Sea Gypsies Saw Signs In The Waves

How Moken People In Asia Saved Themselves From Deadly Tsunami

(CBS)  The Moken don't know how old they are. Ivanoff says this is because, "Time is not the same concept as we have. You can't say for instance, 'When.' It doesn't exist in Moken language."

And Ivanoff says "when" is not the only word missing from the Moken language. "Want" is another. "Yes, you use it very often," says Ivanoff. "Take that out of your language and you see how often you use it. 'I want this, I want that.'"

There is also no word for "take." "You take something," says Ivanoff. "You give or you take. You don't want."

The fact is, the Moken want very little. What they don’t want is to accumulate anything. Baggage is not good for a nomadic people. It ties you down. They have no notion and no desire for wealth.

Is there any other word missing from the Moken language? "No goodbye, no hello," says Ivanoff. "That's quite difficult. Imagine after one year, you live with them, and then you go. You go. That’s it. Finish."

And, there are no greetings. While 60 Minutes was on a Thai Moken island, a flotilla from Burma dropped by. They didn’t seem terribly excited by this. But visits from relatives, and they’re all relatives, happen all the time. And since there is no notion of time, it doesn’t matter if the last visit was a week ago or five years ago. There’s just a constant commingling. And, in the wake of the tsunami, they’re all busy now, rebuilding their boats and their lives.

"What I saw since the tsunami is yes, they take this opportunity to make the strong group stronger," says Ivanoff to Simon. "For instance, you are sitting on his boat."

"Is it OK with him," asks Simon.

"No problem," says Ivanoff. "He wanted to work a bit on the boat, but…"

"But he doesn't mind waiting," asks Simon.

"Of course not," says Ivanoff, who says this is not a problem.

But the Moken do have problems. The Burmese have turned some of their islands into military bases. And the Thais are having them make trinkets for tourists, a trend that could ultimately threaten their way of life far more than any number of tsunamis.
But the Moken don’t seem terribly worried by all this. Perhaps that’s because "worry" is just one more of those words that don’t exist in their language.

[messages17]

What an amazing culture! To not have the word "want" in your language or the behavior or actions associated with it.
What wouild it take for any of us to spend a day and not be touched by the energy of someone/business telling us to Want It.
Saks 5th Avenue ran an ad campaign this year the" centeal theme was stated on every advertisement WANT IT - The fashion world has blessed it and we have it." We are so deluged by the message want me, buy me - that we don't even know it anymore.

[messages17]

What an amazing culture! To not have the word "want" in your language or the behavior or actions associated with it.
What wouild it take for any of us to spend a day and not be touched by the energy of someone/business telling us to Want It.
Saks 5th Avenue ran an ad campaign this year the" centeal theme was stated on every advertisement WANT IT - The fashion world has blessed it and we have it." We are so deluged by the message want me, buy me - that we don't even know it anymore.

[messages17]

What an amazing culture! To not have the word "want" in your language or the behavior or actions associated with it.
What wouild it take for any of us to spend a day and not be touched by the energy of someone/business telling us to Want It.
Saks 5th Avenue ran an ad campaign this year the" centeal theme was stated on every advertisement WANT IT - The fashion world has blessed it and we have it." We are so deluged by the message want me, buy me - that we don't even know it anymore.

[minminmin-2009]

I'm less optimistic than some of you. I fear these people will be slowly steamrolled into somebody else's culture. Look how many cultures have fallen, the American Indians, the Hawaiians, the aborigines...the list is horribly long...I hope they hang in there.

[klifton2-2009]

In our quest to be "advanced" and "civilized" we have become irrelevant. Anyone who does not conform to our definition of civilized, we thumb our noses at them and handle them with disdain. Good for the Moken! Indeed, they have a lot to teach us, if only we are less arrogant and stop adopting the "I know best" attitude.

[rational_1]

I'm sitting here in front of my computer in an air conditioned office reading this article, before a full day of writing and meetings. The Moken, on the other hand, hang out with their kids and friends, live in a great place and don't worry about deadlines and other pressures. They seem really at peace (lucky them!!). Makes you wonder if our techno-civilization was really such a good idea!

[dukeudevil]

One gets the feeling that the Moken were here long before us (i.e., so-called civilized people) and will be here long after we "go," military bases and/or tsunamis withstanding.

Nice follow-up, CBSNews.com. Thanks for the update.

[brianbwb-2009]

to friquegnonm

The Moken have always been sea people , until only relatively recently untouched by other cultures. Their language does predate Buddhism, and the music is also unique, though this is changing. their culture assimilated Buddhist ideas, and later western ideas as and when they fit their aquatic lifestyle, but there is still a strong and proud tradition that clings to the root of their existance. The Moken came from the sea, they will go back to it.

[plainjean]

Great journalism CBS! Somewhere up above Margaret Mead is smiling down upon you. And those Mekon. Bob Simons has discovered the way to end global warming: live like the Mekon!

[msbb18]

*** great piece. check out John Lurie's video on fishing in the Andamon sea. Different, but interesting.

[friquegnonm]

Could someone please tell me if the language/society of the Moken predates or is subsequent to exposure to Buddhist ideas.