Page 174 - Tsubomi

Ban Kiw Lae Noi, San Pa Tong District, Chiang Mai Province
Ban Kiw Lae Noi is the community of Lanna people, who are faithful in Buddhism. It was established approximately in B.E. 2497 by the predecessor named Por Boon Mee (Father Boon Mee). In the past, Ban Kiw Lae Noi was the remote area with inconvenient transportation, community people were hired of general jobs. Some were hired of farming and sometimes, they had to travel for working in faraway communities. Por Boon Mee himself had none of any properties, except wood-carving skill inherited from his parents. He had started his first wood-carved piece made of teak in elephant shape in order to generate earning for his family and this skill was transferred to other people in the village.
Finally, elephant-shaped wood carving became the main occupation of people in Ban Kiw Lae Noi Community, apart from agriculture. The reason why Ban Kiw Lae Noi people have preferred to use teak for carving is teak is beautiful, easy to carve and anti-weevil and antitermite. Then, it is chosen to be a material for carving in elephant shape. Elephant is the local animal which has stayed with Lanna people’s lifestyle for a long time. However, at present, number of teak continuously decreased. It has become the rare item and expensive. So, Ban Kiw Lae Noi people turned to use wood from Rain Tree or Jackfruit Tree instead due to their similar properties. Nowadays, Ban Kiw Lae Noi becomes the manufacturing hub of furniture and home décor products made of wood. The skill and expertise of wood-carving inherited from one generation to another generation has become the cultural asset enabling community people to apply in sustainably making a living according to Sufficiency Economy Philosophy.
170 Tsubomi