Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
in the south a strong cultural identity prevails that is more in tune with the Islamic culture
of nearby Malaysia.
Before modern political boundaries divided the Malay peninsula into two countries,
the city states, sultanates and villages were part of an Indonesian-based Srivijaya empire
- with intermingled customs and language - all vying for local control over shipping
routes. Many southern Thai towns and geographic names bear the hallmark of the Bahasa
language, and some village traditions would be instantly recognised by a Sumatran but
not by a northern Thai. Chinese culture is also prominent in southern Thailand, as seen in
the numerous temples and clan houses, and it is this intermingling of domestic and 'for-
eign' culture that defines the south.
CHOW LAIR
Southern Thailand is home to one of Thailand's smallest ethnic groups, the
chow lair,
literally, 'people of the
sea' (also spelt
chao leh
). Also known as Moken
(mor
ยท
gaan),
or sea gypsies, the
chow lair
are an ethnic group
of Malay origin who are found along coasts as far north as Myanmar and as far south as Borneo. The remaining
traditional bands of
chow lair
are hunter-gatherers who are recognised as one of the few groups of humans that
live primarily at sea, although in recent years many have turned to shanty-like settlements on various islands.
Perhaps as a result of generations of this marine lifestyle, many
chow lair
can hold their breath for long periods
of time and also have an uncanny ability to see underwater. Life at sea has also helped them in other ways: dur-
ing the 2004 tsunami, virtually no
chow lair
were killed, as folk tales handed down from generation to genera-
tion alerted them to the dangers of the quickly receding tide, and they were able to escape to higher ground.
The
chow lair
were mostly ignored until recently when their islands became valuable for tourism. Entrepren-
eurs bought up large tracts of beachfront land and the
chow lair
moved on to smaller, less valuable islands. With
these pressures, it was perhaps inevitable that the
chow lair
culture would slowly disappear. Many sea gypsies
now make a living ferrying tourists around the islands or harvesting fish for seafood buffets at tourist resorts.
One vestige of traditional
chow lair
life you may see is the biannual 'boat floating' ceremony in May and
November, in which an elaborate model boat is set adrift, carrying away bad luck.
