As the toll rose from the December 26, 2004, tsunami, a report
has surfaced describing how the Moken, who live on the Surin Islands
off the western coast of Thailand, survived the giant wave. The Moken,
a group of people known as sea gypsies, have no written language but
rely on oral tradition. Based on his studies, geologist Ted Bryant
determined that a tsunami has not occured in the region in over 500
years, but for more than twenty-five generations elders have passed
on ancestral knowledge to their children warning them to flee to higher
ground when they notice the water receding rapidly.
The Moken, who make their living
from the sea, live on the beach at that time of year. On the morning
of the December 26, when they noticed the water dropping precipitously,
the Mokens fled to the highest point of land on their island, 113
feet above sea level. There they waited while seven killer waves crashed
ashore. Not a single person died, although their entire village was
flattened. Unaware of the danger, tens of thousands of people on the
mainland perished in the onslaught of churning water.
There are many ways to pass
knowledge from one generation to the next, but the Mokens' survival
demonstrates the power of oral tradition.