Urak Lawoi

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The Urak Lawoi ( Thai : อู รัก ลา โว้ย ) are an indigenous people in Thailand who live on islands in the Andaman Sea : Phuket ( เกาะ ภูเก็ต ), Siray, Phi Phi ( หมู่ เกาะ พี พี ), Lanta ( เกาะลันตา ), Muk ( เกาะ มุก ) and Bulon ( เกาะ บุ โหลน ), as well as in Tarutao National Park on Lipe ( เกาะ หลี เป๊ะ ) and Adang ( เกาะ อา ดัง ). About 6,000 people belong to it. The Urak Lawoi already differ in their phenotype , e.g. B. by their darker skin color and the mostly curly hair, clearly from the ethnic Thais .

Settlement of Urak Lawoi on Ko Adang, 1990

Surname

They call themselves Urak Lawoi (translated: people from the sea ). In Thailand they are referred to as Chao Leh ( ชาวเล - literally people of the sea ) or Chao Naam (water people ) with a slightly disparaging connotation . The term Seezigeuner / Sea Gypsies , used in European languages, is a pejorative collective term for various ethnic groups .

The formerly semi-nomadic Urak Lawoi form a subgroup of the sea nomads called Orang Laut .

Language family

Merritt Ruhlen counts the language of the Urak Lawoi, Malawoi, as well as the languages ​​of the Minangkabau and Rejang in Sumatra, to the languages ​​he calls Para-Malay . In addition to the Aboriginal Malay the Orang Asli and the Local Malay z. B. the Orang Laut, as well as the languages ​​of the Moken and Moklen, these are assigned to the western branch of the Malayo-Polynesian subgroup of the Austronesian language family. Malawoi is now influenced by Thai, especially since school lessons are exclusively in Thai.

history

In the period from 6000 to 2500 BC Tribes of the Austronesian language group, coming from Taiwan, immigrated to the Philippines and spread further south and east to the islands of the Pacific, as well as westwards across Southeast Asia to Madagascar , which they reached about 1500 years ago. The Urak Lawoi could have settled in the course of this migration long before the arrival of the first Thais islands and coasts of the Andaman Sea.

Their history has only been documented since the beginning of the 20th century. The then Prime Minister of Satuns, Praya Poomnardpakdee, asked the Indonesian trader and magician To Kiri to bring Urak Lawoi to the Adang Archipelago in order to prove to the British colonial government that the archipelago was settled by Thai citizens, because in 1909 the state border between Thailand and Malaysia negotiated. The Urak Lawoi, who now live on the island of Lipe (who then only received Thai citizenship a generation ago and collectively the surname Haan Thaleh , which means sea ​​hero , from the mother of King Phumiphon , Srinagarindra , who protected them), are mainly originated from the families who followed To Kiri from Lanta and Phuket to the Adang Archipelago.

religion

The traditional religion is animistic . The Urak Lawoi respect both nature spirits and the souls of the deceased. Shamanism is practiced as everyday medicine. The Urak Lawoi on Bulon Island have converted to Islam. The Thai Buddhism is prevalent among the Urak Lawoi now, and now there is also a Christian movement. Buddhism and Islam go well with animism so that these religions could be adopted without giving up traditional practices. The missionary activity of the Baptist Christians, however, requires the abandonment of shamanism and animistic rites. The attitude of the Urak Lawoi towards the faith is characterized by tolerance. It often happens that the individual members of a family are followers of different religions.

Way of life

Traditionally the Urak Lawoi lived on the beach. They harvest clams and shellfish from rocks and the reef. They fish and pose, e.g. B. on Ko Adang, traps for wild boar. The Urak Lawoi of the Adang Archipelago have extensive knowledge of vegetables, herbs and roots that grow wild in the jungle. They live in houses or temporary accommodation (Baghad) depending on the season . They make their living mainly from fishing, but employment in the tourism industry is constantly increasing. They use longtail boats that are usually owned by a fishmonger who is not from their community. Most Urak-Lawoi men are luug nong of such a fishmonger (taukay) . This employment relationship, which is widespread throughout Asia, is characterized by a strong dependency, comparable to serfdom in the European Middle Ages.

Since all Urak Lawoi settlements are located on islands that are now heavily visited tourist centers, their culture is going under. Their traditional area of ​​life is being destroyed by urbanization. Efforts from their community to preserve their living space are nipped in the bud by local powers. On Phuket, the Urak Lawoi have meanwhile been pushed into slums.

Cultural peculiarity

Twice a year, when the monsoon winds change, the Urak Lawoi celebrate a three-day festival called Phra Chak (in Thai: Loi Rüa ). It begins with a sacrificial ceremony for the benefit of the souls of the deceased, especially To Kiris and his wife, who are buried on the island of Lipe. On the second day a model boat is built, which is brought into the sea at low tide on the morning of the third day in order to carry away the bad things of the last few months from the island and its inhabitants. Then seven wooden crosses and water buckets are placed on the beach in the village.

Spiritual ceremonies are accompanied by Ramana music. In order to be able to celebrate Ramana , at least seven old men must be present, with the shaman assuming the role of precentor. To the singing of seven songs, of course in Malawoi, there is drums. The women dance in a circle around the venerated object, i.e. around the graves of To Kiris and his wife, the model boat, the wooden crosses or, in other Ramana ceremonies, the drumming and singing men.

Besides the Ramana , the Urak Lawoi also know the Rong Ngeng music, which is more used for social occasions. Instead of the shaman, the violin player plays the main role. Girls and women stand in two rows and dance towards each other, the gestures of the hands being very important. A handkerchief held in one hand serves as a bridge to the side dancer at times.

Due to their isolated lifestyle on islands, the Urak Lawoi still have the knowledge to support themselves from nature. Even poisonous species of fish such as puffer fish and lionfish are prepared and eaten when they get caught in fish traps (bubu) . Your community is shaped by extensive knowledge of the marine environment, including navigation without technical aids.

Urak Lawoi on Ko Lipe

language

German Malaysian Malawoy
Have you eaten yet? Anda sudah makan? Gau makad nasi da ted?
There is no water Tidak ada air Bo hoy ayee
fish Ikan Ikad
Octopus Sotong Nuih
fishing Memancing Memancing
Where are you going? Pergi mana? Pi diha?
Never mind Tidak apa-apa! Hoy nama !, Hoy pasan!

Designation as an indigenous people

The Urak Lawoi can be called an indigenous people because they meet the requirements of the definition according to Erika-Irene Daes , the long-time chairman of the UN working group on indigenous peoples :

  1. The Urak Lawoi populated and used the islands of the southern Andaman Sea in front of the ethnic Thais, who are traditionally not seafaring people.
  2. The culture of the Urak Lawoi differs in language, rites, music and eating habits from the ethnic Malay and ethnic Thais. The preservation of their culture was done on a voluntary basis.
  3. They define themselves as "people from the sea" and see themselves as a community that is different from the Moken, ethnic Malay and ethnic Thais.
  4. Their experience of oppression relates to their discrimination, exploitation of their labor force, denial of their right to self-determination regarding their place of residence, and denial of recognition of their land rights.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Merritt Ruhlen: A Guide to the World's Languages, Vol 1, p. 344, Stanford University Press, ISBN 0-8047-1894-6
  2. ↑ Urak Lawoi of the Adang Archipelago, by Dr. Supin Wongbusarakum, pp. 11-14
  3. ↑ Urak Lawoi of the Adang Archipelago, by Dr. Supin Wongbusarakum, pp. 41-44
  4. ↑ Urak Lawoi of the Adang Archipelago, by Dr. Supin Wongbusarakum, 34/35
  5. ↑ Urak Lawoi of the Adang Archipelago, by Dr. Supin Wongbusarakum, p.48/49
  6. ↑ Urak Lawoi of the Adang Archipelago, by Dr. Supin Wongbusarakum, 45/46
  7. ↑ Urak Lawoi of the Adang Archipelago, by Dr. Supin Wongbusarakum, pp.73/74
  8. ↑ Working Paper by the Chairperson-Rapporteur, Mrs. Erica-Irene A. Daes, on the concept of indigenous people. UN document E / CN.4 / Sub.2 / AC.4 / 1996/2 ( web document , unhchr.ch)

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