Tung Nang Dam Village - WAY OF LIFE IN A VILLAGE SURROUNDED BY MANGROVES

“Treasure in the soil, wealth in the water” is a traditional Thai saying particularly relevant to the people of Tung Nang Dam village. Many families earn a living from collecting fish, shrimp, crabs and shell fish using traditional subsistence methods.

Some families also own krachang floating fish farms where they can harvest fish, mussels, crabs and edible sea weed for personal use and to sell at the markets. To supplement their income, some families also tap for rubber and grow a wide variety of crops such as rambutan, durian, longan and cashew nuts. Cows and goats can be seen wondering freely through the village.

The only way to go to and from the village is by boat and then a picturesque walk through meandering cashew orchards and plantations. Solar electricity powers their simple yet comfortable homes. There are no cars on the island and the most common form of transportation is on foot and by bike. Tung Nang Dam is a great place to relax, hike and explore.

HISTORY
There is an ancient legend about the name of the village. Once upon a time, there was a man named Porta Ratsamee. His home was on the border of Kuraburi district and Surat Thani province. He was a very rich, good looking man and women fell in love with him easily. One of the women was called Nang Dam, Miss Black, because of her dark skin. Despite dark skin being considered unattractive, Porta fell in love with her. However, Porta still had many other women, one of whom was called Nang Kao. This deeply hurt Nang Dam and she felt so embarrassed that she ran away. She went to live far from her people in a field near Hin Lad until the day she died. The place became known as “Tung Nang Dam,” the field of the black woman.

TSUNAMI STORY
The healthy mangrove forest that surrounds Tung Nang Dam village protected the villagers from the devastating affects of the wave that destroyed neighboring villages. Fortunately, the beach-front area is undeveloped and houses are set back from the beach which meant no houses were destroyed. However, many fishermen lost their boats and livelihoods, with many floating fish farms being damaged beyond repair.

RELIGION IN TUNG NANG DAM
The villagers are dedicated followers of the Islamic faith which resonates throughout their culture. Although, the majority of villagers are Muslims, there is a Chinese temple, a Wihansean. Some villagers say that settlers first came to the village because according to Chinese astrology the location had good Feng Shui.

Tung Nang Dam is a traditional Muslim village. Islam shapes their daily lives and throughout the year there are several important ceremonies, presided over by the Imam (Muslim High Priest). Some of these important cultural traditions are as follows:

- The beginning of Ramadan, when the villagers prepare for the Ramadan ceremony.
- Ramadan: lasting 30 days during which villagers must not eat or drink between sunrise and sunset.
- Eid-al-Fitr, big celebrations that mark the end of Ramadan.
- The Sunut cultural ceremony, which takes place when a boy is nine years old and a girl is fourteen years old.
- Nika (Marriage ceremony), both the man and woman consent to marriage.
- Funeral ceremony at the Koobo (graveyard).
- Lamaad (praying) where Muslim people pray five times a day.

AWARDS
In 2007, the Tung Nang Dam Community-based tourism group received the prestigious Most Outstanding Community-based Tourism award as part of the Thailand Tourism Award. The awards are designed to promote the conservation of the country’s precious natural and cultural resources and support sustainable tourism development in tandem with the quality development of the Thai tourism industry. The group was recognized for their efforts in challenging tourism revenue into their community, thereby alleviating rural poverty.