Material Evidence for Ritual Chant in Early Modern Siam: Leporello Manuscripts as Affordances for Deathbed Rites

This article examines material evidence for deathbed chanting in nineteenth-century Siam (today's central and southern Thailand), focusing on folded-paper leporello manuscripts used for group chanting by monks on behalf of the terminally ill.As physical objects, these Khom-script leporellos convey much more than the Pali texts they transmit.Their paratextual dimensions, including colophons, ritual sequences, and chanting instructions, confirm that the specific material format and arrangement of leporellos made them a crucial piece of ritual technology in the deathbed context.Taking their materiality seriously reveals that such manuscripts are more than just records or manuals; they are affordances that made certain end-of-life rituals possible in early modern Siam.Drawing on examples from Thai, American, and European collections, this essay demonstrates how abundant paratexts unite the material and ritual dimensions of these manuscripts.