Poo Yai

In any society or any group, there is always one who is considered the leader. A leader can be selected based on several factors.

He (or she) could be the oldest, the strongest, the most beautiful, the healthiest, the tallest, the smartest … the list goes on and on. But no matter what the reasons are for selecting the group leader, he should always be accorded the respect that befits his position.

The group leader is known by many names. In western societies, the leader can be called chief, captain, head, the big boss, the main man … and so on and so forth.

In Thailand, the person occupying this position is called Poo Yai. In some instances, particularly in families, the word poo-yai could also mean seniority.

In a family, the poo yai is one of the elders (parents / grandparents).

Poo Yai Baan

As Thais are very family oriented, children usually put the responsibility of taking care of their elders upon themselves. In a community, the leader is called Poo Yai Baan.

Whether or not the poo yai is in the family or part of a village or town, everyone is supposed to pay his or her respect to this individual in a practice that is called Boon-koon (repaying gratitude).

In an example of Boon-koon, young thais listen to the advise given by the poo yai, and if the advise given is wrong, it is best to keep silent and not to correct or contradict openly so as not to offend the poo-yai).

Children should be polite (sam ruam) in front of the poo yai and whatever the age of his "audience", those in the presence of a poo-yai should bow or bend a little when a poo-yai passes by.

As the village leader, the poo-yai-baan takes on a myriad of tasks. Aside from instigating projects for his community, he sometimes has to intercede in domestic disputes and give advice concerning personal issues. Sometimes, he mediates between his town and the government and in some occasions, the poo yai baan even officiates marriages and unions.

Based on his duties and responsibilities, and the activities a poo yai baan does, it would be safe to assume that if he were to be compared to a western political position, he could be a town mayor or a district governor. The difference is that mayors or governors are elected by the general populace, whereas poo-yai-baans are selected through an entirely different procedure.