Moken
The Moken (also Mawken or Morgan; Burmese: ဆလုံ လူမျိုး; Thai: ชาวเล, romanized: chao le, lit. 'sea people') are an Austronesian people of the Mergui Archipelago, a group of approximately 800 islands claimed by both Myanmar and Thailand, and the Surin Islands. Most of the 2,000 to 3,000 Moken live a semi-nomadic hunter-gatherer lifestyle heavily based on the sea, though this lifestyle is increasingly under threat.
Moken girl wearing thanaka on her face | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 2,000–3,000 (2013) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Thailand Myanmar | |
| Languages | |
| Moken, Malay, Thai, Burmese, others | |
| Religion | |
| Ancestor worship, Buddhism, Islam | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Malay, Orang Laut, Bajau |
The Moken identify in a common culture; there are 1500 men and 1500 women who speak the Moken language, a distinct Austronesian language. Attempts by both Myanmar and Thailand to assimilate the Moken into the wider regional culture have met with very limited success. However, the Moken face an uncertain future as their population decreases and their nomadic lifestyle and unsettled legal status leave them marginalized by modern property and immigration laws, maritime conservation and development programs, and tightening border policies.