They call it “wave that eats people,” but the Moken, who have lived
in isolation here for decades, emerged from the tsunami almost unscathed.
There were about 200 Moken living on South Surin Island, 65 kilometers,
or 40 miles, from Thailand's shore, when the wave hit on December 26
th . Their village where houses were built of thatched huts on stilts
was on the beach. But when the water crashed over it, the Moken, including
old women and parents with babies on their backs, had already run to
the hills.
In a matter of fact, the Moken tribe knows the mysteries of the ocean
better than most Thais because they have roamed it for centuries as fishermen
and divers. They used to live half the year in houseboats on the Andaman
Sea ( visit
the Andaman Grand Sale ), wandering between Thailand and Myanmar.
To say again, they have lived very closely to the water. They are animists
who believe that the sea, their island and all objects have spirits,
and the Moken use totem poles to communicate with them.
Very long time they have been told and taught by their ancestors to
expect a people-eating wave whenever the tide receded far and fast. The
chief of the Moken said, so when he witnessed such a sight on the morning
of December 26 th , he started running and shouting. He had ever seen
such a low tide.
After December 26 th Tsunami hit ( see
our Photo Gallery for post Tsunami- hit areas ), the Moken could
avoid future tsunamis by moving to the hills.
The Secret of the Survivors The eyesight of the Moken under water is so sharp that researchers have
studied it. Many cannot read or write. The lore and knowledge education
is only through passing down from generations to generation orally. They
have their own language, though many younger Moken now speak Thai.
Now, because of The Moken's agile escape from the tsunami, the Thai
news media have painted them as heroes, and politicians have called for
preserving their way of life and spreading their long-held wisdom.
The Moken believed that tsunamis came because the sea was angry. “We
didn't do anything bad, but maybe somebody else did”. “The wave has cleaned
out the bad things.”
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