Mon Culture: Dying or Reviving?

Mon Culture: Dying or Reviving?: "Sometimes in the city, people use Mon only to curse.' Some scholars have argued that the Mon language needs to be modernized to remain relevant. Paphatsaun Thianpanya, a researcher from Bangkok’s Assumption Commercial College, says that orthographic problems have emerged in the Mon language over the past two centuries, causing the development of the language to cease. But harsh restrictions and censorship make modernization difficult. Nai Ork Pung, a well-respected Mon cultural specialist living in Sangkhlaburi, points out that the Mon people need resources to develop their language. 'Most importantly, there should be a high-level board of scholars to do this job,' Nai Ork Pung says. 'We don’t even have a Mon-Mon dictionary yet.' But Nai Ork Pung doesn’t agree with Nai Pan Hla’s prediction that the language is doomed. 'The worst time in Mon history was under Alaungpaya and our language survived despite that,' he argues. Nai Sunthorn of the Mon Unity League, a group that promotes Mon solidarity, says Mon culture is undergoing a renaissance in Burma. But Nai Pan Hla’s prediction holds true for Mon language in Thailand, he says. 'Few Thai Mon can now read and write, although there are a huge number of old Mon scripts remaining in Thai Mon monastaries.' The Thai Mon’s cultural identity and language are unable to withstand the forces of modernization and subtle assimilation. Foreign experts like Guillon and South avoid making any clear forecast on the future of Mon language in Thailand. But they agree with Nai Sunthorn’s assessment that Mon culture in Burma is underoing a revival. Guillon points to the popularity of Mon karaoke singers in Burma and Thailand as evidence of the growing interest in Mon culture. Popular Mon singer Hong Chan had a hit recently with his song 'Chan Mon Chan Nai.' Sung entirely in Mon, it is laden with nationalist sentiments. More and more patriotic Mons are now speaking out against the internal factionalism and disunity that makes efforts to preserve Mon culture difficult. Many Mon nationalists encourage their people to stop blaming others for the dissolution of Mon identity and instead play an active role in promoting it. Nai Ork Pung says that while many blame the junta, Mon people need to take some responsibility too. Nai Tin Mon, once a leading member of the NMSP, believes that Mon people need to do more to ensure that their language survives. As he observed at a meeting of Mon cultural leaders in Moulmein last December, there is still reluctance to speak Mon on official occasions. 'Everyone at the meeting was Mon, and can all speak Mon, but they all spoke Burmese,' he says. 'I do respect them, as some of the men were my teachers, but I don’t know why they weren’t communicating in their native tongue.' Provocations like U Palita’s poem and his stand in court are rare now. With so many out to destroy it, Mon language needs more defenders. But U Palita believes that Mon identity is ultimately at the mercy of the political climate. 'Unless the political system changes, the future of Mon identity will remain bleak,' the abbot says.

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