Elephant Painting Update October 2009

l to r: Damnoen Surang u-patham mahout (handler) to Elephant Artist Kham Tool, Elephant-Paintings.com owner Scott Rosenberg and Nopawan Komyoung of Maetaman Elephant Camp and E.L.E. (Elephant Life Experience)

My assistant Chaiwat and I traveled around to some of the elephant camps last week to see how they were fairing in the economic downturn AND of course to stock up on elephant paintings for the up-coming holiday season.

We didn't find much new in the way of designs but we did find advanced use of colors and at Maetaman, they have gone "green" setting up a small factory that produces elephant dung paper for their Elephant Artists to paint on.

What was unusual, at the Ayuthaya Royal Elephant Kraal, which used to have their elephant paintings on dung paper, have gone back to using regular poster board. Apparently the Australian Agricultural Department has not cleared dung paper for import and most of the guests to the Ayuthaya Kraal are from Australia.

Another interesting note, back in August 2009 a team shooting for National Geographic was at Maetaman doing a special on Elephant Artist Hong painting her self-portraits. The special has yet to air on the National Geographic Channel but you can be sure when it does, it will spark a renewed interest in Hong's paintings (of which we have several in stock).

We have had to increase our prices slightly to meet international market demand on the Hong paintings however we are still less expensive then elsewhere on-line. However, the Hong paintings still appreciate in value.

Overall traffic is down a bit at the camps - a result of fewer tourists traveling becasue of the recession but overall we are told business is not that bad.

Which, as you can see from the short video below is good - since it only takes banas to run an elephant camp.

Visit us at www.Elephant-Paintings.com

OH, so that is what that Email was

Back in July I received an email from Anchalee Kalmapijit with a short "blurb" and three pictures of a two basketball teams from Montfort College. I noticed that Khun Anchalee was the president of the Club but she is best known for her elephant care than for her basketball ability.

However, when speaking with Ms. Nopawan Komyoung, Secretary of the Montfort College Basketball Club at the Maetaman Elephant Camp last week, it all became clear, Khun Anchalee's son plays on the team which had just won top honors in the Thailand Northern Region "Sponsor Thailand Championship 2009", held 14-22 July.

The Montford team represented the Northern Region at the Thailand National Championship in Bangkok in September 2009. No word on who one that championship.

Word is that the Montfort cheerleading team picked up the Best Creative Award back in July as well.

Now I wonder of Khun Anchalee had her elephants out there cheering.....hmmmmm!!!

Nick Cassavetes sues over Elephant Orphanage

A nasty little lawsuit filed by director Nick Cassavetes, accuses New Line Cinema of fraud and breach of contract, saying the studio fired him from directing the elephant orphanage drama, "Peaceable Kingdom." According to Variety's Dave McNary, the director filed suit earlier this week in Los Angeles Superior Court, saying he was never paid for a rewrite he did of the script. He's also seeking damages for other work he says he passed up while working on "Kingdom."

New Line got involved in "Peaceable Kingdom" after "60 Minutes" aired a report in April 2006 by Bob Simon about Dame Daphne Sheldrick, a Kenyan-born woman who has devoted her life to helping raise and rehabilitate orphaned wild animals, in particular elephants.

The "60 Minutes" piece follows:


Watch CBS Videos Online

Elephants Plowing Paddy Fields - Carrying On An Ancient Karen Tribe Tradition

Chiang Mai, Thailand August 5, 2009 – On the 8^th day of the 8^th month on an 8 rai paddy field at Baan Saen Doi Resort and Spa, utilizing 8 elephants, members of the Karen Tribe of Ban Na Kian, Om Koi District, Chiang Mai will carry-on an ancient tradition of "Elephants Plowing Paddy Fields".

Ms. Wanphen Sakdatorn, owner of Baan Saen Doi Resort & Spa and Saen Kham Terrace Restaurant, and her husband Mr. Hagen Dirksen, German Honorary Consul for Northern Thailand, explained the practice of using elephants to plow fields is not well known to the outside world because Ban Na Kian village is situated on a mountain, almost 1,200 – 1,600 meters (3947 - 5249 feet) above sea level.

The Om Koi district itself is 179 kilometers (111 miles) away from Chiang Mai City with Ban Na Kian village 39 kilometers away from Om Koi town. It takes almost 3 hours to travel from Om Koi town to Ban Na Kian village.

The area is needy, and the road difficult to travel. Thus, villagers hang on to traditional farming methods. They plant rice on terrace fields and cultivate annual crops for a living. Terrain is limited as it is a slope area at the foot of a mountain where the soil is heavily mixed with rocks, which easily exhaust the paddy fields’ plowing water buffaloes.

The approximately 100 households of over 500 Karen villagers takes care of over 20 elephants setting them free to feed themselves in the nearby jungles. When the rice planting season is near, they recapture

their elephants from the jungles and use them to plow the paddy fields because elephants are much bigger and far stronger than oxen and water buffaloes.

Elephants can plow more paddy fields than oxen and water buffaloes in a lesser amount of time, and they do not need to stop to rest because plowing a paddy field is considered a piece of cake for elephants compared to their routine hard work of pulling big logs in the forest.

The Karen villagers favor plowing the paddy fields by means of “unity farming” where everyone helps each other until everybody’s paddy fields are plowed. However, lately modern technologies are being gradually introduced into the area. Today’s plowing machines play an important role, which results in less usage of elephants.

However, continually rising fuel costs have driven the villagers back to using elephants to plow the paddy fields once again.

The August 8, 2009 function will be presided over by Mr. Pranai Suwanrath, Director of the Southern Provinces’ Administration Center, former District Officer (1989) of Om Koi District.

Providing elephants for the event is Mrs. Anchalee Kalmaphichit, Manager of the E.L.E Elephant Camp (Elephant Life Experience), Maetaman, Chiang Mai. An elephant painting demonstration will be held after the traditional ceremony.

Pictures from the 2009 event can be found here.