THAI MUSLIM LULLABY: A CASE STUDY OF LAMSALEE COMMUNITY AND LAMSALEE PATTANA COMMUNITY

Abstract

Across many Asian societies, music is deeply intertwined with cultural belief systems, family life, and spiritual identity. Lullabies, in particular, are not only used to soothe infants but also serve as a means of transmitting language, values, and worldview from one generation to the next. In Muslim communities in Southeast Asia, lullabies often reflect a synthesis of religious devotion and local cultural expression, embodying both emotional intimacy and spiritual teaching. The purposes of this research article were to explore, study, and analyze the musical elements of Thai Muslim lullaby in the Lamsalee and Lamsalee Pattana communities, located in Bangkapi District, Bangkok. The study was qualitative research methodology through both documentary and field study, framed by the “Five Spirals of Knowledge” theoretical concept. The research areas were selected based on large Thai Muslim communities with a long history of settlement and with the Mosque serving as the center. The target groups of this study include community leaders, religious leader, religious scholars and the congregants of the Yamee-Unmuttageen Mosque. The research found that the Lamsalee and Lamsalee Pattana communities are old urban semi-slum areas where the majority of residents are followers of Islam. The Yamee-Unmuttageen Mosque serves as the religious, cultural, and social center of the communities, shaping the way of life according to Islamic principles. In the present day, there was only one Thai Muslim lullaby remaining in these communities: “Toh Labai.” It was presumed to have originated from “Anasheed” or a type of singing with Islamic religious content that was once popular among Central Thai Muslims. The song was used to lull children from infancy until they were weaned. The main content of the song conveys teachings about the belief in one God and told the stories about religious scholars who journeyed to perform the Hajj pilgrimage. It is a traditional single vocal folk song performed without musical instrument. The lyrics employed a mixture of Arabic, local Patani Malay, and Thai and were transmitted through oral tradition. Currently the song has declined in popularity due to changing social conditions. In terms of musical structure, there was a major sixth interval range, a 2/4 meter, a tempo of 40 bpm, based on the Hypomixolydian mode, and used strophic form.