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| นิตยสาร สารคดี: ฉบับที่ ๒๒๗ เดือนมกราคม ๒๕๔๗ | ISSN 0857-1538 | ||
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The Ancient Art of Dulam |
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| Story: Weerasak Chansongsang Photos: Bansit Bunyaratavej, Boonkit Suthiyananon |
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Listening underwater, a Dulam-a fish sound listener-could tell right away if there were any fish nearby, and if so, what kind and how many. Because of his unique ability, the vast sea does not seem so vast any more even for traditional fishing nets of local fishermen in Chana, Songhla Province. It seems miraculous for humans to be able to hear fish in the ocean. But the listening skill is not an innate gift, but rather an age-old local wisdom of Muslim fishing communities which requires years-or even decades-of training to acquire. A young man aspiring to be a Dulam must not be deterred by the cold temperature of the sea and the challenge of leaving his warm bed to go to work in the wee hours of the night. The young Dulam must also learn to stay calm and focused working alone for hours in the dark underwater world, his mind unruffled by dangers of the sea. Otherwise, all one could hear would be the sound of bubbling water and his racing mind, not the sound fish make. |
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A working day of a Dulam typically starts at 3:00 AM when the sound of fish can be so loud that a trained ear can hear it from a boat. Like listening to the creaking sound of crickets from inside a house, however, you cannot tell from which direction the sounds come unless you come out of the house. Similarly, to determine the direction of fish the Dulam must go into the water. If the sound is felt on the forehead, it means the fish shoal is still far away. A fishing team heads toward the direction of the sound, with Dulam diving in occasionally to check on the proximity to the fish shoal. When the sound of fish can be felt just below the chest, it means the shoal is right up ahead. Fishing boats are then be signaled to approach and cast their seines. The Dulam's work is over when he hears and signals to the fishing team that all the encircled fish are caught by the wide-eyed nets. The rest of the work-pulling up the seines laden with bountiful catches and separating them from the nets-is the fishermen's job. | ||
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It is this traditional fishing technique that enables Chana people to enjoy fresh abundance of the sea without harming it. But the days of living in harmony with the plentiful sea, leading simple lives, and passing local wisdom to younger generations may be numbered because of a planned 40 billion baht natural gas separation project in Chana ... |