Threatened by the onslaught of contemporary Thai culture and devastated by the tsunami of 2004, the Moken people’s lives removed from society and symbiotic with their surroundings, are rapidly changing. Formerly spending up to nine months at sea some are now settled on the Surin islands, in villages provided by the Thai government. The community of 200-300 still rely on the ocean to hunt seafood but their traditions are rapidly disintegrating. Photographer Sofie Olsen has traveled to the region to capture their unique culture, with the hope that awareness will preserve their knowledge and traditions for the future. We chatted to her about her spirit of adventure, feeling alien underwater and the universality of body language.
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