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The Third Local Museums Festival 2012:“Cultural Savvy: Local Knowledge Fighting Crisis”by Alexandra DalferroFrom the 23rd to the 27th of November 2012, the Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Anthropology Center (SAC)organized the Third Local Museums Festival around the theme, “Cultural Savvy: Local Knowledge Fighting Crisis.”When we think about crises that havefaced Thailand in recent years, thefirst events that come to mind aremost likely the 1997 financial crisis, the2004 tsunami, the 2006 military coup,or the widespread flooding of 2011.These incidents received extensiveinternational and domestic mediacoverage, yet the reports generallyfocused on circumstances in andnarratives from central Thailand, andrelied on analysis from a variety ofexperts and public figures to explainevents.If we depend solely on news outlets andpublished materials to learn about crises that influenceThailand, we risk overlooking the insight and experiencesof everyday people across the nation who have used localknowledge to cope with disasters in their communities.Although these challenges that elicit ingenious responsesfrom individuals and communities might not be featured bythe mainstream media, they become woven into collectivecommunity history and identity. As spaces for the displayand safeguarding of these histories and identities, as wellas the objects they encompass, Thailand’s local museumsoffer us a glimpse of how populations from all over thecountry have reacted to both local and national periodsof difficulty. In order to illuminate the stories, approaches,and wisdom that have arisen in times of crisis, the SACinvited sixty-nine local museums from all four regionsof the country to share their perspectives on “LocalKnowledge Fighting Crisis.”6Costumes and props of mor lam performers whoengage in the “kaw khao” tradition were displayedas part of the Mahasarakham University Museumexhibition.The festival was structured thematically aroundfive core ideas. The first core idea focused on “localknowledge versus nature.” Cycles of nature can teachhumans how to live prudently in accordance with local