Maethom ... Past and Present (Part 1)

     Throughout the last 1000 years of Thailand history, centers of power were in the north and middle parts of the today territory. Warfare between the states and internal power struggles caused destructions and reconstructions of the capitals over and over again. History of Thailand is all about what was going on where the administrative power located. There were a few major cities in the south such as Pattani, Songkhla, Pattalung, Nakorn-Srithammarat, and Chaiya. These cities were regarded as colonies or satellites, no mention in the national archives unless there were uprisings from time to time. In such events, the capital would send troops to suppress and regain the supremacy. Normally, those who rebelled against the central ruling power ended up being brutally and completely annihilated.

After the decay of Srivichai kingdom which ruled Java and Malay Peninsula in 12th century, southern seaport cities such as Songkhla were not strategically important for Sukhothai, the newly established kingdom. While this area known to be under the control of Sukhothai, it was largely neglected. During the reign of king Narai of Ayutthaya kingdom, Songkhla was a city ruled by Persian merchants and pirates. The ruler was sultan Suleiman. He refused to surrender and pay tribute to Ayutthaya. King Narai sent troops to suppress the rebellion. After a few failed attempts, sultan Suleiman was badly defeated. The city of Songkhla, which is now at Khao-Daeng, was destroyed. King Narai appointed a new ruler loyal to him, and the city was moved across the strait to where it is today.


Even though Maethom is only 25km from Khao-Daeng, what happened in Songkhla at the time probably did not affect on people in Maethom at all. Perhaps Maethom was very small and the area was invisible or insignificant for authorities and taxations. Early settlers were a mixture of Persian, Malay, Chinese, and local people from around Songkhla Lake.


Geologically, Maethom was once part of the Songkhla Lake. Deposits from many small rivers around the Lake, including Klong-U-Tapao, formed deltas that reclaimed land from water and became Maethom and other nearby villages today. Maethom ground is only a few feet above sea level. Only less than 6 feet under the ground surface, black mud is the next layer. Old seashells and fossils could be found just like in the lake. Below the mud layer, water is salty. Flooding in the rainy season is the fact of life on the banks of Klong-U-Tapao River. Each years flooding enriches the land with new deposits, forever naturally keeping the land fertile.


Some settlers migrated to the area from the ocean, to the lake, and then up the river. Many traveled up as far as Hatyai or beyond, while many settled down along the river banks near the lake. Muslim, mostly fishermen preferred to stay near the lake. Thai and Chinese went further inland to claim land for agriculture.  Pomelo and orange were two popular fruits planted in the area. Due to the uniqueness of soil and climate, both kinds of fruits became very famous for its sweetness.  

The first community institution, a Buddhist temple, was founded approximately in 1760. It was in Nonghin, used as a cemetery after the temple was moved. It was moved to where it is now in 1890 and received the name “Wat Kutao”. It became the first Buddhist temple in the area. The new location is on the west bank of Klong-U-Tapao River, more convenient for transportation. “Ubosot”, the official sacred place for Buddhist monks to perform religious ceremony, was not finished until 1902. King Rama V, during his tour of Songkhla Lake, wrote in his journal while visiting Wat Kutao in 1896 that it was under construction. 

Wall paintings inside are essentially the masterpiece, reflecting capability of local artists at that time. It depicted the tale of Vessantara, the king who gave up everything he owned to pave the way for achieving enlightenment. It was done at the same time of the construction of the building. Even though the paint was chipped and faded away over the period of over 150 years, it still retains great beauty, imagination, and wisdom of self-taught local artists. 


There is an inscription on a piece of slate at the east entrance, showing the date when it was finished along with a short description of how the Ubosot came into existent.

Before the year 1900, Maethom had no conventional school to educate children. For those who wanted to learn how to read and write, they had to be ordained to become monks. However, the monastery could not formally educate a large number of monks because lacking of qualified instructors. While Maethom seemed very primitive for education, just about this time, the Wright brothers invented and flew their first airplane in the US. And at just about the same time, an unknown patent clerk name Albert Einstein in Switzerland published a paper on the theory of relativity. The first school for Maethom and nearby areas was not established until 1917. Even so, it took many more years until it was mandated by law for kids to be in school for at least 4 years. The literacy rate in Maethom went up, from very few people to a few. Parent preferred to keep kids at home and help in the field rather sending them to school.

Maethom was named after the large swamp in the village bearing the same name. There are many theories where the name came from. The most plausible could be coming from, Krathom, a large tree with scientific name of “Mitragyna speciosa”. Substance in its leaves is classified as a narcotic drug, having effects similar to amphetamines. Krathom trees were abundant around the swamp in the early days. Before 1975, the swamp was in its natural condition, full of weeds, forming bogs thick enough to walk on. Every few years, bogs would be swept away by stream during the big flood. Around the swamp were dense sago palm trees, giving mysterious feeling about the swamp from its look. The swamp was transformed into merely a pond in later years by the power of politic and creative ways to do something to get funds from the central government in Bangkok. The office of "Sub-district Administration Organization" was built on the east rim of the swamp. It is a local government similar to municipality, but under the administration of the Ministry of Interior. Maethom people elect new team from the local political parties every 4 years to run the office. 

Satellite pictures revealed that the swamp was essentially part of the network of small natural waterways which became shallower over time by both human hands and deposits from yearly flood. The swamp used to be a true public property for everyone to share. It was the place where villagers went fishing to covered basic needs for fishes and water vegetables all year round. Water in the swamp was clean enough and drinkable without being treated first. In the later years, a walkway was built around the swamp, and only limited fishing is allowed for recreation.