The Bajau Laut
The Bajau Laut or “Sea Bajau” are famous for their nomadic or semi-nomadic lifestyle based on fishing and trading. One of the most experienced experts concerning the culture and traditions of this extraordinary ethnic community is social anthropologist Dr Clifford Sather. He is the author of “The Bajau Laut : Adaptation, History and Fate in a Maritime Fishing Society of Southeastern Sabah” , published by Oxford University Press in 1997. On Thursday, June 24th Dr Sather will give a talk on “The Sea Bajau of Semporna” to the Sabah Society.
Dr Sather carried out fieldwork among a small community of “Sea Bajau” or Sama Dilaut in the Semporna District of Sabah in the 1960s and 1970s. His last visit to the community was in 1994. Dr Sather is especially interested in the Bajau Laut because the Bajau/Sama-speaking peoples, second only to Malays, comprise the most widely dispersed indigenous ethno-linguistic group in the vast region of Island Southeast Asia. Coastal Sabah for its part forms the northwestern edge of an area of sea and islands some three million square kilometres in extent. This area reaches from the southern Philippines to eastern Indonesia and is inhabited by scattered communities of Bajau/Sama-speaking peoples.
In his presentation about the Bajau Laut of Semporna, Dr Sather will focus on two topics. The first concerns to relations of interdependence between minority sea-originated groups, like the Sama Dilaut, and surrounding land-based communities. It is very interesting to see how, since the nineteenth century, these relations have changed over time. While the general direction of change has favoured the settling-down and increased the integration of former sea-oriented groups, the large-scale influx of “Sea Bajau” newcomers into the Semporna District, beginning in the 1970s, has in some instances reversed this process. This influx of newcomers led to community fragmentation in the southern Philippines and, with a loss of traditional fishing grounds, has pushed some families into a pattern of “hyper-nomadism”. Secondly Dr Sather will conclude by surveying some recent hypothesis concerning Bajau origins, early maritime trade, and the history of past Bajau population movements.
The talk at 19:30 on June 24th will be held at the office of The Sabah Society, No. 46-Lot 34-1st Floor, Damai Plaza Phase 4, Luyang, Kota Kinabalu. The event is open to everybody and is free of charge.
Photo Courtesy of Zulphadli’s Photoblog
There is a very interesting website all about Tawau at http://www.Discovertawau.com, well worth a visit!
too bad i missed the talk last evening. it must be an interesting one. could anyone tell me if Sea Bajau = Suluk? Is there any difference between them? Thank you.