Abstract

This research, Naga artistic work in the Northeastern region of Thailand aims to study the concepts and artistic form of Naga in the Northeastern region of Thailand. A qualitative research method was used. The researchers studied a total of 58 artistic works, divided into four groups: 5 paintings, 27 sculptures, 21 architectural structures and 5 handicraft products. The samples included Naga artworks that were created and located among 14 provinces in Northeastern Thailand. Data was collected by document retrieval from textbooks, literature and research documentaries, artistic exploration with photography and sketching and interviews with informants. Results show that there are various styles of Naga artistic work in Northeastern Thailand. All three parts, head, body and tail are direct results of Naga artwork formation having different features and meanings. Even if designs differ and some combine other animals, people still recognized the identity of a snake-like Naga. Northeastern Thailand is a huge region with a varied ethnic make-up and a long social history representing religion, beliefs, political change and development. These are the factors affecting lifestyle, art and culture like a great number of Naga artistic works appearing in this region. Those artworks were built by various races of artist and also were artistically influenced by other nations. Naga artistic work is a representation of an imaginary animal tied with human beliefs. The Naga image is used as a symbol of Northeastern lifestyle and represents many meanings.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.