Obtaining the Nha Heun "Culture" from the King: Considering a Sacred Script and Oral History in Southern Laos.

Palm-leaf manuscripts are important objects in Southeast Asia. Their value often goes beyond the meanings of the written texts. They also have historical, religious, literary, symbolic and ritual importance. This paper investigates textual materiality as it applies to a story about palm-leaf manuscripts owned by the ethnic Heuny (Nha Heun) group in Paksong District, Champasak Province, southern Laos. This story links material texts to oral history, rituals and efforts by the Nha Heun to legitimize their culture. It demonstrates how palm-leaf manuscripts can serve to legitimize claims handed down through oral traditions and ritual practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]