From construction to valorisation of the collective memory of the Moken, seanomads of the Mergui Archipelago: methodological reflections at the crossroads of anthropology and museology.

The prospect of imminent tourism development of the Mergui Archipelago (Myanmar) has generated various processes of cultural valorisation and heritage development of the Moken environment and culture, ranging from the involvement of these sea nomads in marine protected areas to the manufacturing of handicrafts for the tourist industry. The first attempts to commercialise their culture echo the stakes and expectations of the various actors involved in the development arena of the archipelago (Burmese fishermen, tourism entrepreneurs, NGOs, government). In this context, and at the request of the Moken, the authors developed a participatory project of Mapping their Social Space (CartES), which explores the collective knowledge (constructed and transmitted through oral literature) relating to the anthropisation of the territory. The CartES project aims to construct an identity representation with and for theMoken, the museum transposition of which shall reflect the complexity of the material and ideal interrelationships between society and its natural environment. At the crossroads of anthropology andmuseology, this article explores the scope and limitations of this approach, focusing on the analysis of the dynamics of expression, adhesion and conflict with regard to the production of a Moken patrimony and the identity dynamics it generates.