Bajau /ˈbædʒɔː/

The Badjao are Moro indigenous ethnic group of Maritime Southeast Asia. They are traditionally from the many islands of the Sulu Archipelago, the second-largest ethnic group in the Malaysian state of Sabah, and with at least 470,000 individuals in the Philippines. Many Badjaos of the east coast retain their seaborne lifestyle, together with remnants of traditional pre-Islamic beliefs. Traditional Badjao communities may have a dukun (a shaman) and may adhere to taboos concerning the treatment of the sea and other cultural aspects.

 A group of Badjao Fishermen (photo credit: Jacob Maentz from jacobimages.com)

Bajaos are also noted for their exceptional abilities in free-diving, with physical adaptations that enable them to see better and dive longer underwater. Divers work long days with the "greatest daily apnea diving time reported in humans" of greater than 5 hours per day submerged. Some Bajao intentionally rupture their eardrums at an early age in order to facilitate diving and hunting at sea. Many older Bajao are therefore hard of hearing.

A Badjao making a free dive with a woman waiting on his boat to help collect anything that he catches (photo credit: Jacob Maentz from jacobimages.com)

Submerged and hard at work underwater. (photo credit: Jacob Maentz from jacobimages.com)

Today the number of Bajao who are born and live primarily at sea is diminishing, partially due to hotly debated government programs which have moved Bajao on to the mainland. Currently, there exists a huge settlement of Filipino Bajao off the Sabah coast. Many of them are illegal immigrants on the Malaysian island. With the island as a base, they frequently enter Sabah and find jobs as manual laborers.

Discrimination of Bajao (particularly from the dominant Tausug people, who have historically viewed them as 'inferior', and less specifically from the majority Christian Filipinos) and the continuing violence in Muslim Mindanao, have driven many Bajao to begging, or to emigrate. They usually resettle in Malaysia and Indonesia, where they are less discriminated against.