Thailand's Moken ethnic group

[PeteC]

Article with photos about the plight and resettling of Thailand's sea gypsies, or chao ley.

https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/ ... index.html

After centuries of nomadic living, Thailand's 'sea people' adapt to life on land

Ko Surin, Thailand (CNN) — These days, Salamak Klathalay, like most of us, lives in a house, on land. But this is a relatively new experience for the 78-year-old.

"As a kid, I lived on a boat part of the year and on land part of the year," Salamak tells me from his home on Ko Surin, an island-bound national park in Thailand's south.

"We would go to land during the monsoon season to look for tubers. After that, we would go back to our boats."
Salamak is a member of Thailand's Moken ethnic group.

Also known as the "sea gypsies" or chao ley -- Thai for "sea people" -- the Moken lay claim to an astounding list of traits. They're one of the only groups of humans who, traditionally, lived predominately at sea, in houseboats called kabang.

They can hold their breath for remarkably long periods of time. And their ability to see underwater is reportedly better than anybody else's.

These skills were honed over centuries of nomadic living -- sailing, hunting and gathering among the islands of Myanmar's Mergui Archipelago and Thailand's upper Andaman Sea coast. ....... (Continued at link)