In 2020, EarthAction, in collaboration with the Save Our Spirits Fund, gave a grant to the Global Purpose Group to support their work with the Surin Islanders in a project to clean up their ancestral beaches and restore aspects of their culture, especially communication between youth and elders using song and stories. What follows is a report on their project. Donations to support the continuation and expansion of this project can be made to EarthAction on the donate page of our website. Please indicate your donation is for the Moken Beach Project.
1. Describe the overall project, start and end dates, and how it went compared to your plans and objectives. Be as brief as possible while telling the story.
The project started the 4th of February and ended 5th of May. The Beach Restoration team started work on the 9th of February and collected up to 2800 kg of recyclable trash around the Surin islands. The group showed strong teamwork and one member Lek stood out in his ability to manage the team and was promoted team leader. The team went out with the longtailboat every other day to clear the remote bays from washed up marine debris. The day after the collected the trash was rinsed, sorted and packed to eventually be transferred to the mainland in order to be sold to Ranong Recycle for Environment Social Enterprise. Ten bays have been cleared of ocean plastics, including: Ao Sai Daeng, Ao Jaak, Sai Aen, Sai Aen Lek, Ao Bon Yai, Ao Bon Lek, Ao Saparot Lek, Ao Saparot Yai, Ao Tao Lek and Ao Tao Yai. The Beach Restoration went according to plans and objectives even exceeding them by starting a cooperation with the National Park in which they agreed to transfer all non-recyclables to the the nearest landfill on the mainland. The meeting with the National Park revealed approval and appreciation for the Moken initiative which is an important step for this indigenous community in the standing with the local Thai authorities. The initial objective to open labour possibilities in the village by having a rotation system among the different boat owners to share the job of going out to the remote bays did not work as most boat owners have long-term plans for the season. It made more sense to have one boat for the duration of the project. For the trash transfer to the mainland four different boats were used. For next season we plan to increase the amount of non-recyclable waste as we finally have secured free transfer to the mainland in the cooperation with the park authorities.
The Ancestral Knowledge Teaching was successful as for the first time in Moken history, Moken elders have been paid to be teachers to the Moken children. In total, seven Moken including Tat, Sabai, Jipen, Nin, Sutat, Ngui and Hook have shared their traditional knowledge of oral storytelling through songs, medicinal herbs and plants, sailing, rowing and diving with the children. For many children this was the first time they sailed on the traditional Moken houseboat. Teaching in the Moken school in the village is irregular which is based partly on strange system that is a kind of experience the government imposed on the Surin islands and partly due to absence of the teachers. This leads to irregular attendance of the students. Our objective was to take all the school children out on trip by the end of the project and this objective was met. In fact all regularly attending school children counting up to 27 children joined at least two times for the activities. From the irregularly attending students and including the pre-schoolers 10 kids joined for one trip. Initially we had planned to have more trips on a regular schedule. However, this being the first time for this initiative, the establishment of the structure took more effort. For the next season the groundwork has been laid to introduce a weekly schedule for the ancestral knowledge teaching. The Moken teachers were all enthusiastic about this opportunity and have shown interest to continue the coming season. The feedback from the students were overly positive and they look forward to more days of cultural education.
2. What did you learn from doing this work? Were there any ’surprises’ or discoveries?
Working with the Moken is an ongoing learning experience. This once free-roaming indigenous community has been forced to life door-to-door in an overpopulated village. Although it looks like a village, it actually lacks its infrastructures. Problems arise naturally and solutions to some village problems from an outsider perspective seem simple. However, given the nomadic history of this community simple village solutions fail easily. It is an ongoing learning experience to get a deeper understanding of the Moken and their socio-cultural history. This year I learned that the Moken culture exists without time structures and time plans. The spontaneously organized cultural teaching sessions always worked out, but when we tried to introduce a system based on recurring weekly schedules, it just didn't work. The same problem arose for village meetings. Navigating the insights is important to continue offering community based support. If freedom, spontaneity and a total detachment from structure is what defines the Moken, yet at the same is also what is threatening their existence, then how much structure can we bring in order to serve their spirit to be Moken and take on the challenges that their existence as a cultural minority in Thailand brings with it?
3. Do you have plans to build on this experience in the future. If so, describe them briefly.
We support the Moken to be in charge of their life, while offering assistance while they navigate through the troubled waters of a having been a free-roaming nomadic culture to being a sedentary minority in Thailand. Their journey leads through limited access of resources, being a tourist attraction in a National Park, and being discriminated against. In order to be able to stand up for their culture, their spiritual beliefs, their history and their traditions, they need to be in state to be able to do that. This project is the first self-initiated project by the Moken which is environmentally and culturally meaningful and helps the Moken to direct their own lives. As an outsider to the culture we continue to learn every year on how to assist the Moken better. At the moment the best support is to build on their initiative and continue adding small aspects to it that help strengthens their community. We will continue with the beach restoration project as of October next season and also continue the element of cultural education.
4. Did this project affect the spiritual aspects of individuals and the community? If so, please describe briefly.
The indigenous community of the Moken is closely connected to their surrounding nature. Dispossession of traditional land is a problem that many indigenous communities face around the world. In the extreme cases the spiritual connection to the land will be lost forever. The Moken still live around the ocean and the jungle, and although their access to its resources has been restricted, their connection is still intact. The Moken standing up for their environment because they witness the plastic pollution that happens on a global level is an important aspect to maintain the spiritual connection to their sacred lands. Two of the beaches that have been cleared from floating ocean plastics are burial grounds, while three other beaches have been their home in which ceremonies have been held.
