The Nan Chronicle (Studies on Southeast Asia, No. 16)

A new translation of the 1894 chronicle of this important kingdom, which sat astride the major trade routes linking northern Laos to the central Siam plains. Now a town in modern Thailand, Nan was once a powerful ancient principality that began to lose power and control in the late nineteenth century. In 1894, a high-ranking official of the Nan king composed a chronicle detailing the contemporary situation, the immediate background of the work's composition, the origins of the Nan River Valley as based on legend, the rituals and customs of the Nan, the moral duties of the ruler, royal genealogy, the power of spirits, and the history of the eras. An extremely fascinating portion of Thai history and culture. Maps.