Unit-1-The-Sea-Gypsies

1Unit1TheSeaGypsiesItwasChristmasnightintheUnitedStatesayearagothatagiantwaveofTsunamihitSouthAisa.Itsweptawayatleast200,000Indonesians,SriLankans,ThaisandtouristsfromaroundtheworldontheirChristmasvacations.Butthere’sonegroupwholivepreciselywherethetsunamihithardestwhosufferednocasualtiesatall.TheyaretheseagypsiesoftheAndamanSea,orastheycallthemselves,theMoken.They’velivedforhundredsofyearsontheislandsoffthecoastofThailandandBurma.AsreportedlastMarch,theyare,ofallthepeoplesoftheworld,amongtheleasttouchedbymoderncivilization.Andmiraculouslytheysurvivedthetsunamibecausetheyknewitwascoming.It'stheirintimacywiththeseathatsavedthem.They’rebornonthesea,liveonthesea,dieonthesea.Theyknowitsmoodsandmotionsbetterthananymarinebiologist.They'renomads,constantlymovingfromislandtoisland,livingmorethansixmonthsayearontheirboats.Atlowtide,theycollectseacucumbersandcatcheels.Athightide,theydiveforshellfish.Andthey'vebeenlivingthiswayforsomanygenerationsthatthey'vebecomevirtuallyamphibious.Kidslearntoswimbeforetheycanwalk.Underwater,theycanseetwiceasclearlyastherestofus,andbyloweringtheirheartrate,canstayunderwatertwiceaslong.Theyaretrulyseaurchins.Thisoldmandecidedhewantedtofishforbreakfast.Itwasapufferfish.Ifit'snotcutproperly,itcankillyou.TheMokencutitproperly.WefoundthisMokenvillageonanislandtwohoursbyspeedboatfromthecoastofThailand.IthadbecomesomethingofanexotictouristMeccabeforethetsunami.ABangkokmoviestarandamateurphotographernamedAunwashereonDecember26,takingpicturesofMokenvillagelife,whensomeonenoticedthesearecedingintothedistance.Correspondent:“Howfar?”Aun:“Like...youseetheblueone?”Correspondent:“Yes.”Aun:“Canyouseethebluewater?Youdidn’tseeanywater.”Correspondent:“Nokidding.Youcouldwalkallthewayoutthere?”Aun:“Yeah.”Auncontinuedtakingpictures.TheyshowedtheMokenonthebeachcrying.Correspondent:“Didyouhaveanyideawhytheywerecrying?”2Aun:“Ifeelliketheyknowwhatbadwillhappen,butIdon’tknowhowmuchbad.”AndAun’spicturesshowedtheMokenfleeingtowardshighergroundlongbeforethefirstwavestruck.Aun:“Thefirstwater,justcomelike...,overhere.”Correspondent:“Thewatergotthathigh?”Aun:“Yeah...”Andthatwasjustthefirstwave.Theworstwasyettocome,astheMokenknewbecauseofsignsfromthesea.Itwasn’tonlytheseathatwasactingstrangely.Itwastheanimals,too.Onthemainland,elephantsstartedstampedingtowardhigherground.OffThailand’scoast,diversnoticeddozensofdolphinsswimmingfordeeperwater,Andontheseislands,thecicadas,whichareusuallysoloud,suddenlywentsilent.AndthesilencewasheardbySalehKalathalay,thatskilledspear-fishermanwhowasonadifferentpartoftheisland.Heranaroundwarningeveryone.Correspondent:“Whenyoutoldpeopleinthevillage,yousaidsomethingwaswrong,didtheybelieveyou?”Kalathalay:“Theyoungpeoplecalledmealiar.Isaid,‘we’vetoldthestoryofthewavesincetheoldtimes,’butnoneofthekidsbelievedme.Igrabbedmydaughterbythehandandsaid,‘Child,getoutofhere,oryou’lldie!’Shesaid,‘You’realiar,father,you’redrunk.’Ihadn’thadadroptodrink.”Salehbroughttheskepticstothewater’sedge,wherethey,too,sawthesigns.Eventually,everyone,theMokenandthetourists,climbedtohighergroundandweresaved.Butthevillageitself?There’snothingleft.Correspondent:“Whydoyouthinkthetsunamihappened?”Kalathalay:“Thewaveiscreatedbythespiritofthesea.TheBigWavehadnoteatenanyoneforalongtime,anditwantedtotastethemagain.”Correspondent:“Doyouthinkthattheyconsiderthemselvesveryunluckybecausetheirvillagewasdestroyedorluckybecausetheysurvived?”Hinshiranan:“Ithinktheyjusttakeitasamatteroffact.”DrNarumonHinshirananisananthropologist,oneoftheveryfewwhospeakstheMokenlanguage.Correspondent:“TellmewhatisitinyoumindthatpermittedtheMokentoknowthatthetsunamiwascoming?”Hinshiranan:“Thewaterrecededveryfastandonewave,onesmallwave,camesotheyrecognizedthatisnotordinary.Andthentheyhavethiskindoflegendthatpassedfromgenerationstogenerationsaboutseven3waves.”It’salegendrecitedaroundcampfires,bearinganastonishingresemblancetowhatactuallyhappenedonDecember26.TheycallittheLaboon—thewavethateatspeopleandit’sbroughtonbytheangryspiritsoftheancestors.Beforeitcomes,thesearecedes.Thenthewatersfloodtheearth,destroyit,andmakeitcleanagain.Correspondent:“Sobasically,thistsunamimythisthattheworldisrebornafteritiscoveredwithwater.”Ivanoff:“Yes.”Correspondent:“So,we’rebackto***theBiblicalflood.”Ivanoff:“Yes.”FrenchanthropologistJacquesIvanoffistheworld’sforemostauthorityontheMokenandhasbeenlivingwiththemonandoffformorethan20years.Wejoinedhimonavoyageofdiscovery,whowasgoingtotheMokenislandsoffthecoastofBurma，***amilitarydictatorshipclosedtotheoutsideworld.There’dbeennonewsofwhathadhappenedtotheseMokensincethetsunami.Correspondence:“WeknewthattheMokensurvivedthetsunami,theMokeninThailandsurvived.Wereallydon’tknowforsurewhathappenedinBurma,don’twe?”Ivanoff:“Nobodycanknow,becausenoinformationgetsoutofBurma.Everybodyhastosaynothinghappened.***Thatmeansthetsunamistoppedattheborder—that’sit,finished,endofthestory.”Ivanoff’sboat,aconvertedcargoshipcalled“theMokenQueen”***couldhavesailedrightoffthepagesofJosephConrad.Thecaptainwascalled“LongEar,”thecrewallBurmese,thedecksh