State Simplifications and a Sea of Changes: Strategies of Moken and Orang Suku Laut Resilience and Counter-Exclusion

Abstract

This paper presents a comparative study about the resilience of two sea nomadic groups of Southeast Asia – the Moken of the Myeik Archipelago (Myanmar/Thailand) and the Orang Suku Laut of the Riau-Lingga Archipelago (Indonesia). While they might have been historically valued for their seafaring skills, sea nomadic groups have increasingly been described as “uncivilised” and subsequently marginalised through state expansion and the commodification of marine and coastal resources. Drawing on James C. Scott’s concept of state simplifications, we examine how state-led developments, tourism or pearl farming threaten their access to marine spaces and redefine their livelihoods. Although the Moken and Orang Suku Laut have not been able to ward off state control completely, they have developed counter-exclusion and resilience strategies to maintain their presence in Southeast Asia’s maritime waters and coastal areas. These include developing alliances with Chinese intermediaries along patron-client relationships, selectively engaging with environmental initiatives or mobilising more than-human actors. The Moken rely on decentralised networks and mobility to negotiate shifting powers, while the Orang Suku Laut consolidate kinship-like ties with patrons and leverage their reputation of black magic ( ilmu hitam ) practitioners to resist state intrusion. This paper illustrates their astounding degree of agency and creativity in their effort to preserve their cultural identities and rights to the seas and coastal regions they inhabit. The struggles and strategies of the Moken and Orang Suku Laut may thus offer conceptual tools for challenging the territorial imaginaries of the modern state and envisioning more plural futures for oceanic worlds.