Study On Cultural Memory Of The Myths Of The Origin Of Rice In China And Thai

The studies of mythology in 21 century have two questions to consider,“What is Mythology?” and “Why do we need it?” This research is using the Myth of Rice in Thailand and China”s south Yangtze River as a research object to analyze and explain the cultural information that lies behind the myth.As shown in this paper,the research in the myth of rice,both in Thai and China in 20 century fundamentally base on the synchronic dimension like motif-analysis,archetype and morphology studies etc.However,as a kind of folk literature,the myth has dual nature which is not a written text,but also verbally and has no entirely consistent version.So,I decided to use the Cultural Memory Theory as a research framework,to deal with both diachronic and synchronic dimension and using the motif-analysis,intertextuality,comparative,illustrative,quadruple evidence especially in archaeological relics and fieldwork as a researching approach.However,Cultural Memory Theory still not incomplete to be considered as folklore”s theory,as well as Jan Assmann”s point of view in Culture has been limited in Great Tradition and marginalizes folklore as a subcultural which just has the relationship to the Great Tradition.But from the viewpoint of Folklore Studies,the formation and the pattern of culture is not from top to bottom but affected and built by State and Local bilaterally.So,this is why I am trying to look deep inside both in Folklore and Cultural Memory structure and try to interpret the formula of Cultural Memory,to find the feasibility for further study in the field of folklore.In an effort to break the limit of script and text,I am trying to interpret the cultural memory within and without the text,then explaining the integration of Cultural Memory and folklore,and finally mention to the awareness of the loss of cultural inheritance.The result obtained in this research including the analysis and interpreted from inside and outside the cultural text like the slightly changing of motif between the myth that collected in 80-90”s and present,the inferences of the formation of the myth of rice,the using of Bali words in folk incantation used in ritual of evocation the soul of rice in Thailand,tendency of turning into canonization in both country,the analyzing of bird's pattern in ancient relics of China,the meaning of the ritual of the rice goddess in Thailand,the case study of proselytizing of farmer in Supanburi province of Thailand and impact on inherit of the myth,and the possibility of the disappearing of the myth as the individual memory has played an important role in the chain of memory.Through Cultural Memory,thousand years of memory can be emersion.According to Aleida”s three dimension of memory we found the relevance of each level from individual to cultural memory,the significant role of media and the reconstruction and interpretation of memory due to the changing of context.The Cultural Memory constructed and shaped the characteristic and cultural identity of the individuals by the cult,norm,tradition,educating and so on.At the same time,the individuals also can access to the main point of cultural memory to affirm their cultural identity,and their reactions to these cults also benefit the stability of cultural memory.And so it goes on.Myth has been answering the question of our belonging.Like the myth of rice has represented to us the worldview of our own nation,and since we know who we are in this impermanent world,we will not get lost again.