"Ethnic Indigo Culture in the Multi-Societies Area of Sakon Nakhon, Thailand: Ethnic Wisdom, Local Identity Construction, and Commoditization in the Process of Glocalization"

Abstract

“Indigo culture” is a body of traditional knowledge of natural dyeing and color creation that has been intertwined with humanity since ancient times, encompassing many cultures worldwide. This includes the ethnic indigo culture in the multi-society area of Sakon Nakhon Province, Thailand. Sakon Nakhon's physical landscape comprises plains and rivers, highlands, and mountains, resulting in biodiversity and ethnic diversity. This includes the Lao, Phu Thai, Yo, Yoi, So, and Kaleng ethnic groups, as well as newer communities such as Chinese and Vietnamese who have settled in the city. Their socio-cultural interactions have made Sakon Nakhon a distinctive multi-ethnic society in Thailand.

Each of the aforementioned indigenous ethnic groups possesses its own indigo culture, in both traditional knowledge and the preservation of their ethnicity through indigo dyeing. This has been elevated to the point of creating a unique local identity for Sakon Nakhon and commodifying this culture within local interactions with globalization, a process known as “Glocalization.” This has led to the phenomenon of “new indigo culture,” arising from the interaction among ethnic wisdom, the government's creation of a local identity, and the commodification of traditional ethnic indigo culture into a new product under conditions of Commoditization. With government support focused on domestic production and distribution, and with the help of young entrepreneurs in Sakon Nakhon, the project has developed traditional indigo-based products from Sakon Nakhon's ethnic groups into Glocal-style apparel that embodies an environmentally conscious philosophy. This initiative is dynamically interwoven with the Indigo World network and national and international groups who appreciate pure, natural products..