Doloh Chetae

Doloh Chetae was a fisherman, artist-draftsman, community scholar and independent researcher from Baan Datok, a coastal village on Pattani Bay. Born into a fishing family, he left formal education after primary school and studied at a local pondok. Yet his lived experience and profound knowledge of the sea made him an invaluable guide to researchers, activists, and his own community. 

Starting in 1984, Doloh began using line drawings and hand-drawn maps to communicate with villagers about the changing environment, new technologies, and cultural practices at risk of disappearing. Rooted in oral histories, local wisdom and collective memory, his work offered alternative ways to document and resist environmental degradation. 

He was a prominent voice against destructive dredging projects that harmed mangrove forests and marine life, calling out government negligence, and questioning the practice of re-depositing dredged sand. Though he did not see himself as an artist, Doloh’s drawings became tools for activism and education, and spurs for eco-social consciousness. 

He co-authored Memories of Pattani Bay, a vital archive of local knowledge. Until his passing in 2024, Doloh remained a quiet force—an ecologist by practice, a philosopher by heart, and a guardian of a vanishing world.