How the project started.
I met Prasob, the manager at the Mahout Training School in Lampang. He took me one morning into the jungle that surrounds the center. We went to find Prathida, the princess's adopted elephant. Within moments of us getting out of the van, the distant silhouette of an elephant could be seen waving her trunk, and twisting and dancing, squeeking, chirping, and rumbling ecstatically. As Prasob got closer she was visibly shaking with excitement, peeing, purring and chirping. She grabbed him with her trunk, and puled her to him like a long lost relative . A a witness I was humbled, amazed and statisfied. All notions of cruelty that gets thrown about the captive elephant's life in Thailand I knew in this moment did not apply. This was one very happy elephant. Prasob told us that he had been present at her birth, that there had been difficulties, and that he had been part of Prathida's life for the last 7 or so years. Their bond had grown and was something I could only be a witness to, but because of it I too could stand by her side. In this moment I realised my role was insignificant and dependent. Without the mahout, I was in danger, with the mahout the whole fascinating world was opened up. Through their symbiotic bond, I could be drawn in to an understanding of what an elephant REALLY is. Something they have given freely to the mahout. Now that is not to over romanticize this relationship and over the ten years I have seen good and bad mahouts. Many of whom are untrained and without understanding of their role or the difference they can make. But this is what has prompted this blog. These men, whose tradition is over 4000 years are invisible at best, their culture and knowledge is sidelined, ignored and treated as unimportant by often well meaning 'foreigners' who come with as much knowlege as I had had, in the hope that they can "Save the Elephant'. Quite simply NOT without the mahouts. My eyes were opened by Prasob.
I realised I had in the first week of the visit been on a trek with my friends. Fran and I had sat a top of our elephant, buzzing with excitement and chatting the whole half hour. This was our first ever ride on an elephant. It was the nearest we had ever been to an elephant. We were overwhelmed and spent the half hour ride in a kind of bubble of euphoric amazement. After the ride we, and the others gave bananas and eventually returned to our bamboo boat (we were floating down the River Kok to Chiang Rai). Shelly kindly too a photo of me as I sat my head reeling and cried. I was totally blown away. But had not even noticed the mahout on whom our experience wsa dependant. prasob had enlightened me. As had the work of Richard and David who were exploring the elephants intellegence in terms of their ability to work in a team and create and communicate 'music'. I saw the elephants intiate and respond to sounds in a way that was very convincing thaht they knew/were aware of what they were doing. And what's more, they were REALLY enjoying it.
I have now spent the last ten years visiting and getting to know more and more about the elephants in Thailand and the mahouts. I have had many exhibitions of my paintings, illustrated books, published photos and made animations. I have also made five documetaries about the painting elephants, about three interviews with Karen mahouts on elephants and one introduction to the Royal Elephant Kraal mahouts. I now live in Ayuthaya near the Royal Elephant Kraal. I work at Mahidol University International College where I teach animation. I have an amazing access to the most important people, in my opinion, in the whole debate about elephants in captivity in Thaialnd and their future. The mahouts. I hope to use the blog to reflect on my work so far and represent them. This blog is by, for and with the mahouts; it's about them, their lives, their families, their stories, their future, most importantly THEIR elephants.
I came to Thailand ten years ago with a vague notion of what an elephant is. I came to find out to inform an idea for an animation. What I came to face was a problem, one that just wouldn't go away... one that was difficult to face and has no simple solutions...a kind of elephant in the room...
The situation for elephants worldwide is desperate. The need for conservation essential. But there are HUGE conflicts and contradictions to face. The desire to save the elephants often comes from a western perspective which gives no real understanding to what the situation is; nor to the people who really know and work with the elephants here. Often uneducated and from the lower classes and hilltribes, these are dedicated people whose whole history and future is entwined with the elephants. The Karen and The Suay (or Kui), the Shan and the Khamu. Without these men (and a few rare women)and their familes,communities and culture there would be no elephants at all in Thailand at all, and none of us (farang) would be able to come close to these great creatures.
The emphasis is always on 'saving the elephants' , often with a desire to set them free... but this is naive and idealistic and does not address our own culpability -there is no wild left, no space without human interference and the potential for elephant human conflict.
Their future is not in our soft idealistic hands but in the hands of the seemingly invisible mahouts. Often scape-goated as the ‘enemy’ it is in their rough hands that the answer lies. But sure, our money will help. Without mahouts there simply is no future for the elephants.
Since 2000 I have been visiting and now live and work in Thailand. This is the on-going research project that motivated me to change my whole life perspective and position (physically and mentally). It has become my motivation for life, my raison d'etre, and ten years on, with a myriad of personal experiences and histories I have had the privilege to share, I think it's time to share. 
