Mahouts can control their elephant with a series of physical commands and around seventy verbal commands, in Northern Thailand these are a mixture of pure Thai, Northern Thai and an Elephant language.
For the beginner these need to be delivered in a loud and commanding voice.
Needless to say, don't try this at home unless you have taken part in a mahout training course...
...but
if you're doing your homework, or are just nostaglic for the noises of camp,
click on the command to play the .wav file.
Lift leg high (to get on) song soong (vocals provided Khun Bounmee of Lawan and Janpen)
Lift leg high (to get off) hab soong (vocals provided by Khun Jamrat of Yom and now Janpen)
Go forwards (nudge behind both ears) pai (Jamrat)
Stop (squeeze knees together) how (Bounmee)
Turn (nudge behind opposite ear) baen (Bounmee)
Walk backwards (rock and kick feet backwards) sock (Jamrat)
Sit down (tap the back) map lung (Jamrat)
Lower head (put feet over the head) tak lung (Jamrat)
Stand up look (Jamrat)
Follow me - pae (Jaan of Wandi)
These are the basic commands needed to navigate your elephant here are some others you might try!
Slow down goy (Jaan)
Lie down none lung (Jaan)
Lie down fully none dee (Jaan)
Pull chain chub saw (Bounmee)
Submerge head in water dum lung (Bounmee)
Drink bong (Bounmee)
Spray or raise truck bon soong (Bounmee)
Push log with trunk yok (Bounmee)
Push log with leg - toe (Jamrat)
Back heel log ka toe (Jamrat)
Kick log sideways - yok phear (Jamrat)
Stop
it (whatever it is you are doing - useful for Lawan) - yaa
(Jamrat)
