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Bajau People, the most accomplished divers in world

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Known as “Sea nomads,” the Bajau people of Southeast Asia are among the most accomplished divers in the world. The Bajau have long been nomadic, sea-faring people, with origins in Southern Philippines.

The Bajau have lived on sea for more than thousand years, and on small houseboats that float in the waters off Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines. Today many still live in the middle of the ocean, off the coasts of Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines.

Most are not recognised by any state. Having no citizenship and therefore no formal rights to settle on the mainland, they continue to gather in off-shore communities, some in tiny islands, to sustain their maritime hunting skills which have been handed down for generations. The Bajau have preserved their artisan skills well. A self-taught carpenter quickly designs a fishing boat in about a week without a sketch. These methods have been passed on from generation to generation. Traditionally, they come ashore only to trade for supplies or to shelter from storms. They collect their food by free diving to depths of more than 230 feet. They have no wet suits or flippers, and use only wooden goggles and spearguns of their own making. Not all of them dive. Some avoid it entirely, but those who do, take the skills to extreme. Each day they spend more than five hours underwater capturing fish and octopuses. The average dive lasts for just half a minute, but the Bajau can hold their breath for far long.

The Bajau are as comfortable in sea as most people on land. They walk on seafloor. They have complete control of their breath and body. Their abilities are almost certainly shaped by experience and training. But they are also genetically adapted to life in the sea.

Being wanderer over the sea doesn’t mean they don’t know art. They even have their own arts that are well known in Indonesian society. The traditional Bajau dances are usually performed when they hold a wedding ceremony. They also have traditional songs that they passed down to the generations. Although living on a boat, the Bajau also like to play musical instruments.

Sea nomad life makes the Bajau Tribe not so concerned about the education of their offspring. As a result, the majority of them are illiterate. In fact, they do not really know about their age.

Almost all Bajau today claim to be Muslims. They believe that their people are direct descendants of the Prophet Mohammed. As most of them are Muslims, they usually bury their families on the mainland. All the funeral process will usually follow the Islamic tradition.

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Thilak T. Shetty

The author is a BA Sociology  graduate. He is into poetry and literature. His varied interests include Literature, Music, Culture, Politics, Philosophy And Nationalism studies.

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