the detailers. Economy and community was unseperable.
If an analogy were to be used for the social bonds in Ban Phanthom, to me it would be a string of bead. As different people contribute to the process of reclaiming, molding, engraving and finishing the silver piece, social interactions occur and form the bonds that connect people together.
Times may have changed Ban Phanthom's people's livelihoods, from civil servants to craftsmen and now rental residences, but one thing that does not change in Ban Phanthom is the importance of the interconnection between people, their community, and their trades.
Incredibly, almost everyone we asked about the whereabouts of grandma Or knew where to locate her, and some even her schedule. We came to find her taking shelter from the hot sun just in the passage between two houses which she used to own. The fact that so many of her personal belongings were left carefree in the passageway that is frequented by people goes to tell the level of trust she put in this community. Maybe grandma Or was an exception, but I truly believe that though the people may change, the interconnectedness of Ban Panthom's economy is crucial to the sustainability of community strength.
