 About Ko Lanta
-----------------------
-----------------------
-----------------------
-----------------------
Articles
-----------------------
Activities |
Welcome to Koh Lanta Island, Krabi, Thailand - Online Reservations Guide
The Sea Gypsies of Koh Lanta Island
Sang-ga-u Village is located next to the national park headquarters and inhabited by sea gypsies. Originally from the Nicobar or Andaman Islands, the sea gypsies of former centuries were living on their boats and were feared as pirates. The offshore islands between Phuket and Penang offered numerous hiding-places and the entrance to the Street of Malacca, where Portuguese, Spanish and Dutch traders passed on the way to their colonies, were considered the most dangerous waters in Asia. With the slow sailing ships substituted by engine-powered vessels, the sea gypsies began to settle along the Andaman Sea Coast in their stilt-built houses erected between the water level of high and low tide. In Thailand, today most sea gypsies have been granted land, surnames and citizenship and their villages are spread throughout the western coast of the Malaysian peninsula with 2 settlements on Koh Lanta Island.
Sea-gypsies are called "Chao'Lay" in Thai language that means people of the sea and are known as the minority group "Thai Mai" which means new Thai people. On Koh Lanta Island they earn their living on fishing or catching lobster, other tasty shellfish and collecting bird's nests for the Chinese cuisine. When walking through one of their villages on Koh Lanta Island, it is obvious, that most have striking dark skin, curly hair with a slight red touch and bushy eyebrows. Being a matriarchal society, women can be seen wielding much power in the daily village life of the sea gypsies and working side by side in the fishing boats with the men. The sea gypsies are separated into three different groups: the Moken in the North, from Tavoy and Matthews islands in Myanmar, Koh Surin Islands and Koh Ra Islands in Thailand to Rawai Village at the southern tip of Koh Phuket Island. The Moklen inhabit the central region with Koh Phra Thong Island and the coastal villages of Thai Muang and Laem Lar at the northern tip of Koh Phuket Island.
The Urak Lawoi Sea Gypsies are the biggest group, with the inhabited area stretching from Koh Sireh Island at Phuket's eastern coast to Koh Hay Island, Koh Phi Phi Islands, Koh Lanta Islands, Koh Pu Island, Koh Libong Island, Koh Li-peh and as far as the Malaysian Pulau Langkawi Island.
The sea gypsies keep close relations to other sea gypsy villages but do not integrate into the Thai population. They still retain their own language, that belongs to the Malay-Indonesian language family, has no writing but is still found in many geographical names. The name "Pulau" means island and "Piapi" is the name of a tree growing in the mangrove swamps. During the centuries, the name "Pulau Piapi" changed to today's Phi Phi. Sea Gypsies are people that strongly depend on the nature, therefore, their belief in the supernatural and traditional spiritual worship is strong in the community and colours many of their ceremonies. The bi-annual event of the sea-gypsies is "Floating Boats" (Loy-Rua), when the village men jointly build a symbolic boat and place wooden statues of themselves in it, along with nail pairings, hair and popped rice. A medium chants sacred words over the boat and its occupants are cast off. By performing this ritual the sea-gypsies ask for forgiveness from the sea gods for any offences they have made to the Andaman Sea and believe that all evil is carried away in the vessel. The event is a joyful occassion for the whole sea gypsy village. During a cremation a coconut
is planted, with the wish, that the children of the deceased should
live long and in good health.
Web Design by Siam Business Other Travel Destinations: |
