Salone (The Sea Gypsies)

These "sea gypsies" refer to themselves as Moken. The name is used for all of the proto-Malayan speaking tribes who inhabit the coast and islands in the Andaman Sea on the west coast of Thailand and up through the Mergui Archipelago of Myanmar.

The Burmese call the Moken, Selung, or Salone or Chalome.

Culture

Their knowledge of the sea enables them to live off its fauna and flora by using simple tools such as nets and spears to forage for food. What isn't consumed is dried atop their boats and used to barter for other necessities at local markets. During the monsoon season, they build additional boats while occupying temporary huts. Some of the Burmese Moken are still nomadic people who roam the sea most of their lives in small hand-crafted wooden boats called Kabang, which serve not just as transportation, but also as kitchen, bedroom, and living area. However, much of their traditional life, which is built on the premise of life as outsiders, is under threat and appears to be diminishing.

Many Burmese Moken have intermarried with local Burmese Muslims, Arabs and Indian seamen/traders. They are Muslims, and speak Burmese and a Malay dialect, with some of them holding Burmese and Malaysian double citizenship.

There are no more than 5000 Salones left in the world today scattered over the Myeik Archipelago as well as some parts at the Andaman Sea.

2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami

The islands where the Moken live received much media attention in 2005 during the Southeast Asia Tsunami recovery, where hundreds of thousands of lives were lost in the disaster. As they are keenly aware of the sea, the Moken in some areas knew the tsunami that struck on December 26, 2004 was coming, and managed to preserve many lives.

However in the coastal villages the Moken suffered severe devastation to housing and fishing boats in common with other communities