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March 4, 2009
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Plakat, why?
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Five
years ago (2008) I believed that fighting fish would slow down and faded
away from the time rush society. But my thought seem far away from what it
is happening. The fighting fish society is growing up, either domesticated
or international arena, even more active than I can think of. The fighting
ring packed by the players everyday. The professional breeders are adding
more tanks. In Sunday market or Jaturjak market in Bangkok coloration both
long fin and short fin were replaced by the fierce fighting fish. Fighting
fish is no more Asian domesticated hobby but widespread to North America
and Europe.
86 years
old man players told me that in the past or twenty years ago (2008)
fighting fish very active in summer to rainy season and slow down in
winter. The players simply play the game according to its natural habit,
winter is a time for fighting fish take rest, female can not wandering on
the cold water to find the male and in fact male can not build the nest in
the almost dry mud. Fighting fish is in the weakest state. In this
situation to be survived is even hardest. However the captive bred fighter
still continue developed along with the usage of human society. The
fighting fish is purposive bred creature, in which it is already setup the
goal in advance by the breeder. The reputable breeder is trying to achieve
the goal, that is to produce the tough fighter to serve a very high demand
market to an entire year. Fighting fish is now twelve month full function
active.
For me
fighting fish involving to human action as a game is, truly human/animal
close relationship. There are three forms of human/animal
relationships.
First,
subject/object relation: Human treat animal as food this is the primitive
relationship developing from hunting to farming. In this relationship
human view animal purely object that human act towards animal in one way
relation.
Second,
friendly relationship: this human/animal relationship is rather dramatic,
that human realized an existence of animal and welcome on co-living with
that animal as a friend. Human place animal full functioning in society,
animal as an existing member in the society such as cat, dog or may
involving in economical production such as buffalo and cow as a farming
labor. As a master human breed animal according to theirs’ purpose, that
they may improve its physical size or even lame them such as gold fish. For
me this relationship is only semi-two way relationship. The development of
an animal is only under human context not an animal potential context.
Third,
co-working relationship: human/animal relationship is using animal as
entertainment, sport or even working side by side with human such as racing
horse, working dog and here is fighting fish. This relationship is rather
complex and requires human involving very close co-operation with animal.
Human must know what can be done and what should not. Because they are
working together, this relationship can happen only when both feel
appreciate to each other. An objective of development is try to promote and
improve more and more on body and mind of an animal into a highest
potential degree. From the pale grayish red and shy habit in the wild, Betta
is developed to deep color with display full muscle and ready accompany
with human in his every day social life. For me this relationship is more
complicated and closer than the first two human/animal relation mentioned
above. It is a real interactive relationship that higher than merely a
house pet.
The
following are the entertainment that Thai man makes use of animals for
fighting, only few of them still on developing, some disappeared or lame.
Not all are developed to the third kind relationship, co-worker.
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Hercules's Beetle
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- Hercules's
Beetle (Xylotrupes Gideon) Northern of Thailand playing in the end of
rainy season.
- Fighting
chicken as old as fighting fish and very popular in every part of the
country. We have popular phrases “fighting chicken, fighting fish”.
- Bull
fighting very popular in southern of Thailand.
- Fighting
cricket very popular 40 years ago but remain very few in the very
limited group of people, now cricket become delicious eatable insect
from farming product.
On the
fish fighting, there were many kinds of fishes used to fight. I have
been witness myself when I was a child:
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Wrestling Halfbeak
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- Halfbeak or
Wrestling Halfbeak (Dermogenys pusillus siamensis Fowler, 1934).
Forty years ago the fighting of halfbeak fish was popular and took
almost half of the fighting fish game. Last time I have seen the
halfbeak fish as a fighting fish was 10 years ago. Now it is one item
of export ornamental fish. However nowadays, there are very limited
group of people still playing.
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- Climbing
perch (Anabas testudineus) I myself have been fighting this
fish a few times and feel no fun. Because the size was too large when
compared to the jar. It was a real cruel deadly fight. Now climbing
peach is fully bred for eatable fish for both consuming in country and
for export.
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Blue Panchax
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- BLUE PANCHAX
(Aplocheilus panchax) I have not seen this fish fighting but I
have often heard people talk about it when I was young.
Plakat
is a most popular to selected for a game. It is lively and lovely colorful
attraction, very friendly to human when take away from the tank and keeping
in the bowl only a few hours. Plakat is true carnivore type, easy to feed
only a necessity amount. It can also have live food and artificial feed. We
can feed it with small insect such as mosquito, ant, termite and all kind
of worm, shrimp meat, shell meat, pork, beef or Betta pellet also able to
supply. Whereas the other three kinds of fishes live in the deep tidy water
very hard to collect, have dull color, wilder and less adaptive to human,
consume a lot of space and hard to breed.
Fighting
fish is more than a social entertainment game. But it is a part of South
East Asia cultural development in which it can briefly describe in the
following:
- Fighting
fish is one of basic element in Thais’ rice grower culture. The
development of fighting wild fighting fish to the complex captive
fighting fish goes along with the development of farmer social
development. Even today people who play the fighting fish are
not the rice grower anymore. But the root of agricultural spirit is
still there, keeping fighting fish is an expression of its symbol.
- Fighting
fish is in fact a robe tie traditional social value to be solid Thais
culture, bundle and strengthen Thai’s basic social institutes together
not to flow away to the foreign cultures. It represents existing of
Thais tradition in the midst of Western technology storm. Those who
play fighting fish are social conservative; believe in spiritual
scarce and mystic entities. Fighting fish play a role as
cumulative repeating culture and transfer to the next young
generation.
- Fighting
fish breeder place is acting as a local aquarium pet shop in the time
of systematic full management aquarium pet shop not introduced to Thais
community. When I was young I simply walk into a small community and
ask people for the fighting fish breeder place and I never
disappointed an answer. I have asked many men an age older than 40
years old most of them has a few experiences on fighting fish for more
or less. In the present time with the help of transportation, digital
technology and commercial interest fighting fish has expand from the
breeder place to every market, in monthly magazine and international
mail order. This means that farmer also has his influence power to
play in an international affair.
- Thais and
other Asian countries consider the physical fighting as an art and
physical therapy, fighting is not simply an action of winning, for
example Kung Fu fighting for Chinese and Kick boxing for Thais. When
considered fighting Plakat as an art, the conception of design is come
in. That is why Plakat Thai has difference structure form type as I
have discussed in http://www.plakatthai.com/introduction.html
in which other ornamental fish has only one form type and also the
fighting style is the main interested in his breeding project, http://www.plakatthai.com/kombat.html.
The breeding design of the breeder come to the point of, one
fighter can represent an entire batch. The breeder can achieved a
uniqueness of both physical and mental design. Fighting fish is
no more the primitive entertainment game but sophisticated and
complicated that both breeder and fighter involved.
The
hardest part on study the historical event is the lack of primary source
either direct or indirect documentation. Most of the historical documents
are devoted to the Aristocratic society and the written history of farmer
society seems to be nonexistence. Man tends to write his own story. At that
time only high class person was educated. Fighting fish is belonging to the
lowest class in the same historical society, call farmer that un-educated,
can not read/write. So they can not write their own literature. We have
proverb “landlord play fighting cock, slave play fighting fish”. (There are
many historical script and pictures on fighting cock). The farmer has only
his mouth to convey his intelligence. The only way to study fighting fish
history is to study its environment and other social object that infer to
it existence. The only valuable sources are verbal history that passing
from one man to another man. And most of all valuable evidence sources are
the fighting fish itself which is the witness of absolute invention of
farmer, the production of the fighting fish history.
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The ancient Plakat Thai
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Plakat
is a symbol of South East Asian rice grower society. The old Thai
lifestyle is the water front living society. The western first came to
Thailand name Bangkok as “East Venice”. The river, cannels are the main
traffic routes can be seen everywhere. Water is so importance to every
segment of Thais social life.
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An ancient long fin strain draw by Thai aritist (1931)
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Before
King Rama V the Great (1853 - 1910)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chulalongkorn,
the Thais social structure is repeated society that is Ayuthaya era
(1350-1767) and the beginning of Rattanakosin era (1782 - 1853) Thais
living style is not difference much. The great impact influence to the
great change in Thai society comes from the political intruding of the
Western countries in Rama V regime. There are two great events that
affected very much to the Thai society, one is abolished slavery (1905),
second, an open country policy. These two great events are supported to one
another, an abolished slavery free people that bind them in one place to
spread over the country. They are the farmer and they play fighting fish.
To open the country to accept modern technology and formal education are
boosting the fighting fish society more acceptable, more complicated and
more professional. However we need to know that fighting fish already
popular before King Rama V. Because the fighting fish that Theodore canto
received from the King Rama III is long fin. That means fighting fish
already being a full complex captive fish long time ago. A long fin fighter
not only shows the long period of development of Plakat Thai. But it also
shows how the sophistication on the breeding invention of Thai farmer, the
breeder.
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Long fin fighting fish from Tropical fish book printed in
1954(Tropical fish, Lucile Quarry Mann, Sentinel Books Publishing, Inc. New
York, 1954, p. 38
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The
long fin fighting fish draw by Thai artist (Loung Masayachitrakarn), and a
picture of fighting fish from the western side. The similarity of these two
pictures is, both are the veil tail and has big body trunk but the fins not
so long as we can see the veil tail today. Both pictures can represent how
the long fin look like when it is in the beginning of development.
From the
picture and my memory when I was 5 years old (45 years ago), I am sure that
the body size of fighting fish at that time was bigger but the fin was
shorter when compared to the long fin of this day (2008), may be that time
the fin is not development fully.
The
unique form of co-working relationship is that, animal is moves along with
the breeders/players. The process of expansion is simply following to the
social infrastructure. Cannel and boat is the most convenience route for
transportation in which the players moving from one place to another place.
At that time the settlements of people are on the both sides of the cannel
and river.
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Old Thais water front life. The boat cabin was used as a
floating house and long distance sail that the breeder can keep the fighter
and also doing his business for several months.
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House and people on the Thonburi cannel side
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House
boat
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My
friend in the fighting ring who lives in Thonburi cannel side told me that
his grand-grand father was a merchandiser seal his boat from Thonburi (now
united with Bangkok) to Nakornsawan and Pichit by Chaophaya river to buy
and sell goods and to play fighting fish as well. He had kept and trained
the fighting fish in the boat and it ready to fight when he reached the
destination. The period of journey takes 3 months living and keeping
fighting fish on the house boat. To keeping and training the fighting fish
on boat was one of the main factors of transformation the wild Betta
to be the real tamed captive fighter that the player can carry his fighter
in the small container to fight every where.
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The
railway alongside the road in Bangkok
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The
challenges for fighting were among the local group and outsider that
visited from time to time. An encounter from outside challenger was the crucial
factor of developing fighter bloodlines. It was happen the same way when
Thai fighter encounters the Malaysian fighter in the year 1987 or may be
before. The development of fighting fish is always goes along with and in
the fighting ring.
The
changing social structure to modern Thai society in the reign of King Rama
V had the great impact to the fighting fish society. The construction of
road and railway connecting people and fighting fish from the cannel spread
to the mainland.
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House
on the wet land lifted from the ground, please observe a pot on the balcony
is same as Uncle's Peng pot showing below
Earthenware
pot using for training the fighter by uncle Peng
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People
have more choice on using the mode of living and traveling. An available
space to breeding and distributing the fighters were expanded. The breeder
that used to kept and bred the fighters on the wet land under the house
which the space was very limited and packed by the neighbors’ house, some
year the water rose high and all the fighters gone to the river; were moved
to the more save and treatment controllable area. The new commercial
system introduced by western capitalism paves the way to breeding the
fighter to be more purposive. The full function in breeding fighter has
spread to all over the country. The boom of modern commercial and exportable
fishes made the large numbers of fighters was able to sell in the volume
quantity not only for the personal and private group used as has been done
before.
I think,
that time fighting fish can be seen everywhere on the corner of the street.
A group of people sits around an earthenware jar cheering, shouting playing
fighting fish call for the interested to the foreign visitor. For the
western foreigner I think conditioning and training the fighter to fight
was complicated and hard to practice. Or may be for them using the pet to
fight was hard to think of. An impression on the fighting fish was
just a first glance on its colorful beauty. Of course in that period of
time the beauty aquarium fish that able to keep in such a small bowl was
almost impossible but an interactive display colorful of the fighter should
shock them. An amazing of this little beauty creature can go beyond an
insult attitude towards local poor people. It was unavoidable for them to
keep the splendid fighter for their private decorative show fish and sent
some to their native country as a living jewel in the water.
Fighting
fish was not domestic fish anymore. As Dr. Smith said “It does not appear
to have been indigenous to any other country, but it is now to be found
around the world because of its attractiveness, hardiness, and adaptability
to small aquariums…which makes the fighting fish one of the most beautiful
of all fresh-water fishes”.
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Betting
on fish fighting
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This picture show the people watching fighting fish in an
earthenware pot in Thai word call
” Mor”. So fighting fish call “Plakat Mor” or fighting fish in earthenware
pot. The two men touch theirs’ hand showing the challenged bets were
accepted. One can notice also from the cloth they were dressing that they
belonging to the peasant society. Most of the peasant class were uneducated
they can not read and write. This is one of the most difficult tasks in
writing fighting fish history. Thai proverb “land lord play fighting cock,
slave play fighting fish” (ขุนนางเล่นไก่ ขี้ข้าเล่นปลา”), gave very
clear picture of who play the fighter.
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An
illustration of Thai community beside “Chao Praya River
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In
October 9, 2007 I am very lucky to have a chance to interview “uncle Peng”
the 86 years old active man, one of the oldest professional Plakat
breeder/player in Thailand. He is the father of one of the best trainer
fighting fish in Bangkok who acting as a supporter to the hard core player,
no doubt, his father has transfer all knowledge to his son, and the grand
father did to his father. He lives in sub district call “Raj Burana”, one
of the oldest Thai communities beside the “Chao Praya River” Thonburi
province. Not only the Plakat Thai uncle Peng active. He also well known on
wrestling halfbeak, one of the fighting fish game very popular in the past.
An
interview has explored me the picture of ancient Plakat Thai society.
He has collected many valuable items of Plakat Thai equipment such as
the more than 100 years old square glass bottle, the tricky matching glass
and many original ancient earthenware jar and also halfbeak fighting fish
equipment. All these equipment are belonging to his father and he is
keeping all of them for memory to his father and his pride. Interview
information can lead back more than 120 years ago. That time his father was
40 years old and now he is 86 years old.
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Uncle
Peng a 86 years
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Most
of the equipments are belonging to his father age or about 120 years ago
(1887), the Theodore canto date, who received the fighting fish from King
Rama III and introduce this splendid fish to the western world. He said
that he follow his father “uncle Sawang”, to the fighting ring when he was
10 years old that time his father is around 40 years. Now his age is
86(2007), He insist that these equipment age are 200 years which is in the
regime of King Rama I, the founder of Chakri Dynasty (now Rama IV), since his
grand father also play the fighting fish. So the full development of
complex captive fighting fish should at least lead back to Ayuthaya period
or over 200 years. Using the glass to match the fighter is showing how
sophisticated on keeping and training the fighting fish at that time. It
also shows that fighting fish at that time is not a short time play for fun
but it is very serious matter. Knowing at that time glass is very expensive
only rich people can have. Using glass keeping the fighting fish must be
very special. This traditional square glass should used on the training
session that the breeder want to provoking his fighter to an extreme
aggressive. An invention of using glass raising the fighter to be
more and more aggressive is a key factor that make the fighting fish more
challenge and more popular. The glass becomes essential equipment of
raising and training an aggressive fighter. The clear views of glass show
the fighter behavior in every manner. Player can observe and knowing his
fighter readiness. Using glass on pairing the parents stock is also
very effective on the production of the eggs and the breeder knows the
readiness of the breeding pair.
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This traditional square glass (upper picture) age around 200
years, uncle Peng said that his father bought from Chinese merchant, this
is destroy my hypothesis on the usage of square glass just 50 -70
years ago. (Thailand can produce glass just recent year 1955). The below
traditional jar is the present factory product and still widely using in
keeping and in fighting arenas. One can see that structurally both do
not difference much. The traditional jar is very practically strong in the
fighting fish society and use every fighting rings in country.
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I hope by color, shape and mouth of the bottle an archeologist
can specified the definite age and origin of the bottle
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Japanese
hair tonic glass
Liquor
matching glass deduction lens
An age of this “Mor”
should be over 120 years. The oval form is support to use swirling water
training technic
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The
breeder carries the square glass jar with the fighter inside to match with
other breeder. To carry the big expensive glass jar like that may
uncomfortable. But I think at that time there is no choice on available
variety of the glass jar. The variety glass come later as many old players
told me that in the beginning he carry the fighter in the traditional
square glass jar and he just change to small hair tonic glass bottle
from Japan later when it sold in Thailand. An optional choice of shifting
from big jar to small glass bottle convey very significance meaning on
promoting the game. People can carry more fighters to fight and easy to
handle to the long distance place or ease to transfer from one player to
another player. The color painted around the bottle and keep sight only one
side of the glass give the chance of player to create the trickery glass
that make the viewer look the fish smaller than its actual size. The hair
tonic short glass shows only one side create many problems and annoying
very much on matching. Because it compel the player to see only deduction
lens side, in which it shows the fighter much smaller than its actual size.
So the
match glass has shifted again to the visible all side round the liquor thin
glass that matcher can view any side of the fighter. Still the professional
player produce the deduction lens to match each other. I guess this glass
using in around 1972 and faded in the years 2005, since the problem of
deduction lens is not seriously solved.
The
fighting fish is no more a simple game. It show the long passage of
human/animal relationship cooperated to win the game. That the straight
forward game is not enough for winning the game and it required more in
human brain to support his fighter. It is a complicated game required a lot
of tricks, systematic training the fighter etc.. It shows the the long
moving from bare simple to many actions involvement.
There
are two concepts should be discussed here. One is an application using
glass keeping the fighter boosted the fighting fish much more popular over
other pet. An attractive colorful actively show around the transparency
glass amaze to many people, westerner included, I think this should
encourage the breeder develop the fighter branching to the showing fin form
fish. Secondly, the breeder can make use of earthenware jar and glass jar
in the very fit manner. If earthenware jar means the conservative mind that
he keeping the fighter at home the glass should also means the progressive
thinking of the breeder that take the fighter outside home to observe,
absorb to the outer world. The fighting fish can be both conservative and
progressive in one hand and another hand. This adaptability should be the
key success in the development of the fighting fish in the modern world
where as wrestling halfbeak still using coconut shell to show of itself.
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An old pot used condition the fighter and the wooden sheet plate on the wet
ground
In the past, the broken big earthenware jar, in
Thai term "Tum" using raising the fighter
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Uncle
Peng still keep everything as same as his father lives. He told me that to
keep everything as it is just to remind his father. For me everything in
his house is a valuable living museum that I recall to and remind me when I
was young. The house is lifted up by the very old wooden foundation as can
be seen the riverside house. The old earthenware jar, conditioning the
fighter with dry Indian almond leaf and rice cut grass (Leersia hexandra
SW) sit on the wet ground around the house . Many of old breeders I
have been interviewed told me that the rice cut grass can make fighter
teeth as sharp as rice cut grass. The wooden sheet plate lay on the wet
ground is exactly the same picture as I have seen when I was 7 years old
(1965).
One of
the picture most impressed me is the broken big earthenware jar that lean
on the wet ground under the banana tree. This can represent the vessel
using to breed the fighting fish in the past. The vessel may contain water
not more than 500 liters that can keep one batch of fighter not more than
100 fighters, in which considered very small compared to what the breeder
using today (2,000 liters). Both wooden sheet plate and broken big
earthenware jar confirmed what I have been discussed that, in the past
fighting fish bred for personal use and shared among the close friend. The
house surrounding is allow only one or two visitor that seems knowing the
breeder private.
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