:
For Seafarers International Union and affiliates, see Seafarers International Union of North America.
An artist impression of Seafarers.
can refer to ethnic groups living by the sea in
Southeast Asia, and also other sea-living ethnic groups in the world. The ethnic group name refers to a large distribution area, reaching from the
islands of Indonesia to
Burma. This group is sometimes known as
Sea Gypsies.
In the
South China Sea area, the ethnic group name is called as
Orang Laut, which literally means "the sea people" in
Malay. These
malay peoples of Southeast Asia trace their forbears to
Yunnan (now a province of
China) some 5000-10000 years ago. They were seafarers that migrated along rivers such as
Mekong and
Irrawady to the
Andaman Sea,
South China Sea and various locations in the
Malay archipelago. In the 15th century, large numbers of Malay Seafarers converted to
Islam.
Along the west coast of
Thailand and Burma, the ethnic group is referred as the
Moken. Their knowledge of the sea enables them to live off its organisms by using simple tools such as nets and spears to forage for food. What is not consumed is dried atop their boats, then used for trade at local markets for other necessities. During the monsoon season, they build additional boats while occupying temporary huts. Many 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, living area. Much of their traditional life, built on the premise of life as outsiders, is under threat and appears to be diminishing. The Sea Gypsies are a minority group that number only a few tens of thousands in
Andaman Sea and Thailand. They maintain a
nomadic sea-based culture and live almost entirely on boats and practice
shamanic rites.
Other ethnic groups, who are often being grouped with the seafarers, are
Bajau in the southern archipelago of
Philippines, eastern
Malaysia and Indonesia, and
Urak Lawoi (the coastal dwellers of Thailand).
Recent maternal mitochondrial DNA analysis suggests that
Polynesian seafarers, including
Tongans,
Samoans, Niueans,
Cook Islanders,
Tahitians,
Hawaiians, Marquesans and
Māori, are genetically linked to indigenous peoples of parts of Southeast Asia, including those of
Taiwan. These two groups together can be called the
Austronesians.
See also
