“The most significant aspect of the Badjaos is their traditional lifestyle, centered almost entirely on the ocean”
BADJAOS, marginalized and nearly forgotten ethnic group in multi-cultural and multi-lingual Philippines, are facing challenges like increased piracy, environmental degradation, overfishing by commercial operations, and political conflict in their ancestral domains.
Because of these challenges, many Badjaos, whose culture and livelihood are tied to the sea, have been forced to migrate to coastal communities and urban centers, including towns in the outskirts of the metropolis, 1,334 kms north of Zamboanga City, where they have learned to adapt to living on land.
In these new settings, their role has shifted, and they face significant socio-economic challenges.
They have been known as master fishermen and navigators.
Traditionally known as the Sama Laus (Sea Sama), the Badjaos—numbering 400,000 by official figures – live a nomadic, seafaring life, traveling the Sulu and Celebes Seas in houseboats called vintas or lepas, moving with the wind and tide in the Sulu and Celebes Seas, and traditionally coming to land only for burial rites.
They have been known as expert free-divers and spear-fishers, vital to the marine economy through fishing and pearl diving.
Culture scholars say the Badjaos possess a rich and distinct cultural heritage, including music (using instruments like the gabbang xylophone and kulintang gongs), dance (daling-daling), and arts (boat building, mat weaving, and intricate carvings).
This unique relationship with the sea, including specific rituals and ancestral beliefs, is a significant part of the Philippines’ diverse indigenous tapestry.
Historically, they have engaged in a barter system, trading their fish and marine harvests for land-based produce like fruits and cassava, functioning as key components of regional coastal trade networks.
The Badjaos are often referred to as the “Sea Gypsies” of the Sulu and Celebes Seas and are scattered along the coastal areas of Tawi Tawi, Sulu, Basilan, and some coastal areas of Zamboanga City.
An uncountable number now live along the coasts of Manila Bay, begging for alms, doing odd jobs, under constant threat from authorities who consider them eyesores.
It is not known how many Badjaos are adults and able bodied from the 400,000 number, and how many have left their homes on the Mindanao range.
Some Badjaos are found living on houseboats where they make their livelihood solely on the sea as expert fishermen, deep sea divers, and navigators while some are given the opportunity to live more permanently in selected communities in Zamboanga City such as Barangay Sinunuc where most of them live in houses on stilts.
Most households in that community live below the poverty threshold and struggle to find a living in the City as their skills are more inclined to fishing.
Known to be the men of the seas, the Badjao or Bajau tribal group has been admired for moving with the wind and tide on their vintas or small boats.
According to the legend, these boat dwellers were originally from some part in Indonesia.
The people of the Badjao tribe have been floating off the shores of Southeast Asia for centuries.
As a nomadic tribe living in stilt huts or boat houses on shallow waters, they make their living from traditional free-diving for fish and pearls.
The most significant aspect of the Badjaos is their traditional lifestyle, centered almost entirely on the ocean.
Badjao divers can descend to depths of over 70 meters and hold their breath for several minutes at a time without modern equipment, using only wooden goggles and spears to hunt for fish and pearls.
Research has revealed the Badjao have undergone unique physiological adaptations to their aquatic existence, including spleens up to 50 percent larger than average people, which act as an oxygen reservoir to enable longer, deeper dives.
