Ban Lek Nai Pa Yai Royal Folk Arts and Crafts Project

Open Days: Daily

Opening Hours: 06.00 – 18.00

 

The Ban Lek Nai Pa Yai Royal Folk Arts and Crafts Project at Ban Nomklao in Yasothon Province is a royal-initiative community development and learning site inspired by Her Majesty Queen Sirikit The Queen Mother. Located in Ban Nomklao, Moo 17 and Moo 11, Bung Kha Subdistrict, Loeng Nok Tha District, the project represents the idea of helping people live with the forest in a balanced and sustainable way. It combines forest conservation, livelihood development, silk weaving, mulberry cultivation, sericulture, local herbs, community products, and the cultural identity of the Phu Thai people.

 

This project is not a typical tourist attraction. It is a living community where natural resources, local occupations, royal-initiative development, and ethnic culture are closely connected. Ban Nomklao is a Phu Thai community with its own language, beliefs, traditions, and agricultural way of life. The villagers earn their main income from farming and additional income from royal folk arts and crafts activities, especially silk-related work. The project therefore offers visitors a meaningful view of how rural communities in northeastern Thailand can develop livelihoods while protecting forest resources.

 

The background of Ban Nomklao is closely related to the development of former degraded forest land around Phu Lam Klang. The government allocated residential and farming land to local people, and the royal-initiative project later strengthened the idea that people and forest should remain together in harmony. On 5 December 1992, a request was made to establish the Ban Lek Nai Pa Yai project under the royal initiative of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit, with the goal of restoring forest conditions, improving the quality of life of local people, encouraging love for their homeland, and supporting community participation in forest conservation.

 

The project was officially opened on 10 August 1994, with Yasothon Province serving as the main implementing authority. Her Majesty Queen Sirikit visited Ban Nomklao on 22 November 1995 and again on 18 November 2001 to follow the progress of members supported under the royal folk arts and crafts project. These royal visits became important milestones for the community. They reinforced the value of local settlement, forest protection, occupational training, and the role of local people as guardians of their own natural resources.

 

Ban Nomklao is located in Bung Kha Subdistrict, Loeng Nok Tha District, Yasothon Province. The terrain is mostly upland, with hills and forested areas. The area is not generally flood-prone and is connected with forest landscapes in and around Phu Sa Dok Bua National Park. Ban Nomklao Community Forest is an important conservation area containing many types of plants, local fruits, herbs, and some wildlife species. The surrounding Dong Wat forest is considered one of the valuable forest areas in Yasothon, supporting both ecological richness and community life.

 

The core idea of the project is that local people should not be separated from the forest, but should learn to live with it responsibly. The forest is treated as a shared resource that provides food, herbs, moisture, ecological stability, and cultural meaning. Local forest protection volunteers help monitor and preserve the area. This makes the community more than a passive recipient of development. It becomes an active caretaker of its natural resources and a source of local knowledge about forest-based living.

 

The main occupational groups at Ban Nomklao include silk weaving, mulberry cultivation, sericulture, herbal activities, and other community craft and livelihood development groups. Among these, the mulberry and silk activities are especially important. The silk process connects many stages: growing mulberry plants, raising silkworms, reeling silk, winding thread, degumming, dyeing, tying mudmee patterns, and weaving. Each step requires skill, patience, and experience. Visitors who see these processes gain a deeper appreciation of Thai silk beyond the finished textile.

 

Silk weaving at Ban Nomklao is not only a source of supplementary income. It is also a way to preserve community knowledge and local craftsmanship. Mudmee silk and plain silk produced by community members carry value as both products and cultural evidence. A single piece of silk represents mulberry leaves, silkworms, thread, color, pattern, and the careful movement of hands at the loom. Learning about this process helps visitors understand why handmade silk from community projects has cultural value far beyond its market price.

 

The project has received technical support related to sericulture, including mulberry cultivation, silkworm raising, hand reeling, dyeing, and weaving. Training and follow-up activities have helped local members improve their production skills and maintain more consistent standards. Ban Nomklao has therefore become a useful study-visit site for people interested in sericulture, handicrafts, local enterprise development, and community-based occupational training.

 

Herbs are another important resource in the Ban Nomklao area. The forest and surrounding landscape contain many types of local medicinal plants. Local people have knowledge of edible plants, herbal use, and traditional beliefs connected with health and healing. This knowledge is part of the wider Phu Thai cultural context. A visit to Ban Nomklao therefore reveals not only occupational development, but also the relationship between local ecology, traditional knowledge, and ethnic identity.

 

Ban Nomklao is a Phu Thai community with a distinct cultural identity. The Phu Thai people have their own spoken language, beliefs, social customs, and local rituals. One important cultural practice associated with the community is the Yao healing ritual, a traditional belief-based healing practice of the Phu Thai people. Although the project is primarily known for forest conservation and royal folk arts and crafts, the cultural identity of the village gives the site deeper meaning for visitors who want to understand local life in Yasothon.

 

The project area includes several important zones: the royal folk arts and crafts center, silk weaving groups, mulberry and sericulture areas, herbal learning areas, Ban Nomklao Community Forest, Dong Wat forest, residential community areas, and routes connecting to natural attractions around Loeng Nok Tha District. These components show how the community uses land for living, farming, forest conservation, craft production, cultural continuity, and educational tourism at the same time.

 

The Ban Nomklao project is suitable for government agencies, schools, universities, community groups, women’s groups, farmer groups, craft groups, conservation travelers, and visitors interested in royal-initiative development. It demonstrates how livelihood improvement can support forest conservation. When villagers have supplementary occupations, income, and a sense of ownership over local resources, conservation becomes a community benefit rather than an external rule.

 

For general travelers, this is a place for learning rather than hurried sightseeing. Visitors should spend time observing the community, learning about silk production, talking respectfully with local people, and understanding the relationship between forest and livelihood. If community products are available, purchasing them directly helps support local income and keeps the craft system active. A meaningful visit depends on respect for the people who live and work there.

 

The forest component is one of the most valuable aspects of the project. Ban Nomklao Community Forest and Dong Wat forest contain plants, fruits, herbs, and wildlife. These forests are not valuable only because they are green or scenic. They are sources of food, medicine, ecological stability, local knowledge, and cultural continuity. Visitors who study the forest with local guidance can better understand how rural Isan communities depend on and protect forest resources.

 

The project connects well with the nature travel route of Loeng Nok Tha District. From Loeng Nok Tha, travelers can use Highway 212 on the Loeng Nok Tha-Amnat Charoen route. At Ban Huai Sa Baek, turn left onto the village road from Huai Sa Baek to Nomklao. The distance from Loeng Nok Tha to Ban Nomklao is about 48 km. Along the route, travelers can pass or connect with places such as Phu Chan, Phu Sung, Huai Sa Baek Reservoir, and Phu Tham Phra.

 

Getting There is most convenient by private car. Ban Nomklao is far from Loeng Nok Tha District center, and the route passes rural and upland areas. A private vehicle allows visitors to manage time, stop at attractions along the way, and return safely before evening. Travelers should check the vehicle, prepare enough fuel, and plan the route before departure, especially if combining the project with Phu Tham Phra or Huai Sa Baek Reservoir.

 

The best time to visit is from morning to afternoon. This allows enough time to travel from Loeng Nok Tha, explore the project, learn about occupational groups, and return without rushing. The site is open daily from 06.00 to 18.00. Groups planning study visits should coordinate in advance with local agencies or the community so that silk weaving, mulberry cultivation, or community forest learning activities can be arranged appropriately.

 

There is no admission fee. Visitors may enter during operating hours, but they should respect community rules. Ban Nomklao is a real village, not an artificial tourist setting. Visitors should not enter private residential areas without permission, disturb working groups, litter in the forest or village, or collect plants, herbs, or forest materials without approval. Respectful behavior helps keep the community comfortable with visitors.

 

The most appropriate way to visit the project is to learn with respect. Travelers should understand that Ban Nomklao is a living community with history, livelihoods, beliefs, and cultural memory. Conversations with villagers should be polite. Photography of people, weaving processes, homes, or work areas should be done with permission. Visitors should give importance to privacy and dignity as much as to learning.

 

Visitors interested in silk should take time to learn the difference between silk thread, mudmee patterns, dyeing techniques, and weaving methods. Silk from community projects is valuable because it is tied to the life of the weavers and the development system that supports them. Buying silk or community products is more than buying a souvenir; it supports local craft labor and helps preserve community knowledge.

 

Visitors interested in forest and herbs should learn from local knowledge holders. The community forest and Dong Wat area contain many useful plants, but herbs should not be collected or used without proper knowledge. Many forest plants require careful identification and understanding. Learning from local people allows visitors to appreciate the depth of traditional ecological knowledge that has been built through lived experience.

 

A suitable one-day route can begin from Loeng Nok Tha in the morning, continue to Phu Tham Phra for worship and nature walking, then visit Huai Sa Baek Reservoir or other natural stops along the way, and finally reach Ban Nomklao to learn about the royal folk arts and crafts project and the community forest. This route gives visitors a complete view of Loeng Nok Tha through nature, religion, livelihoods, and local culture.

 

The Ban Nomklao project expands the travel image of Yasothon beyond the well-known Rocket Festival. It shows that the province also has forest communities, silk wisdom, royal-initiative development sites, Phu Thai culture, and upland landscapes. Visitors who come here will see that Yasothon is not limited to town attractions and temples. It also has forest-edge communities that maintain a strong relationship between people and nature.

 

For international travelers, Ban Nomklao is a strong example of community-based development and forest-livelihood balance in Thailand. The project shows that forest conservation in rural communities does not always mean separating people from the forest. It can be designed so that people have livelihoods, supplementary income, and a role in protecting local natural resources. Silk and sericulture add a cultural layer to the visit by showing skilled work rooted in both tradition and community development.

 

Families can use the project as an outdoor classroom. Children can learn about silkworms, mulberry plants, silk weaving, forests, herbs, and the idea of people living with nature. This kind of visit helps children understand that forests are not just groups of trees. They are part of food, income, culture, identity, and community security.

 

Study groups can use Ban Nomklao to examine several development lessons: settlement in degraded forest areas, forest rehabilitation, occupational group formation, sericulture training, silk product development, community participation, government support, and the preservation of Phu Thai identity. These themes make the project useful for studies in community development, agriculture, social culture, environmental management, and rural livelihoods.

 

In summary, the Ban Lek Nai Pa Yai Royal Folk Arts and Crafts Project at Ban Nomklao is a valuable learning destination in Yasothon Province. It brings together royal-initiative development, silk weaving, sericulture, herbs, community forest conservation, Phu Thai culture, and the practical idea of people living with the forest. For travelers seeking a meaningful experience in Loeng Nok Tha District, this project offers a deep and grounded view of nature, craft, livelihood, and community strength in rural Isan.

 

 

A: It is located in Ban Nomklao, Moo 17 and Moo 11, Bung Kha Subdistrict, Loeng Nok Tha District, Yasothon Province.

 

A: It is a royal-initiative project that promotes people-forest coexistence, forest rehabilitation, supplementary livelihoods, silk weaving, sericulture, herbal knowledge, and community development.

 

A: The project area is open daily from 06.00 to 18.00.

 

A: No. Visitors can enter during operating hours without an admission fee and should respect community rules.

 

A: Visitors can learn about silk weaving, mulberry cultivation, sericulture, herbs, community products, Ban Nomklao Community Forest, Phu Thai culture, and people-forest coexistence.

 

A: From Loeng Nok Tha District, take Highway 212 toward Amnat Charoen. At Ban Huai Sa Baek, turn left onto the village road from Huai Sa Baek to Nomklao. The route is about 48 km from Loeng Nok Tha.

 

A: Ban Nomklao is a Phu Thai community with its own spoken language, beliefs, local traditions, and the Yao healing ritual.

 

A: Nearby attractions include Huai Sa Baek Reservoir, Phu Sung, Phu Tham Phra, Ban Nomklao Community Forest, and nature routes around Loeng Nok Tha District.