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Material World: Thailand

36 images Created 15 Jan 2013

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  • The Kuenkaew Family, 5:30 pm, May 31 1993, in front of their home with all of their possessions, Ban Muang Wa, Thailand. Published in Material World, pages 80-81.
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  • Buaphet Khuenkaew washes her family's clothes on the ground near her house Thailand. Work. She and her family live in the wooden 728-square-foot house on stilts, surrounded by rice fields in the Ban Muang Wa village, outside the northern town of Chiang Mai, in Thailand. Material World Project.
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  • Thailand: The Khuenkaew family of Ban Muang Wa village, outside the northern town of Chiang Mai, in Thailand. The Khuenkaews are a farming family that grows rice for personal use, and to sell for income. The Khuenkaew's live in a wooden 728-square-foot house on stilts, surrounded by rice fields. Material World Project.
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  • On a slow Saturday in Ban Muang Wa village, outside Chiang Mai, Thailand, the hottest action in the village is in the cool shade under the Khuenkaew's house. Three weeks ago, Boontham and Bourphet gave their son Visith, 9, a hand-held video game, and the household has been filled with its beeps and buzzes ever since. The family's dog hangs out with Visith. The Khuenkaew family lives in a wooden 728-square-foot house on stilts, surrounded by rice fields in the Ban Muang Wa village, outside the northern town of Chiang Mai, in Thailand. Material World Project.
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  • On a slow Saturday in Ban Muang Wa village, outside Chiang Mai, Thailand, the hottest action in the village is in the cool shade under the Khuenkaew's house. Three weeks ago, Boontham and Bourphet gave their son Visith, 9, a hand-held video game, and the household has been filled with its beeps and buzzes ever since. Here his best friend plays with the game as Visith's 14-year-old sister Jeeraporn, left, and her friends watch. Published in Material World page 82. The Khuenkaew family lives in a wooden 728-square-foot house on stilts, surrounded by rice fields in the Ban Muang Wa village, outside the northern town of Chiang Mai, in Thailand.
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  • Boontham Khuenkaew places an offering of cucumbers, red pork, bamboo shoot stew, shrimp-paste, and rice before the spirit house in his yard. Spirit houses are the abodes of the many spirits that Thais regard as integral parts of the land. Because the spirits have the power to cause trouble, Boontham periodically placates them by lighting candles and placing a good meal there. He puts a little rice on the ground, and adorns the house with flowers. Thailand. The Khuenkaew family lives in a wooden 728-square-foot house on stilts, surrounded by rice fields in the Ban Muang Wa village, outside the northern town of Chiang Mai, in Thailand. Material World Project.
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  • Boontham Khuenkaew places an offering of cucumbers, red pork, bamboo shoot stew, shrimp-paste, and rice before the spirit house in his yard. Spirit houses are the abodes of the many spirits that Thais regard as integral parts of the land. Because the spirits have the power to cause trouble, Boontham periodically placates them by lighting candles and placing a good meal there. He puts a little rice on the ground, and adorns the house with flowers. Published in Material World page 85. The Khuenkaew family lives in a wooden 728-square-foot house on stilts, surrounded by rice fields in the Ban Muang Wa village, outside the northern town of Chiang Mai, in Thailand.
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  • Boontham Khuenkaew holds two handfuls of homegrown rice in the family grain storage building (built on stilts) behind the main house. Thailand. The Khuenkaew family lives in a wooden 728-square-foot house on stilts, surrounded by rice fields in the Ban Muang Wa village, outside the northern town of Chiang Mai, in Thailand. Material World Project.
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  • Buaphet Khuenkaew, 35, avoids working during the heat of the afternoon and dozes on the teak floor in front of the television that is showing one of her favorite Thai soap operas. The Khuenkaew family lives in a wooden 728-square-foot house on stilts, surrounded by rice fields in the Ban Muang Wa village, outside the northern town of Chiang Mai, in Thailand. Material World Project.
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  • The Khuenkaew's refrigerator holds some soft drinks, eggs, a bag of meat. Thailand. The Khuenkaew family lives in a wooden 728-square-foot house on stilts, surrounded by rice fields in the Ban Muang Wa village, outside the northern town of Chiang Mai, in Thailand. Material World Project.
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  • Buaphet Khuenkaew avoids working during the heat of the afternoon and dozes on the teak floor in front of the television that is showing one of her favorite Thai soap operas. Published in Material World, page 84. The Khuenkaew family lives in a wooden 728-square-foot house on stilts, surrounded by rice fields in the Ban Muang Wa village, outside the northern town of Chiang Mai, in Thailand.
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  • On a school morning, breakfast at the Khuenkaew's house, Bang Muang Wa village, outside Chiang Mai, Thailand. The Khuenkaew family lives in a wooden 728-square-foot house on stilts, surrounded by rice fields in the Ban Muang Wa village, outside the northern town of Chiang Mai, in Thailand. Material World Project.
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  • Khuenkaew family meal of rice, cucumbers, red pork, bamboo shoot stew, and shrimp-paste. The family sits on the floor to eat dinner. The Khuenkaew family lives in a wooden 728-square-foot house on stilts, surrounded by rice fields in the Ban Muang Wa village, outside the northern town of Chiang Mai, in Thailand. Published in Material World, page 177.
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  • Early in the morning, Buaphet Khuenkaew applies makeup in the tiny two-room wooden house she and her family live in, in Ban Muang Wa village, outside the northern town of Chiang Mai, in Thailand. The house is on stilts to protect it from yearly flooding, and is surrounded by rice fields. Material World Project.
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  • Buaphet Khuenkaew washes her family's clothes in wash basins on the ground near her house. Published in Material World page 85. She and her family live in the wooden 728-square-foot house on stilts, surrounded by rice fields in the Ban Muang Wa village, outside the northern town of Chiang Mai, in Thailand.
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  • Buaphet Khuenkaew, 35, rinses the pans and dishes she has just washed in the backyard of her house, under a banana tree. The Khuenkaew family lives in a wooden 728-square-foot house on stilts, surrounded by rice fields in the Ban Muang Wa village, outside the northern town of Chiang Mai, in Thailand. Material World Project.
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  • Buaphet Khuenkaew washes her family's clothes on the ground near her house. She and her family live in the wooden 728-square-foot house on stilts, surrounded by rice fields in the Ban Muang Wa village, outside the northern town of Chiang Mai, in Thailand. Material World Project.
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  • Visith Khuenkaew sits outside the family toilet room, waiting for his sister to come out so he can use the toilet. Chiang Mai, Thailand. He and his family live in a wooden 728-square-foot house on stilts, surrounded by rice fields in the Ban Muang Wa village, outside the northern town of Chiang Mai, in Thailand. Material World Project.
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  • Visith Khuenkaew offering a traditional greeting in front of his house. Thailand. The Khuenkaew family lives in a wooden 728-square-foot house on stilts, surrounded by rice fields in the Ban Muang Wa village, outside the northern town of Chiang Mai, in Thailand. Material World Project.
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  • Nine-year-old Visith Khuenkaew, left, and his fellow third grade classmates work on math problems at school near their village of Ban Muang Wa, Thailand. Published in Material World, page 84. The Khuenkaew family lives in a wooden 728-square-foot house on stilts, surrounded by rice fields in the Ban Muang Wa village, outside the northern town of Chiang Mai, in Thailand.
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  • On a school morning before first light, Buaphet wakes her son and daughter who are sleeping in the second bedroom of their house on stilts, which is located at the edge of a rice field. Thailand. The Khuenkaew family lives in a wooden 728-square-foot house on stilts, surrounded by rice fields in the Ban Muang Wa village, outside the northern town of Chiang Mai, in Thailand. Material World Project.
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  • Jeeraporn Khuenkaew rides the family's most treasured possession?their motorcycle, on a Saturday along with some of her classmates who will join her at school for an agriculture class. Thailand. The Khuenkaew family lives in a wooden 728-square-foot house on stilts, surrounded by rice fields in the Ban Muang Wa village, outside the northern town of Chiang Mai, in Thailand. Material World Project.
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  • Jeeraporn Khuankaew's schoolmates line up outside on the athletic field each morning before class to observe the raising of the flag, the recitation of a prayer and to listen to the pricipal talk and talk. A few of the boys were singled out for having hair that was too long and they had their hair cropped very short on the spot. (From Peter Menzel's Material World Project that showed 30 statistically average families in 30 countries with all their possessions)
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  • Nine-year-old Visith Khuenkaew, (at the blackboard on the right), and his fellow third grade classmates work on math problems at school near their village of Ban Muang Wa, Thailand. The Khuenkaew family lives in a wooden 728-square-foot house on stilts, surrounded by rice fields in the Ban Muang Wa village, outside the northern town of Chiang Mai, in Thailand. Material World Project.
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  • Farmers from Ban Muang Wa village, outside the northern town of Chiang Mai, Thailand, cut rice stalks with a scythe. They will let it dry on the ground for several days, then bundle it into sheaves and tie it with stalks of stiff grass. Published in Material World, page 85. Ban Muang Wa is the home village of the family of Boontham and Buaphet Khuenkaew, who were profiled in the book Material World: A Global Family Portrait.
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  • Buaphet Khuenkaew's brother Vichai Sadub (called Dang) leads his water buffalo to the rice fields where they will be staked out to graze (the rice has been harvested already) near Ban Muang Wa village, outside the northern town of Chiang Mai, in Thailand. He grows rice for personal use, and to sell for income. He and his extended family live within a stone's throw of each other. Material World Project.
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  • Fish for sale, laid out on plates, in a market in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Material World Project.
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  • Spices sold by a vendor in the street market in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Material World Project.
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  • Bhudda statue detail at the Grand Palace in Bangkok, Thailand. Material World Project.
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  • The lives of the majority of Thai people are dominated by traditional agricultural rhythms and the sounds of Buddhist rituals at the nearby temple. In homes across the country the most important image is Buddha. The image shown here is a bas-relief of Buddha at the Grand Palace in Bangkok, Thailand. Published in Material World page 83.
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  • Magazine shop in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Material World Project.
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  • North of Thailand's capital city of Bangkok, at the temple complex of Wat Chae Wattanaram, rows of stone Buddhas (a common image in this overwhelmingly Buddhist nation) testify to his enlightenment, Wat Chae Wattanaram, Thailand. Material World Project.
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  • Thirty Bhuddhist temples compete in a temple drumming contest near Ban Muang Wa village, Thailand. Music. Religion. Published in Material World page 87. This is an especial favorite pastime of many locals including the Khuenkaew family of Ban Muang Wa village. They live there in a wooden 728-square-foot house on stilts, surrounded by rice fields in the Ban Muang Wa village, outside the northern town of Chiang Mai, in Thailand.
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  • After the death of a 72-year old man who lived across the road from the Khuenkaew family compound, his family followed Thai tradition and bought a castle-like, wood-and-crepe paper funeral bier and placed the body on top. Then the village held a two-day wake, complete with tents, music, gambling, and outdoor barbecues. Gifts were piled atop the casket. Afterward, the men carried the bier on long bamboo poles to the cemetery. The family posed for photographs in front of the bier, said good-bye to the dead man, and left the cemetary-keeper to burn the remains. Funeral. Material World Project.
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  • After the death of a 72-year old man who lived across the road from the Khuenkaew family of the Material World Project, his family followed Thai tradition and bought a castle-like, wood-and-crepe paper funeral bier and placed the body on top. Then the village held a two-day wake, complete with tents, music, gambling, and outdoor barbecues. Gifts were piled atop the casket. Afterward, the men carried the bier on long bamboo poles to the cemetery. The family posed for photographs in front of the bier, said good-bye to the dead man, and left the cemetary-keeper to burn the remains. Published in Material World: A Global Family Portrait. pages 86 & 87. Thailand.
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  • Water taxi in Bangkok, Thailand.  Material World Project.
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Peter Menzel Photography

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