The trailer for the docu about the Moken tribe: No Word for Worry/ProjectMoken
If you ever needed proof of how adaptable the human body can be to change, meet the Moken tribe, a nomadic group of seafarers in Thailand whose children have taught themselves to see underwater with perfect clarity.
The tribal people living in the Andaman Sea archipelago on the west coast of Thailand are also called "sea nomads" and they subsist entirely on what they find in the ocean, using simple tools such as nets and spears to search for food. As a result, the tribe's children taught themselves how to see perfectly underwater - and trained their eyes to change shape to adapt to the aquatic environment, much like seals and dolphins.
The amazing thing is that this trait is not unique to the Moken people. In fact, experiments have shown that with enough practice, any child is capable of learning this amazing skill within a few weeks. Adults, on the other hand, will have difficulty developing it.
The phenomenon was first noticed in 1999 by vision researcher Anna Gislan from Lund University in Sweden, who wrote an in-depth report on the subject for the BBC. "Usually when you go underwater, everything is so blurry that the eye doesn't even try to adjust. It's not a normal reflex," she wrote, "but the Moken children are able to do both things - they can make their pupils smaller and change the shape of their eye lens. Seals and dolphins have a similar ability to adapt."
To test this theory, Gislan recruited a group of European children who were on vacation with their parents and used them for a series of exercises, in which they dived underwater and tried to decipher the direction of the lines on the cards presented to them. "If they were able to correctly identify one pattern underwater, then we used a finer grid — thinner stripes — until the child made a mistake, which meant he or she could no longer see the pattern underwater."
The researchers determined that Moken children could see underwater twice as well as their European counterparts. After 11 sessions spanning one month, both groups eventually managed to reach the same level of underwater visual acuity. "It was different for each child, but at some point his vision just suddenly improved," Ghislan said, "I asked them if they were doing anything different and they said, 'No, I can just see better now.'"
However, of all the adults Gislan tested, none had the same ability as the children - and instead the adults of the tribe hunted for food by fishing with spears and nets instead of diving. She suspects that the Moken people lose their "dolphin eyes" as they age because the lens of the eye becomes less flexible with age.
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In a follow-up report, Gislan found that the European children she tested all ended up retaining the ability to constrict their pupils and make adjustments, even after four months of no underwater activity at all. Light in Southeast Asia - the children achieved the same underwater vision acuity as the 'Sea Nomads' children," she wrote.
Unfortunately, however, due to changes in the lifestyle of the Moken people, it seems increasingly unlikely that future generations will inherit the 'dolphin eyes' of their ancestors. "They just don't spend that much time in the sea anymore," she says, "so I doubt if any of the children growing up in the tribe these days have this extraordinary vision."
More on the subject:
An ancient tribe that has evolved and can live underwater is in danger
The mystery behind the 'ostrich people' tribe with the deformed legs
The Moken tribe is trying to survive with the development of the modern world
The Moken people, who have lived between Myanmar and Thailand for about 4,000 years, lead a life unlike any other in the world. They are known as nomads and their entire existence revolves around the ocean - a way of life that is now facing significant challenges. They are among the last people in the world to live this way, known for their exceptional freediving skills and living on traditional kabang boats. But the world is changing - and so is the life of the Moken.
Currently, most of the Mokkan have settled in the Margwi Archipelago, off the coast of Myanmar, with a smaller presence on Thai Island. For the Moken, modern times bring with them a series of difficulties. The traditional ways they lived, including their statelessness, are under constant threat from the encroaching modern world. The younger generation finds itself at a crossroads, struggling to balance the customs of the ancestors with the new and modern influences. The kabang boats that were once common are now a rarity, symbolizing a culture in flux.
Environmental issues add to their challenges. The Moken way of life, intrinsically linked to the sea as we have noted, is under threat from pollution, overfishing and the wider effects of climate change. These issues affect their traditional sources of food and livelihood and threaten the core of their cultural identity.
"Andaman Discoveries" a company established after the 2004 tsunami has been helping the Moken people adapt to modern challenges since 2011, while preserving their heritage. They have fostered trust-based partnerships that empower the Moken in tourism - and distanced them from exploitative industries such as commercial fishing. This cooperation reshapes the Moken's daily life and ensures that they maintain their traditions in the new circumstances.
The Edges of Earth team, led by Andy Cross, set out on a mission to these islands to understand the daily lives of the Moken and the problems they face in the rapidly changing world around them. The team was determined to find ways to help Mocans preserve their culture amid the rapid progress of the 21st century. Edges of Earth's focus on sustainable practices reflects Andaman Discoveries' efforts in promoting modern recycling and running the Ocean Guardians program. These initiatives, which address the impact of Western consumerism and combat marine plastic pollution, provide income and environmental protection for the Moken tribe. Both organizations are committed to exploring sustainable options such as eco-tourism, which can provide income without disrupting the Moken's way of life - and to prioritize the protection of marine ecosystems vital to the Moken's way of life.
In addition to these issues, the team also noted the Moken's lack of access to basic health and education services. The children, growing up in a world completely different from their ancestors, risk losing touch with their cultural heritage. The team is now working on how to bridge this gap and ensure that the younger generation feels connected to their roots while learning skills that will help them thrive in the modern environment.
More on the same topic:
Tribes
Thailand
The Human Body