sea gypsies

  Moken

The Salone Sea Gypsies are a Malaysian ethnic group, also known as the Moken, that clings to an ancient culture on the Southern part of Myeik Archipelago, off the coast of Burma. They are expert in swimming, diving and submerging in the sea, thus the name 'Sea Gypsies' or 'Men of the Sea'. Recent scientific studies have shown that Moken children have an extraordinary ability to see underwater. This may be only one of many ways in which their senses are especially in tune with the ocean. The Salone people most likely lived on the Malay Peninsulain ancient times, before scattering throughout the Myeik Archipelago when displaced by Malaysians. The Andaman Sea off the Tenasserim coast was the subject of keen scrutiny from Burma's regime during the 1990s due to offshore petroleum discoveries by multinational corporations including Unocal, Petronas and others. Reports from the late 1990s told of forced relocation by Burma's military regime of the 'Sea Gypsies' to on-land sites. It was claimed most of the Salone had been relocated by 1997, which is consistent with a pervasive pattern of forced relocation of suspect ethnic, economic and political groups, conducted throughout Burma during the 1990s. The Salons are the among the smallest minorities in Burma and have proven vulnerable and virtually defenseless against human rights abuses committed by the Burmese junta. Refugee Sea Gypsy women and girls likely have ended up in prostitution in Thailand's thriving and notorious port brothels. The Salone nomads have well established cultural values, and their self-sufficiency contrasts with the economic subservience of expeditious natural resource exploitation proffered by modern society. Today, the Salone culture remains intact only on the coastal islands around Kawthoung, formerly Victoria Point, the southernmost town of Myanmar. Sea Gypsies are still found from the Philippines to Borneo to Thailand and Burma. Sea Gypsies still have extensive knowledge of the maritime environment of the Andaman Sea. If the Sea Gypsies are wiped out by disease, turned into a tourist parody of themselves, criminalized, or assimilated into larger groups, the Andaman Sea will have lost its indigenous guardians. As global warming appears to threaten islands and coastal areas around the world, the endangered genetic and cultural heritage of the Sea Gypsies may offer unique insights and hope for coping with global catastrophes.

Sea Gypsies

See also