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Tiam

The tiam (or chao phuu tiam) is the medium of Tapubaan, the village
guardian, and Chao Phau Tong Khyang, who is the spirit of the swamp,
but who, in Baan Phraan Muan, is identified with Tapubaan, just as the
latter is identified with Chao Phau Phraa Khao in certain contexts.

In the cult of the guardian spirits a true tiam is in theory given precedence
over the cham. In Baan Phraan Muan the present tiam has a rather
ambiguous position: in 1962 he was regarded as tiam, but in 1965 when
I made a visit to the village his professional position was in question.
This change possibly bears on village social relationships and politics.
Chanla, the tiam, is not a respected leader, whereas the cham, although
not himself a leader, is a more established citizen of the village. His

daughter, moreover, is married to the son of the most respected leader
of the village. There is enough latitude in the principles of validation
of chamship and tiamship for villagers to question (if it seems necessary)
the authenticity of one or the other. In 1965 the idea was current that
Beng was not a true medium (i.e. Tapu did not possess him freely as his
chosen representative) but that by use of magical formulae he was able
to coerce spirits to enter him. This is the distinction between a medium,
who is freely possessed, and an exorcist—or in village terminology, a
mau ram—who has a guardian spirit whom he can control through
magic words (katha) and with whose aid malevolent spirits are made to
submit.

In 1962, however, the role of the incumbent tiam was less ambiguous
in the village; three years later public opinion was divided as to whether
he was tiam or mau ram, but he continued to play the role of tiam in
certain contexts. So in what follows I shall bring out the features of
Chanla's role under the aspect of mediumship.

Chanla experienced his first possession (phii ma soon) by Chao Phau Tong
Khyang at the age of thirty-eight years. His possession in fact followed
the standard pattern as described for cham Bunsi. His version is as follows:
one evening while working in his house Chao Phau entered him. Others
who were present in the house later told him that he had begun to cry
and to shake. He himself had lost consciousness. On being questioned
by the witnesses Chao Phau (through the voice of Chanla) revealed his
identity. When asked the purpose of his entry into Chanla, Chao Phau
answered that `the village was not making progress' (baan myang baan
charoen) because the villagers were not united, and that he had come to
take Chanla as his tiam in order to bring about village unity. When the
witnesses accepted these conditions the Chao Phau left Chanla.

As in the case of the cham, Chanla also denied that before possession
he had shown any particular interest in Chao Phau. He had never made
offerings to him at the biannual agricultural rites because his wife's
father represented the household.

The possession was followed some days later by a meeting of villagers
at the house of the village headman, who informed them of the possession
and requested them to agree to Chanla being recognized as the tiam.
Thus both cham and tiam must gain village recognition of their possession
as signifying genuine election by the guardian spirits. The guardian
spirits' election and rejection of their agents follow a standardized cultural
pattern.