The Chaoleys. Sea nomads.

Thaïland is arguably one of the most famous countries discussed among travellers. However, despite the international interest in this country, almost nobody hears about the local nomadic tribes — Chaoleys.  The name Chaoleys is given by Thailandese, which literally means “people of the sea”.

Three main groups of these sea gypsies are living in Thailand: the Mokens, the Moklens and the Urak Lawoi. The last two groups settled in three villages on the shores of Phuket island, while the Mokens kept their traditional nomadic lifestyle: foraging and fishing in different spots to help nature maintain its ecological balance. 

The Chaoleys have no written language, which makes it hard to trace their history. They speak their own language, close to Malay but with Thai influence. They have their own religion and belief in the existence of the soul and the spirituality of all nature and things.

Unfortunately, Chaoleys don’t get much recognition as an ethnic group in Thaïland and most of them are still struggling to get their papers from local authorities. Most of these populations have settled on the seashore with no title deeds, illegally occupying space, and some of their villages are not even listed as part of the country…

For those reasons, they get banned from accessing basic public services such as healthcare and education, which makes their conditions of life quite difficult and preserving their traditions even more problematic.

Today’s Mokens, especially the new generations, are losing their ancestral heritage due to the contempt of successive governments, disdain from the Thais, aggressive tourism, the health crisis, and an overall lack of recognition. With the development of tourism, Chaoleys, who were traditionally fishermen and divers, are brought to be sellers in fish markets, restaurants and souvenir shops in order to make money, although they still commonly practice barter in daily life.

Like most small communities, the ethnic group of Chaoleys is getting weaker and losing its cultural differences in the face of the modern world. This project was created to raise awareness about them and the problems this nomadic tribe faces in a period of time when their civilisation is threatened by the changes and destruction of their environment and traditions due to the economic interests of a tourist nation that, sadly, still promotes aggressive touristic politics.

2022