Ban Ta Klang Elephant Village

Hello everybody! Welcome to my beloved hometown, Ban Ta Klang Elephant VillageBan Ta Klang Elephant Village is located in Tha Tum District, Surin province. It is 58 kilometers from Surin. You can go there by bus, by car or by your motorcycle. They are the elephant museum and the elephant educational center in the village. You can learn about historical background of the village and elephant capturing instrument at these places. Most area of village is used for farming. Some parts are forests where the elephants can eat some plants and grass. The village is closed to the Mool River.

People&Occupations

People
People of Ban Ta Klang Elephant Village are Suai or Gui. They are friendly and generous. They love elephants. The Suai or Gui people do not use elephants for hard labor. They treat them with lots of love and care. The elephants are the villagers’ companions and they are part of their families.

Occupations
In the old days, The Gui people captured and trained wild elephants. Nowadays, people are famers. Few people still capture and train wild elephants.

Festivals

Wedding on Elephant BackYearly on the 14th February, the Elephant Study Centre in Surin Province holds a "Wedding on Elephant Back" Ceremony.The couples getting married in this style will go through the "sat-te" ceremony which is the traditional wedding ceremony of the Gui people. This ceremony is unique and meaningful for lovers. On the wedding day, the brides and grooms will dress in traditional style. The brides wear a crown made of palm leaf while the grooms wear a three-colored auspicious rope.

Elephants Ordination Tradition Festival
An annual festival will be organized from 13th to 15 June (around middle of May) at Wat Chaeng Sawang, Ban Ta Klang, Amphoe Thatum. The people at the elephant village will hold the annual ordination festival. In this festival, the elephants will carry Nagas (candidates for ordination) across the Mool River.

Attraction

"What I am proud to present most about my village are Elephant Study Center, Wang Ta Loo and The elephant museum."

Elephant Study Center

At the center, there are a number of Elephant shows in a wide variety of styles. These are guaranteed interesting with last-long impression to visitors. There are lots of things to see with daily service of elephant riding around the center and spectacular elephant shows, etc. Besides activities mentioned, the history and stories about elephant training has been carried out for centuries by the "Gui" people. The stories will be retold along with traditional ways of elephant domestication.

Wang Ta Loo
Wang Ta Loo are the place where the Mool River and the Chee River meet.They are the most important rivers of the village. This area is suitable for raising elephants. This part of the river has been a breeding ground for fishes and other animals at the beginning. People of the village usually bring elephants to bathing.

The elephant museum The elephant museum has an exhibition about elephants, such as preserved elephant skeletons, elephant controlling tools, and photographs showing how the "Gui" mahouts and their elephants are related. It also feature ceremonies related to elephants such as elephant capturing ceremony and merit making for the death elephants. You can learn a lot at the elephant museum are able. Besides, knowledge of elephants you can also learn how the "Gui" people dress traditionally as well as how healthcare practices for elephants are processed.

Traditional Ritual

In village, Phi Pakam Ritual is one of many important rituals of Gui people.
Phi Pakam ritual

Phi Pakam Ritual is held at the house. It must be carried out by the elder shamans, the house owner who is the host of the ceremony, along with his relatives. Importantly, it must be male attendants, who are able to enter the spirit house. Female ones must stay far from touching the sacred "Pa Kam leather". All of the attendants must sit on the ground during the ceremony being processed.

"We hope you are eager to visit our village. You can come any time but the best time to visit is during every Saturday from 9.00 a.m. to 11.00 a.m. because you will see elephants show. And in the afternoon, you can take an elephant ride to Wang Ta Loo where you can see the mahouts bathing their elephants. Please come to visit us at Ban Ta Klang Elephant Village."