Miang Culture The Community Resource Management for Self-Reliance of Highland Communities in Upper Northern Thailand

This article aims to explain the community context and Miang resource management for self-reliance of highland communities, using qualitative research methodology by conducting an in- depth interview with local scholars and both participatory and non-participatory observation, as well as using secondary data. Authors then analyze the acquired data by using the content analysis technique and data prioritization. The result reveals that the context of highland communities in Upper Northern Thailand is related to the participatory Miang resource management for self-reliance of the community, through accumulation and passing on of knowledge from one generation to the next, collectively called “Miang Culture”, which can be divided in 3 aspects, namely, 1) society and culture; whereas Miang Culture produces a society and culture of resource sharing and utilization of Miang, which is steamed and fermented for household consumption, guess welcoming, as offerings, and strengthening inter-relationship within the society. 2) the economy, whereas Miang Culture leads to the processing of Miang resource into an industrial crop that creates job opportunities and generates revenue to the community, from the past to these days. And 3) the environment, whereas Miang culture stimulates the natural resource management, whether of the forest, soil, and water. This is because Miang production requires the shade of big trees, without any chemical herbicide or insecticide. Miang production also helps create a clean environment and, therefore, it is friendly to the community and consumers. Miang, hence, becomes a meaningful culture for highland communities in the Upper Northern Thailand that helps them to maintain and preserve their identities and value of the culture that is the root of the community’s sustainable self-reliance.

Keywords – Miang culture, self-reliance, community resource management, Baan Mae Ton Luang, Chiang Mai Province