Introduction
There is a group of about 2000 to 3000 people who live off the coast of Thailand, Myanmar and Malaysia around the Surin Islands (a national park). They are known as the Moken, sometimes referred to as Sea Gypsies because they are sea dwellers and spend a great deal of time on the sea. Their language appears unrelated to any other, and their real origin is unknown. (1) Some experts believe they were the first inhabitants of these coastal regions, known as the Andaman. This nomadic sea culture most likely migrated from southern China some 4,000 years ago and, moving through Malaysia, eventually split off from other migrant groups in the late 17th century, however the exact history of their existence is not known. (6)
Because of the Moken’s life on the sea, they have become excellent fisherman and extremely knowledgeable about the sea around them. If a man wants to have fish for breakfast, he goes out and catches a fish with a spear and it would take him no time at all. Studies done by Swedish scientist Anna Gislén have shown that they can see twice as well underwater compared to European peoples, however their vision outside of the water seems no different. Gislén learned the Moken underwater super-sight was created by constricting their pupils, which sharpens their focus. To discover if this was a learned or genetic behavior, Gislén has been training Swedish children to do the same. Within four to six months, they picked up the skill, and after their pupils automatically constricted whenever they touched water, giving rise to the skill is mostly learned. (2) Brian Handwork from National Geographic reported that they can swim to depths as far as 75 feet down without any scuba gear or life support. (5) They also have an amazing talent of lowering their heart rate, can stay underwater twice as long. (7)
The main threat now to the culture is the Burmese coming from the mainland to fish and create a center of living for themselves. (8) More recently, the Moken have been threatened by notices from the government that their land was going to be taken and they would have to leave immediately. This started happening right after coming home after the tsunami hit. The government offered them permanent housing on the mainland, but they refused and went back to their home to rebuild. According to Akom Samas, a leader of the tribe, he said, “A local government agency claimed our land -- they said they needed to build a hospital. We rejected this and started rebuilding. Certainly there are some greedy people trying to benefit from our misfortune. We've been intimated and threatened by private investors and by land speculators.” A settlement has been reached between the two, leaving over one third was taken for development. Currently the Moken have a 5 year lease on the land. The government recently gave them new fishing boats, however, because of the devastation, they remain idle and unused. Sea gypsies are not only struggling to maintain their sense of culture, but their very existence as well. (4) Yet, they do not seemed to be entirely worried by all of this because ‘worry’ is not apart of their vocabulary. (7)
However, though they may have lost land and rights in the tsunami of 2004, their folklore is probably what saved them from still existing today. The stories passed down from generation to generation, there are tales of great waves, tsunamis, washing over entire villages; they’re born on the sea, live on the sea, die on the sea. It is because of all this they survived. Through the signs of the sea, the Moken moved further to higher land, abandoning everything. Their area was hit the hardest by the tsunami and suffered no casualties at all. (7) When the older people of the group first noticed the signs of the wave coming, they told the kids to follow them to higher ground, though none of them seemed to believe them at first, even though they knew the story of the great wave. Evidence that the Moken knew the wave was coming because of their extensive acquaintance with the sea, would be with the pictures a Bangkok movie star and amateur photographer named Aun took on Dec. 26, 2004. It showed the people receding further and further in the distance and crying. Elephants and other wildlife also began retreating further to higher ground. Even fisherman began to notice dolphins swimming further and further out to sea. (5)
Subsistence Strategy
They are hunter gatherers, and go from one island to the next in search of food. Their main food is fish, turtle, sharks and shells. (5) During low tide they collect sea cucumbers, and catch eels. At high tide, they dive for shellfish. Whatever they need is usually on or under the water. For a good nine months out of they year they are on boats on the sea searching for food. They learn how to swim before they can walk. (7)
Sociopolitical System
There are various tribes of Moken, but all are welcoming of each other. The sociopolitical system could be a chiefdom, but more likely they are just tribes. When one Moken family member leaves to another community, they never say goodbye. Why is this? Well there is no word for ‘hello’ or ‘goodbye’ in the Moken language. (11) Other words missing for the Moken language is ‘when’, they have no understanding of time, ‘want’ or ‘take’. According to Jacques Ivanoff, if one sits on another man’s boat, and the owner was going to go out and fish, he would wait for the man to finish sitting because he has no sense of time, no really need to get anywhere in a hurry. (7)
Gender Roles and Status
What is interesting is the word to harpoon a turtle is very close to the word when taking a woman. However, it must also be noted that the turtle is revered as one of the most sacred animals. It could be said that the Moken men see their woman as sacred as well. (8) Everyone helps one another; no one thinks themselves higher than another. Everyone is equal. However, mostly the men are the ones who fish and the woman are the ones who cook.
Kinship Patterns
The thing about Moken kin is that everyone is regarded as family, because there is no word for ‘goodbye’ or ‘hello’ there is no need to regard one person as not apart of ones family. People come and go as they please, from one tribe to another. Each tribe is accepting and even with strangers, are peaceful and welcoming peoples. (8)
Marital Customs and Living Arrangements
The Moken are known as Sea Gypsies or Men of the Sea because they live on the sea most of their lives in boats known as kabang. They are small and hand built, sea flotillas that hold everything. (6) It is very important to them because it represents the human body; this is where they live and sleep and give birth. Boat is well organized. There are many children during these times, but their playground is the sea. The only form of swimming equipment they use is goggles. Originally they used to be made out of wood, but now they are made out of plastic since they trade with mainland Burma. (5) On these boats, each holds one family, usually of three generations. (7) Mostly what they catch is for themselves, but whatever else they do, they sell it to the markets. Their thatched roofs of the boats are often covered with fish, sea cucumbers, squid and other sea produce being dried for market. (1)
During monsoon season, which is from June to October, each tribe heads back to their island build additional boats while occupying temporary huts. (1) It is a complete change from living on the sea. They will have a ceremony to celebrate their life on land the first days they settle there again. It will last days, but the reason they do it is to become one with the spirits around them. (8)
Religious Practices
They believe in animism, which according to Wikipedia originally means the doctrine of spiritual beings. In hunter and gatherer societies, animism often means the human being is often equal with nature and not above it; respect for nature and everything around them is imperative. In such societies, ritual is vital for survival because it wins the favor of the spirits of one's source of food, shelter, and fertility and shunning evil spirits. (9)
Interesting Anthropological Points
The Moken people still are extremely knowledgeable in the ways of the sea and because of their knowledge they survived the tsunami of December 26, 2004. There were even some who were at sea during the tsunami, and still survived. (7) However, since the tsunami disaster of 2004, some refugee Sea Gypsy women and girls likely have ended up in prostitution in Thailand's thriving and notorious port brothels. (11)
What is strange, in all the articles and information I found on the Moken culture, the one that completely a skewed the culture and who the people were was the New Yorker article written by Eliza Griswold. According to her there were only a couple hundred of these people left and that the people had no folklore of the wave whatsoever, but instead just saw the wave and ran. (3) However, if this were so, it would not explain why their community survived and while the other cultures around them suffered great lost even though they ran.
Concluding Remarks
Lots of cultures are threatened around the world. Diversity is a struggle with the people of this world now; soon the world will become monotonous. (8) The Mokan are one of the last of the sea people to exist and it’ll be a great loss if they are lost.
Bibliography
1) ARTASIA PRESS CO., LTD
http://www.phuketmagazine.com/html/Andaman%20Region/Mergui%20Arch
ipelago/The%20Moken-traditional%20sea%20gypsies.htm
2) GISLEN, Anna
2005 A whole new world. New Scientist187(2506): 46
3) Griswold, Eliza
2005 SEA GYPSIES. New Yorker80(44): 36
4) Hagler, Tom
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/asia/july-dec05/tsunami_12-26.html
5) Handwerk, Brian
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/05/0514_040514_sea
gypsies.html
2005 Sea Gypsies of Myanmar. National Geographic207(4): 36-56
7) Simon, Bob
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/03/18/60minutes/main681558.shtml
8) Reynard, Nicolas
http://www7.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0504/sights_n_sounds/index.html
9) Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animist
10) Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moken
11) Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_Gypsies
