Benefits of Tribalism: Shared History and Wisdom

One day, in the Surin Islands of the Indian Ocean, the ocean waters suddenly receded dramatically. The Moken, a tribe known as “sea gypsies”, and the dwellers of the Surin Islands, knew what to do. They knew, even though they had never seen such a phenomenon in their lifetimes. They knew to run from the ocean; to seek higher ground.

How did they know what to do? Their folklore includes tales of a “wave that eats people” and tells how to avoid the danger by fleeing from the ocean. These tales are told every year, especially during the spring rites.

When "the wave that eats people” came to their island on December 26, 2004, every Moken ran to high ground; not a single life was lost.

In contrast, relatives of the Moken who had moved to mainland Thailand, faced great disaster. In the mainland village of Taptawan, 40 residents were killed, another 100 injured, and another 100 missing.

”The village leader, Thiaw Saetha, said he remembered being told as a child to be wary when the ocean quickly retreated but never passed the knowledge on to his children.” Even though his people still lived by the ocean, the folktales had become mere tales to the Moken who left their island homeland.

Did the re-located Moken think their new circumstance protected them from danger? Did the tales now seem superstitious in the face of “modern” scientific knowledge and lifestyles? So many people could have been saved and protected if the tribe’s history and wisdom had been preserved and respected.

(The Sunday Denver Post , January 16, 2005, Pages 1A, 14-15 A.)

Other examples of tribal lore helping people or a tribe survive?