I asked a couple, “Suppose your daughter wanted to marry a Thai man. How would you feel about that?” Their answer helped shed light on whether they see themselves as culturally distinct from the mainstream population. If they said, “It would be her choice to marry whoever she wishes,” then that might be a clue that the culture is shifting to the prevailing customs and away from their own (usually this was the answer given).
On the other hand, if the parents had answered, “She should only marry a Moklen man,” that might be a clue that they still uphold different values than the popular view.
The question I asked is also related to whether the Moklen feel inferior to others. Families wish to gain and bestow honor in a marriage. If they feel like they are “below” others than perhaps marrying into a “higher” family isn’t an option. Watching body language and the reaction to the questions like these give clues to how they view themselves.
In the East you can’t just go up to a stranger and say, ”Do you feel inferior to other groups?” Finding out what people believe or think can sometimes be a tricky business. Asking indirect questions or giving analogous stories is less intimidating than the Western way of straightforward queries. This is especially true with ethnic groups that tend to be shy or unwilling to open themselves up to strangers.
I’m involved in surveying four people groups around the country. I just came back from a two-week trip down in S. Thailand doing assessments with the Sea Gypsies- the Moken and Moklen people groups. One of the purposes of the survey was to do primary research on whether or not these groups are in the midst of enculturation (into Thai society).
March 30th, 2009 at 3:32 pm
Interesting stuff!