Nine years ago when Thanakorn Promli, who lives in tambon Ban Ku in Si Sa Ket, was trying to convince his neighbours to investigate the history of their village, he didn't know it would lead to the rediscovery of his hometown and the birth of a new learning centre last month.
"It baffles the mind that none of us could answer tourists' questions about Prang Ku [Ku Pagoda]," said Mr Thanakorn, who now manages the learning centre in Ban Ku, referring to a local historical site.
In this small town tucked inside Si Sa Ket's Prang Ku district, the pagoda has long served as a tourist magnet for Thais nationwide. Yet only a handful of village elders knew anything about the pagoda's history, which has been handed down from earlier generations through tales and anecdotes.
Women in traditional attire gather round to cook a feast made up of dishes bearing the culinary distinction of the ethnic Kui people of Ban Ku in Si Sa Ket's Prang Ku district. The local residents have been encouraged to revive their traditional way of life from eating to making clothes. photos by Sirinya Wattanasukchai
Mr Thanakorn, while working as a local volunteer, had made suggestions to the village committee, leaders and local schools on how to revive local history.
The committee agreed that a team of local researchers, made up mostly of young people, should be formed to create a patchwork of local history by stitching together the stories from village elders.
Young student volunteers were assigned to interview the elders for historical accounts about the formation and development of the local community. As the elderly residents began to tell their stories and the youngsters became acquainted with their roots, the pieces of the jigsaw began to fall into place.
The three-section pagoda is often used to stage formal events. It was believed to have been built during the 1181-1220 reign of King Jayavarman VII, widely considered Cambodia's greatest king and certainly the most productive of the Khmer empire. He expanded the empire's territory to its peak and built numerous temples -- including Angkor Thom -- highways, rest houses and hospitals.
The left section of the pagoda was used to accommodate workers, the middle for storing valuable objects and the right side for performing ceremonies.
It is also believed to have functioned as a medical unit to treat sick patients.
Chosen by state-operated Thailand Knowledge Park (TK Park) as a model of the so-called living library within the community, the learning centre of Ban Ku was chosen from among 200 contestants.
The opening ceremony for the centre was presided over by Deputy Prime Minister ACM Prajin Juntong at the end of October. Many villagers from Ban Ku showed up for the event.
Building a learning centre within reach of local communities is also in line with the government's policy of embracing technology and innovation as part of the transition to a new economic model dubbed "Thailand 4.0".
It is located inside a building that once served as the meeting office of the village headman, or kamnan.
Apart from all the new books supplied by the TK Park two months ago, the centre is equipped with 15 computers provided by the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society.
It appeals to people of all ages. While young students find the books are generally more up-to-date than those stocked in many university libraries, local designers have discovered new silk-weaving techniques from browsing online there.
The centre came into being partly because of the strong cooperation between the village leaders and local people but also because of the well-preserved identity of the Kui, one of the four ethnic groups native to Si Sa Ket, said Tatsanai Wongpisethkul, executive adviser of the TK Park.
Tambon Ban Ku comprises around 12,000 people from 2,500 families in 17 villages. The Kui language is still widely spoken there, according to kamnan Tanongsak Noradee.
"If you know your roots, regardless of the rapid penetration of new technology, you will be able to cope with a fast-changing society," said Ms Tatsanai.
Mr Thanakorn is now leading the young volunteers to trace the history of their culture and learn more about the ethnic distinctions of the Kui.
They have also spent two years looking into silk-weaving methods practised by Kui residents and working to restore ethnic dishes that have all but disappeared.
Gaeng man pu, a soup made from the juice of pounded crabs, was among the culinary highlights saved from the dustbin of history. The search also brought prai ka sang, or rice-flour dough stuffed with sweetened, stir-fried coconut, back to local dining tables.
Local community members come together at an official ceremony as they sit under a house built in old-style architecture. The Ban Ku learning centre is equipped with computers and facilities designed to give both the young and the old access to reading materials and the internet to search for information.
"I'd never heard of gaeng man pu before, let alone tasted it," said one 38-year-old resident. He said his mother had previously talked about seeing her parents cook it when she was a child.
Keen to educate the young people of his area, Mr Thankorn also took them to honour an annual rite in Prang Ku paying homage to the earth a few years ago.
Food and vegetables were laid out before the pagoda in a show of gratitude to Mother Earth in the third month of the lunar calendar before the growing season.
"I wanted to help them understand the meaning behind the ceremony their parents customarily perform," he said.
Seeing how culture is sustained in this way helps young people embrace it and take pride in their identity, he added.
Ladarut Poonthong, an 18-year-old student at Prang Ku School, has been a volunteer for the community for four years.
"I now know a great deal more about my hometown and feel more confident after meeting so many new people and visitors at the pagoda," she said.
Ms Ladarut said she learned how to weave silk fabric from her mother.
"My friends who don't know how to weave envy me now."
She said next year she will study history and teaching, with the goal of serving people in her hometown as an educator in the future among the next batch of cultural torchbearers.