Tai Magic

Lavishly illustrated and deeply researched, this volume opens a window into the rich supernatural traditions of the Tai peoples of Southeast Asia. Centered on manuscripts, textiles, and talismans, it explores how sacred knowledge is embedded in material form through intricate diagrams, protective spells, and vivid depictions of benevolent and malevolent spirits. Drawing on four years of fieldwork in the Shan State of Myanmar and the Shan (Tai) people of northern Thailand, Susan Conway presents the voices and practices of ritual specialists who continue to create and use these objects in healing, protection, and divination. Blending ethnographic insight with objects held in collections in Thailand, the United States, and the United Kingdom, this book offers an evocative portrait of a living tradition where Buddhism, spiritual beliefs, and local cosmology converge in the service of well-being and spiritual balance.