The Bajau: Sea Gypsy, Seafaring People In Malaysia

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The Bajau have been a nomadic, seafaring people throughout history. Many of them practice that lifestyle to this day, which explains why they are commonly known as "sea gypsies." They chart the waters of the Sulu Sea, off the south western coast of the Philippines, and the seas that surround the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. These are among the dangerous waters in the world with sporadic policing at best and a very high incidence of open piracy. Yet they claim never to have wielded weapons — preferring to simply flee from potential attack. They come ashore only to bury the deceased and to live temporarily while making their boats. Others began living entirely on land 200 years ago. Many of them are found in Malaysia's eastern state, Sabah, …show more content…

They believe they are descended from royalty. This is partly why they wear such colourful clothes, often made by hand from traditional dastar fabric. Naturally, brides and grooms wear even more colourful clothing at their wedding. The more highly regarded a woman is the brighter her daily attire is. She will also receive many water buffalo which, to them, is a special animal that usually forms part of any woman's dowry. Arranged marriages are common. Marriage by kidnap and elopement are also still quite frequent. They are known to be the second largest indigenous people in Sabah, the precise origin of the Bajau is unknown. They may have come from Johore, in peninsular Malaysia, long before the two Borneo states became a part of the country. Wherever they came from their migration has been in part to their pursuit of trade, particularly in a sea cucumber species called the trepang. It is a delicacy and used in soups made as far away as China, where it is also used medicinally. Bajau divers can descend as deep as 30 meters (100 feet) in search of …show more content…

The sheath is made of wood and silver. He also carries a spear bujak and a shipping crop pasut. Perhaps the most interesting thing about the Bajau horseman is his horse, or rather pony. It has its own costume and is more gaily dressed than the rider. The outfit kain kuda almost completely covers the pony except for holes for the eyes and nose. This cloth is tied around the pony's legs to keep it in place. The saddle sila-sila is not like the cowboy saddles of the West but rather a smaller piece of buffalo hide so shaped to fit the pony's back. A thick piece of cloth lapik is placed under the sila-sila. Antique brass bells seriau, colourful reins tingalu and bridle kakang all make for a very festive pony costume. In all their finery, both ride and pony become quite an attraction. The Bajau, like any distinct group, have already lost some of their heritage as some of their stories were never re-told to the next generation. The Bajau are also beginning to lose something of their identity as they integrate with their adopted, land-based communities. Even the most traditional, seafaring Bajau are losing their boat-building craft as they replace their hand-made lipa-lipa boats with commercially built, mass-produced ones. On Sabah's southeastern-most coast these lipa-lipa boats are a feature of the annual Semporna festival, for which the boats are colourfully decorated and raced against each other in a celebration of

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