Bajau Of Semporna Sabah

Bajau people are one of the largest etnicts in Sabah but rarely noticed especially by
the people from peninsular Malaysia. There is a small research conducted about
them, and scholars who talks about Bajau people are usually focusing more on the
other aspects of Bajau people like their weird boat ( boo-goo), food, celebration and
attire but not the social aspect. According to G.N Appel (1968;250), before 1965
there is no research regarding Muslim people at the east coast of Sabah at all
including about Bajau people. There are only simple notes about them that noted by
several European scholars. Until 1964 there are several studies done by researchers
about Bajau people.

 Clifford Sather- 1966,1968,1971,1974

 James F Warren 1971
 Jainisiah Nurajin 1976,1977
 Carol warren 1977

Clifford Sather’s research is revolves around characteristics of the caste layer,

domestic relationship and several aspects of Bajau Laut people in Semporna Sabah.
Carol Warren instead was studying about the awareness of Bajau Laut people
towards social changes. James F. Warren is focusing more on administration
techniques during British colonization in order to control the Bajau Laut community.
Jainisiah Nurajin are paying attention to the caste rank and the marital matters and
limited her studies among the Bajau people at Kota Belud Sabah. All of the
researches that have been conducted within those years are barely or not facusing at
all to the “Bajau laut” people which is a bit different compared to other Bajau people.
Only James F warren talks a bit about Bajau Laut people and it is not abou the social
aspect but the reactions of Bajau Laut people during the British colonization era. It
has proven that Bajau Laut people are rarely noticed and their unique lifestyle is
rarely caught the attention of other ethnics especially during this modern eras. They
are not exist for most of us and nobody cares about what will happen to their
uneducated kids and how they living their life. The refusal to accept the changes in
their life and how they manage to find spaces and peacefulness in their little worlds
and poverty caught our attention.

Identification. 

The Bajau of Sabah originated from their traditional home which was around the
southern parts of Mindanao and Basilan,and some islands in the Sulu archipelago,
especially the Tapian Tana, Cayagan de Sulu and the Balangingi groups. Unable to
live off algriculture because of an environment unsuited for such purposes, these
people became expert boat-builders and seaman. Beginning probably as a fisherman
and traders, they took advantage of the commercial expansion of the Sulu Sultanate
in the late eighteenth century, Responding to the great demands of man power,
some Samal speaking groups became slave-raiders, while others worked as
collectors of marine and jungle produce in Sulu’s Bornean dependencies. Though a
heterogeneous people, the Bajau of Sabah were a two main types; the sedentary
coastal dwellers of the west-coast, and the strand boat- people of the east coast.

Variants of the Malay term "Bajau" (e.g., Badjaw, Badjao, Bajo, etc.) are applied to a
variety of predominantly maritime Sama-Bajau-speaking peoples whose scattered
settlements are found throughout a vast region of islands and coastal shores,
extending from the southern Philippines to the northern and eastern coasts of
Borneo, and eastward over much of eastern Indonesia, from Sulawesi to Timor. In
Malaysia and Indonesia the term "Bajau" is applied to both boat-nomadic and
sedentary ( Bajau people who live on the land) populations, including some land-
based, primarily agricultural groups with no apparent history of past nomadism. In the
southern Philippines the term "Bajau" is reserved exclusively for boat-nomadic or
formerly nomadic groups, while more to live sedentarily, Sama speakers are referred
to as "Samal," a name applied to them by the neighboring Tausug, but used also by
Christian Filipinos ( see Samal ). In eastern Indonesia the Bajau are called "Bajo" by
the Bugis and both "Bajo" and "Turijene'" (people of the water) by the Makassarese.
The most common term of self-designation is "Sama" or "a'a Sama" ( a'a , "people"),
generally coupled with a toponymic modifier to indicate geographical and/or dialectal
affiliation. Historically the Bajau have lacked overall political cohesion and primary
loyalties are generally with these smaller subgroupings. In Sulu and southeastern
Sabah, boat-dwelling groups and those with a recent history of boat-nomadism
identify themselves as "Sama dilaut" or "Sama mandilaut" (sea Sama). They are
referred to by other Sama speakers as "Sama pala'au" (or "pala'u") and by the
Tausug as "luwa'an." Both names have pejorative connotations, reflecting the low
caste status generally ascribed to boat-nomads by those living ashore. In Malaysia
and Indonesia nomadic or formerly nomadic groups are known as "Bajau Laut" or
Orang Laut" (sea people). The Bajau have been a nomadic, seafaring people for
most of their story. Many Bajau still practice the same lifestyle until now. They
despise to adapt the development and other culture as they found it very terrifying
and scary of leaving the sea. That explain why they still called the “ sea gipsies”.
They rarely come ashore unless to sell fishes and and buy some goods. They will
spend quite a time ashore when they have to burry the deceased and fixing their
boats. They prefer to eat only small fishes as they said that they have to respect the
fish that brings them money. Still other Bajau live a lifestyle between nomadic and
sedentary, as they managed to settle down near the shore but not so far from sea.
From old to young, Bajau people love colourful attire. The groom and bride are more
colourful . Almost all Bajau today claim to be Sunni Muslim. They believe that among
their people are direct descendants of the prophet Mohammed. Yet many -
predominantly the seafaring, nomadic Bajau - retain spiritually based religious
practices that pre-date any "major" religion. In their religion designated spirit
mediums communicate with the spirit world in ritual ceremonies of celebration,
worship and exorcism - in which, for example, spirit boats are sailed into the open
seas to cast the offending spirit away from their community. They also worship the
God of the sea, Omboh Dilaut.

Location.

 In Sabah (Malaysia) the Bajau are present along both the eastern and western
coasts of the state and in the foothills bordering the western coastal plains, from
Kuala Penyu to Tawau on the east. In eastern Indonesia the largest numbers are
found on the islands and in coastal districts of Sulawesi. Here, widely scattered
communities, most of them pile-house settlements, are reported near Menado,
Ambogaya, and Kendari; in the Banggai, Sula, and Togian island groups; along the
Straits of Tioro; in the Gulf of Bone; and along the Makassar coast. Elsewhere
settlements are present near Balikpapan in East Kalimantan, on Maratua, Pulau
Laut, and Kakaban, and in the Balabalangan islands off the eastern Borneo coast.
Others are reported, widely scattered, from Halmahera through the southern
Moluccas, along both sides of Sape Strait dividing Flores and Sumbawa; on Lombok,
Lembata, Pantar, Adonara, Sumba, Ndao, and Roti; and near Sulamu in western
Timor. In Sabah, boat-nomadic and formerly nomadic Bajau Laut are present in the
southeastern Semporna district, while Sulu-related groups are found in the
Philippines in small numbers from Zamboanga through the Tapul, western Tawitawi,
and Sibutu island groups, with major concentrations in the Bilatan Islands, near
Bongao, Sanga-Sanga, and Sitangkai.

Demography.

 Boat-dwelling groups have never, from the earliest historical evidence available,
constituted more than a small fraction of the total Sama-Bajau-speaking population.
However, their numbers have declined rapidly in the last century, and today they
probably amount to fewer than 10,000. In eastern Indonesia, the Bajau as a whole,
including both nomadic and sedentary groups, number between 150,000 and
200,000, and in Sabah, approximately 120,000, including at least 30,000-40,000
recent Philippine migrants.

Linguistic Affiliation.

 All of the scattered populations variously referred to as "Bajau" are Sama-Bajau

speakers. However, not all Sama-Bajau speakers are Bajau. A member of the
Hesperonesian Branch of Austronesian, the Sama-Bajau Language Family includes
some ten languages, the majority of which are spoken almost exclusively in the
Philippines, by a variety of people including the Yakan, Samal, and others not
ordinarily known as "Bajau." In eastern Indonesia the Bajau speak what appears to
be a single language, characterized by only minor dialectal differences, known as
Indonesian Bajau. In the eastern coastal districts of Sabah, at least two closely
related varieties of Bajau are spoken, known as Central and Southern Sama. In
Sabah the two are frequently classed together as East Coast Bajau. Both are divided
into a variety of local dialects with close links to allied dialects spoken by Samal
groups in the neighbouring Sulu Archipelago of the Philippines. A separate language,
known as West Coast Bajau, is spoken in the northern and western coastal districts
from Kuala Penyu to Terusan, with some overlap with East Coast Bajau in northern
Sabah. Recent linguistic studies show that the boat-nomadic Bajau Laut are not a
linguistically homogeneous population, nor are they linguistically distinct as a group
from the shore-based Sama-speaking communities present around them. Those
living in Semporna and southern Sulu speak Southern Sama, while those in western
Tawi-Tawi and central and northern Sulu speak varieties of Central Sama. Except for
the division in Sabah between East and West Coast Bajau, locally contiguous
dialects, whether spoken ashore by settled land-based groups or at sea by boat-
nomadic or partially nomadic communities, are usually mutually intelligible, in most
areas grading into one another without sharply defined language boundaries.

Refuse to leave the Sea

Even though a large amounts of Bajau Laut people are very successful nowadays
and have a good education there still have few of them who cannot just leave their
old lifestyle and willing to share the small meaningful spaces with the fishes, nets,
and the beloved one. They found that it is hard to bear the noises while on shore, as
they are used to swept away by the sound of the breeze and wave while sleeping.
They felt safe even if they have to find shelter at any islands during the stormy period
and stop wherever their boat leads them. They claimed that it is easier to go
anywhere they want by living in the boat. Today they can be at Tawau, tomorrow
they can be at Semporna and who knows what will happen the next day.

Food of Bajau People

Bajau Laut people prefer to eat Putu’ ( A type of food that made from boiled tapioca)
rather that eating rice as they are not always on shore , so thatit is quite hard for
them to get the rice supply. Moreover, Putu’ is more cheap and can be stored for
along time. They also eat small fish and seawid. They also have several tarditional
cookies that they usually serve during special occation like ‘penyaram’, ‘baulu’, ‘kuih
jala’, ‘kuih sepit’ and so on. Bajau cuisine is all about fresh ingredients and lots of
seafood. Sometimes they do not cook their fish, they just eat it with the lime juice.
Traditional Bajau cooking is actually very simple. The must-have ingredients in any
Bajau kitchen are turmeric, ginger, and lemongrass. Traditional Bajau food is all-
natural. No additives and preservatives. Everything is fresh and the flavour comes
from the natural spices. They also prepared several Bajau specialties such as tehe-
tehe (sea urchins), one of the more surprising dishes in which the sea urchins are
stuffed with rice and boiled; kahanga (spider conch) with chilli peppers and
lemongrass stir-fried in oyster sauce; and kapayas, or young buds of the papaya
plant.She also prepares two whole fish, the belais or a species of the rabbit fish - one
grilled with turmeric sambal and one in a sweet-and-sour style.