- Seafarers
: "For Seafarers International Union and affiliates, see
Seafarers International Union of North America ."Seafarers can refer to ethnic groups living by the sea in
Southeast Asia , and also other sea living ethnic groups in the world. The ethnic group name refers to a large distribution area along from the islands of Indonesia toBurma , which sometimes being group asSea Gypsies .In the
South China Sea area, the ethnic group name is called asOrang Laut , which literally means the sea people in Malay. Thesemalay people s of Southeast Asia traced back the forefathers coming as far asYunnan (now a province ofChina ) some 5000-10000 years ago, they were seafarers that migrated along rivers such asMekong andIrrawady to theAndaman Sea ,South China Sea and various locations in theMalay archipelago . In the 15th century, large numbers of Malay Seafarers converted toIslam .Along the west coast of
Thailand and Burma, the ethnic group is referred as theMoken . Their knowledge of the sea enables them to live off its organisms by using simple tools such as nets and spears to forage for food. What is not consumed is dried atop their boats, then used for trade at local markets for other necessities. During the monsoon season, they build additional boats while occupying temporary huts. Many of the Burmese Moken are still nomadic people who roam the sea most of their lives in small hand-crafted wooden boats called Kabang, which serve not just as transportation, but also as kitchen, bedroom, living area. Unfortunately much of their traditional life, built on the premise of life as outsiders, is under threat and appears to be diminishing. The Sea Gypsies are a minority group that number only a few tens of thousands inAndaman Sea and Thailand. They maintain anomadic sea-based culture and live almost entirely on boats and practiceshamanic rites.Other ethnic groups, who are often being grouped with the seafarers, are
Bajau in the southern archipelago ofPhilippines , easternMalaysia and Indonesia, andUrak Lawoi (the coastal dwellers of Thailand).Recent maternal mitochondrial DNA analysis suggests that
Polynesian seafarers, includingTonga ns,Samoa ns, Niueans,Cook Island ers,Tahiti ans,Hawaii ans, Marquesans andMāori , are genetically linked to indigenous peoples of parts of Southeast Asia, including those ofTaiwan . These two groups together can be called the Austronesians.ee also
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Seafarer (poem)
*The Seafarers (Stanley Kubrick's third film)
*The Seafarers of Catan
*Viking seafarerExternal links
* [http://www.atributetohinduism.com/Seafaring_in_Ancient_India.htm Seafaring of India.]
* [http://www.he.net/~archaeol/9703/etc/specialreport.html Ancient Seafarers]
* [http://www.teara.govt.nz/EarthSeaAndSky/SeaAndAirTransport/Seafarers/en The seafaring workforce]
* [http://www.nmm.ac.uk/server/show/conWebDoc.168 Ships and seafarers]
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