By Livity.Blog | Hidden Histories. Ancestral Intelligence.
Deep in the lush tropical rainforests of southern Thailand, near the borders of Malaysia, lives one of Southeast Asia’s last remaining indigenous hunter-gatherer communities: the Maniq people. They are one of the oldest ethnic groups in the region—descendants of the Negrito populations who have lived on the Malay Peninsula for over 50,000 years. And yet, in the face of modern state narratives, the Maniq have been systematically ignored, marginalized, and rendered nearly invisible.
In Thailand, the Maniq minority live in the southern provinces of Yala, Narathiwat, Phatthalung, Trang, and Satun.
Total Population : 300 ~
📷/ Trip Down Memory Lane, Travelfeed, Lensculture
A People of the Forest
The Maniq, sometimes called Sakai (a term now widely considered derogatory), are known for their deep spiritual connection to the forest. Traditionally nomadic, they live in bamboo shelters, forage for wild fruits, tubers, and honey, and possess an encyclopedic knowledge of medicinal plants. Their culture is rooted in respect for nature, oral storytelling, and ancestral memory—values passed down for thousands of years.
They are not relics of the past. The Maniq are a living, breathing people. But the modern Thai state has done little to protect their sovereignty or their way of life.
Systemic Racism and Erasure
Thailand’s mainstream culture has long been dominated by the belief in racial and cultural uniformity, privileging Central Thai identity while erasing ethnic minorities—especially Black Indigenous peoples like the Maniq. The Maniq have faced generations of:
Institutional neglect: The Thai government classifies them as “chao khao” (hill people), a term that flattens diverse indigenous identities into a single, inferior category. They are often denied proper access to citizenship, education, and healthcare. Racial discrimination: Because of their dark skin, small stature, and African features, Maniq people are frequently mocked in the media, stereotyped as primitive, or depicted as folklore characters rather than real people. Children in Thai schools learn little to nothing about them—if anything, they are presented as “backward” or exotic. Land dispossession: Although the forest is their ancestral home, the Maniq have no legal land rights. State forest policies have turned their territories into conservation zones, evicting communities in the name of environmental protection while ignoring their centuries of sustainable living. Cultural erasure: Maniq languages, songs, and traditions are endangered. As they’re pushed into settlements, forced to interact with majority Thai society, and pressured into assimilation, their ancestral knowledge faces extinction.
The Silence is Strategic
The racial erasure of the Maniq is not accidental—it is deeply tied to settler colonialism and the myth of a homogeneous Thai state. The darker the people, the deeper the marginalization. The closer to the earth, the further from the centers of power.
Their story mirrors that of many Afro-Asiatic aboriginals across the world. They are seen as inconvenient truths in a land that prefers to trace its roots to India or China, rather than face the fact that Black Indigenous peoples were the first humans of this landmass. The Maniq’s existence disrupts the dominant narrative—and so they are silenced.
Surviving Against the Odds
Despite this, the Maniq have refused to disappear.
Some have begun working with anthropologists, human rights activists, and filmmakers to preserve their stories and fight for visibility. A few have traveled outside the forest to seek education for their children. But the fight is uphill, and time is running out.
Without land, language, or legal protection, an entire people—our human ancestors in Southeast Asia—stand on the brink of cultural extinction.
Why It Matters
The erasure of the Maniq is part of a larger global pattern—the slow genocide of Black and Indigenous peoples through assimilation, land theft, and historical denial.
When we lose the Maniq, we don’t just lose a tribe. We lose a living link to humanity’s earliest memory. We lose ecological wisdom, sacred knowledge of the earth, and proof that Black Indigenous peoples were always here—long before borders, flags, or colonial myths.
It’s Time to Remember
At Livity.Blog, we believe that remembering is resistance. That speaking the names of the erased reclaims power. That elevating the voices of the Maniq is not just an act of justice—but of ancestral reverence.
Let us honor them. Let us protect what remains.
Let us say: You were never forgotten.
Not by us.
Livity.Blog | Hidden Histories. Ancestral Intelligence.
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📚 References
Benjamin, Geoffrey. “On Being Tribal in the Malay World.” In Tribal Communities in the Malay World: Historical, Cultural and Social Perspectives, edited by G. Benjamin & C. Chou, ISEAS Publishing, 2002. – This chapter details the classification and marginalization of indigenous “Negrito” populations in Thailand and Malaysia.
Winichakul, Thongchai. “Siam Mapped: A History of the Geo-Body of a Nation.” University of Hawaii Press, 1994. – An analysis of how Thai nationalism and racial homogeneity were constructed, leading to the exclusion of non-Central Thai groups like the Maniq.
UNESCO. “Safeguarding Maniq Oral Traditions.” – https://ich.unesco.org/en/BSP/safeguarding-maniq-oral-traditions – Recognizes the Maniq’s oral traditions and their endangered status; discusses efforts to preserve cultural heritage.
Minority Rights Group International. “Thailand: Mani People.” – https://minorityrights.org/minorities/mani/ – Profiles the Maniq as one of Thailand’s most marginalized minorities, highlighting issues of discrimination and legal invisibility.
Mahidol University & Tribal Wisdom and Research Centre. “Maniq People and Their Forest Knowledge.” Fieldwork and documentation studies. – Interviews with Maniq elders on land use, spiritual beliefs, and medicinal plants.
Pongponrat, K. “Tourism and Ethnic Minorities in Southern Thailand: A Case of the Maniq.” Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 2013. – Discusses tourism’s impact on Maniq identity and the risks of cultural commodification.
Al Jazeera. “Thailand’s Indigenous Maniq Fight for Survival.” – https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2020/1/31/thailands-indigenous-maniq-fight-for-survival – Highlights real-life stories of Maniq families facing displacement and discrimination. National Human Rights Commission of Thailand. Reports on statelessness and indigenous rights. – Documents widespread lack of documentation and access to services among forest-dwelling peoples like the Maniq.
The Conversation. “Thailand’s Invisible Tribes: The Dispossession of the Maniq.” – https://theconversation.com/thailands-invisible-tribes-the-dispossession-of-the-maniq-136679 – Explores erasure and racial politics shaping public perception of the Maniq.
