Common - Sea Gypsies

The term used to describe seafarers or sea gypsies are different

across different countries or regions.
Orang Laut is the common Malay term used for seafearers or sea
gypsies where it literally means the sea peoples. The Orang laut live
and travel in their boats on the sea, while most of them live along
the coastal regions around South China Sea area.
The term encompasses the numerous tribes and groups inhabiting
the islands and estuaries in the Riau-Lingga Archipelagos, the Pulau
Tujuh Islands, the Batam Archipelago, and the coasts and offshore
islands of eastern Sumatra, southern Malaysia Peninsula and
Singapore. [1]
Historically, the orang laut played major roles in Srivijaya, the
Sultanate of Malacca, and the Sultanate of Johor. They patrolled the
adjacent sea areas, repelling real pirates, directing traders to their
employers' ports and maintaining those ports' dominance in the
area. [2]
Straits of Melacca, Singapore, Indonesia Orang Laut
They were one of the earlier immigrants who settled along the
coastline of Singapore island during pre-colonial days. The
community typically lived off a long dwelling boat, known
colloquially as sampan panjang, or "long boat".
The Orang Laut who were inhabiting Singapore around 1819 were
made up of different groups. They included the Orang Laut of the
Riau-Lingga archipelago such as the Orang Galang, Orang Gelam,
Orang Selatar, Orang Biduanda Kallang and the Orang Selat. The
only commonality they shared was some degree of Malay ethnicity
and a preference for living on boats rather than on land. [4]
In early Singapore, the headman of the Orang Laut, referred to as
batin (chief) acted as messenger for the Temenggong and Viceroy of
Riau. These officials offered protection to the Orang Laut who in turn
served as boatmen, rowers or warriors on pirate escapades.
Otherwise they lived off the sea as simple fishing folks. Many of the
Orang Gelam who lived along the Singapore River served as
boatmen for merchant ships, while their womenfolk were fruit sellers
on boats.

Althoughculturallyandlinguisticallyverydifferent,thesituationofthe
OrangLaut,asweknowitfromthe16ththroughtheendofthenineteenth
century,wasinmanywayssimilartothatoftheSamaBajau.Evenmore
thanSulu,theStraitsofMalacca,alongthesouthernapproachestowhich

theOrangLautwereverylargelyconcentrated,wereandcontinuetobea
majorcrossroadsofmaritimecommerce.Theywerealsotheprimaryarena
ofMalaypoliticalhistory.ThushistorianslikeWolters(1967,1979)on
SrivijayaandAndaya(1974,1975)ontheJohorKingdomhavestressedthe
centrallyimportantroletheyseetheMalayspeakingOrangLautasplaying
inprovidingthenavalpowerandcommunicativelinksonwhichthe
hegemonyofsuccessiveMalaystateswasbasedinazoneofotherwise
relativelysparsepopulation.Here,likeSulu,theseanomadssimilarly
emerged,togetherwithavarietyofrelatedcoastalandstrandpeoples,from
acommonculturalmatrix.[5]
Thailand, Burma (Myanmar) - Chao Lay/Moken/Urak Lawoi
The islands and coastal regions along the Andaman Sea are home to
a unique group of people, who due to their maritime nomadic way of
life are known in Thai as the Chao Lay, (people of the sea) or Chao
nam (people of the water) and as sea nomads or sea gypsies in
English. The Chao Lay are divided into three distinct groups: the
Moken, the Moklen and the Urak Lawoi. The total population of
sea nomads in the year 2000 was estimated at around 9,500, e.g.
7,000 in Thailand and 2,500 in Myanmar. (Figures from UNESCO)
They lives along the west coast of Thailand and Burma. The Sea
Gypsies are a minority group that number only a few tens of
thousands in Andaman Sea and Thailand. They maintain a nomadic
sea-based culture and live almost entirely on boats and practice
shamanic rites. [3]
The name Moken is used for all of the Austronesian speaking tribes
who inhabit the coast and islands in the Andaman Sea on the west
coast of Thailand, the provinces of Satun, Trang, Krabi, Phuket,
Phang Nga, and Ranong, up through the Mergui Archipelago of
Burma (Myanmar).
Urak Lawoi are an Aboriginal Malay people (Austranesian) residing
on the islands of Phuket, Phi Phi, Jum, Lanta, Bulon and on Lipe and
Adang, in the Adang Archipelago,[1] off the western coast of
Thailand. The population of approximately 6,000 speak a language
related closely to Malay but influenced by Thai. The Urak Lawoi are
sometimes classified with the Moken, but they are linguistically and
ethnologically distinct, being much more closely related to the
Malay people.
Borneo, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines Bajau/Sama-Bajau
Other ethnic groups, who are often being grouped with the
seafarers, are Bajau in the southern archipelago of Philippines,
eastern Malaysia and Indonesia. They are the second largest

indigenous group of Sabah, and some of the last true marine

nomads on earth.
They usually live a seaborne lifestyle, and use small wooden sailing
vessels such as the perahu, (Layag in Meranau) djenging, balutu,
lepa, pilang, and vinta (or lepa-lepa). Some Sama-Bajau groups
native to Sabah are also known for their traditional horse culture.
(History source #1 [7]) The Sama-Bajau are traditionally from the
many islands of the Sulu Archipelago in the Philippines (where they
are grouped together with the Moro people), as well as parts of the
coastal areas of Mindanao and northern Borneo. In the last 50 years,
many of the Filipino Sama-Bajau have migrated to neighbouring
Malaysia and the northern islands of the Philippines, due to the
conflict in Mindanao. As of 2010, they were the second-largest
ethnic group in the Malaysian state of Sabah. Groups of Sama-Bajau
have also migrated to Sulawesi and North Kalimantan in Indonesia,
although their exact population is unknown.
(History source #2 [6]) Nobody knows for sure where the Bajau
came from, or why they first took to their aquatic lifestyle. Two
differing theories suggest that they may originate from the
Philippines or Johor in Malaysia, while a third theory claims that they
came from the Riau Archipelago islands of Indonesia. Some Bajau
believe they descended from royal guards of the Johor Sultanate
who took to the seas. Yet wherever they derive from, the Bajau have
been living a nomadic, ocean-dwelling life for centuries.
(History source #3 [8]) Other Bajau began living entirely on land
about 200 years ago. Many of these are to be found in Malaysia's
eastern state, Sabah, on the island of Borneo. Of course the
seafaring Bajau make their living from fishing. Those who have
abandoned that lifestyle have become farmers and cattle rearers,
earning them the local nickname, "cowboys of the east." Indeed
their equine skills are well known in this part of the world, and are
always to be found displayed in Bajau ceremonial events. Still other
Bajau live a lifestyle between nomadic and sedentary, housed in
villages on the water, but not far from land.
Note: history source #1, #2, #3 could be conflicting. Sources: #1:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sama-Bajau_peoples, #2:
http://scribol.com/anthropology-and-history/the-bajau-sea-gypsiesof-borneo, #3: http://www.peoplesoftheworld.org/text?
people=Bajau.
Sama-Bajau have sometimes been called the "Sea Gypsies" or "Sea
Nomads", terms that have also been used for non-related ethnic
groups with similar traditional lifestyles, such as the Moken of the
Burmese-Thai Mergui Archipelago and the Orang Laut of

southeastern Sumatra and the Riau Islands of Indonesia. The

modern outward spread of the Sama-Bajau from older inhabited
areas seems to have been associated with the development of sea
trade in sea cucumber (trepang).
Background (Bajau)
A variety of local legends traces the original dispersal of the Bajau
to the loss or abduction of a princess, a mythic event variously
associated with the different early sultanates of the region: Johore,
Malacca, Brunei, Sulu, Luwu, or Bone. In more prosaic terms,
linguistic evidence suggests that the Proto-Sama-Bajau-speaking
ancestors of the present Bajau began to spread from an original
homeland located in the northeastern islands of Sulu, southwest of
Mindanao, sometime early in the first millennium A.D. The principal
movement was southwestward, through the Sulu Archipelago of the
Philippines, to the eastern Borneo coast. From Sulu and eastern
Borneo, subsequent migrations carried Bajau speakers eastward
through the Straits of Makassar to coastal Sulawesi and from there
southeastward into the Moluccas.
For almost 200 years the Bajau acted as the principal gatherers of
trepang throughout the eastern islands of Indonesia. In northern
Borneo, the Bajau were already well established when Captain
Thomas Forrest first visited the western and northern coasts of what
is now Sabah in 1773. In western Sabah, the Bajau were under the
loose suzerainty of the Brunei sultanate and in some areas, notably
Tempasuk, maintained close ties with small Illanun enclaves; some
of them, during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, staged
settlements for slave-raiding voyages into other parts of Southeast
Asia. On the southeastern coast of Sabah, the Bajau were
historically part of the Sulu zone, a maritime sphere of political and
commercial interests dominated by the Sulu sultanate and its
Tausug rulers. Here the principal seat of power was at Jolo, in the
central islands of the Sulu Archipelago. [11]
Living (Bajau)
The Bajau live on houses on stilts, which are situated just off an
island in one of the richest reefs in the world. The reefs are part of
the Coral Triangle, which is an ecologically valuable area between
Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, the Solomon Islands, Indonesia,
Malaysia, and Timor-Leste. Its also an area teeming with fish and
coral and is recognized as the global center of marine biodiversity
earning it the nickname The Amazon of the Seas. Over 120 million
people are sustained by this incredible part of the ocean, including
the Bajau, who rely on fishing for sustenance and income. [6]
Way of Life (Bajau)

Their knowledge of the sea enables them to live off its fauna and
flora by using simple tools such as nets and spears to forage for
food. What is not consumed is dried atop their boats, then used to
barter for other necessities at local markets. During the monsoon
season, they build additional boats while occupying temporary huts.
They live in houseboats which generally accommodates a single
nuclear family (usually five people). The houseboats travel together
in flotillas with houseboats of immediate relatives (a family alliance)
and co-operate during fishing expeditions and in ceremonies. A
married couple may choose to sail with the relatives of the husband
or the wife. They anchor at common mooring points (called
sambuangan) with other flotillas (usually also belonging to extended
relatives) at certain times of the year.
These mooring points are usually presided over by an elder or
headsman. The mooring points are close to sources of water or
culturally significant locations like island cemeteries. There are
periodic gatherings of Sama-Bajau clans usually for various
ceremonies like weddings or festivals. They generally do not sail
more than 40 km (24.85 mi) from their "home" moorage. They
periodically trade goods with the land-based communities of other
Sama-Bajau and other ethnic groups. Sama-Bajau groups may
routinely cross the borders of the Philippines, Malaysia, and
Indonesia for fishing, trading, or visiting relatives.
They spend most of their time on boats or stilted huts, diving and
spearfishing. Most can't read or write, and have little concept of
time, but welcomed him generously into their homes. And being
around water from a young age results in the best divers being able
to stay submerged at depths of 20 metres for several minutes, while
they hunt for fish. [6]
Although some of the seafaring tribe are born on the ocean and
never live on the land, more frequently the sea gypsies are
heading to the shore for trade and to gather materials to build
boats. They collect clams and hunt for small fish in the beautiful
surrounding waters and then travel the one-hour journey to the
market in Semporna where they sell their wares.
Among the Bajau there are a number of different sub-groups, which
vary according to where the people come from or where they live.
The subgroup Ubian and are thought to be from the island of South
Ubian, which is in Tawi-Tawi in the Philippines, makes up the largest
sub-group of Bajau in the state of Sabah. [6]
From old to young, the Bajau are a colorful, festive and musical
people. They believe they are descended from royalty. This is

perhaps partly why they wear such richly colorful clothes, often
made by hand from traditional dastar fabric. Brides and grooms
wear even more colorful clothing at their wedding. The more highly
regarded a woman is the more brightly and colorfully she will be
dressed. She will also receive many water buffalo which, to the
Bajau, 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.
Culture (Bajau)
Music, dance, and arts - Sama-Bajau traditional songs are handed
down orally through generations. The songs are usually sung during
marriage celebrations (kanduli pagkawin), accompanied by dance
(pang-igal) and musical instruments like pulau (flute), gabbang
(xylophone), tagunggo' (kulintang gongs), and in modern times,
electronic keyboards. There are several types of Sama-Bajau
traditional songs, they include: isun-isun, runsai, najat, syair, nasid,
bua-bua anak, and tinggayun.
Among the more specific examples of Sama-Bajau songs are three
love songs collectively referred to as Sangbayan. These are Dalling
Dalling, Duldang Duldang, and Pakiring Pakiring. The most wellknown of these three is Pakiring Pakiring (literally "moving the
hips"), which is more familiar to the Tausg in its commercialised
and modernised form Dayang Dayang. The Tausg claim that the
song is native to their culture, and whether the song is originally
Tausg or Sama-Bajau remain controversial. Most Sama-Bajau folk
songs are becoming extinct, largely due to the waning interest of
the younger generations.
Sama-Bajau people are also well known for weaving and
needlework skills. *
Note: could be more towards land-based West Coast Bajau
Horse Culture. The more settled land-based West Coast Bajau are
expert equestrians which makes them remarkable in Malaysia,
where horse riding has never been widespread anywhere else. The
traditional costume of Sama-Bajau horsemen consists of a black or
white long-sleeved shirt (badu sampit) with gold buttons (betawi) on
the front and decorated with silver floral designs (intiras), black or
white trousers (seluar sampit) with gold lace trimmings, and a
headpiece (podong). They carry a spear (bujak), a riding crop
(pasut), and a silver-hilted keris dagger. The horse is also
caparisoned with a colourful outfit called kain kuda that also have
brass bells (seriau) attached. The saddle (sila sila) is made from
water buffalo hide, and padded with cloth (lapik) underneath. *

Note: *applicable for land-based West Coast Bajau

Religion (Bajay/Sama-Bajau)
Religion can vary among the different Sama-Bajau subgroups; from
a strict adherence to Sunni Islam, forms of folk Islam, to animistic
beliefs in spirits and ancestor worship. There is a small minority of
Catholics and Protestants, particularly from Davao del Sur in the
Philippines. [7]
Among the modern coastal Sama-Bajau of Malaysia, claims to
religious piety and learning are an important source of individual
prestige. Some of the Sama-Bajau lack mosques and must rely on
the shore-based communities such as those of the more Islamised
or Malay peoples. Some of the more nomadic Sama-Bajau, like the
Ubian Bajau, are much less adherent to orthodox Islam. They
practice a syncretic form of folk Islam, also revering local sea spirits,
known in Islamic terminology as Jinn.
The ancient Sama-Bajau were animistic, and this is retained wholly
or partially in some Sama-Bajau groups. The supreme deities in
Sama-Bajau mythology are Umboh Tuhan (also known as Umboh
Dilaut, the "Lord of the Sea") and his consort, Dayang Dayang
Mangilai ("Lady of the Forest"). Umboh Tuhan is regarded as the
creator deity who made humans equal with animals and plants. Like
other animistic religions, they also fundamentally divide the world
into the physical and spiritual realms which coexist together. In
modern Muslim Sama-Bajau, Umboh Tuhan (or simply Tuhan or Tuan)
is usually equated with Allah.
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.
Ability (Bajau)
Bajau are 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.

When it comes to fishing, the Bajau can hold their breath for up to
five minutes, swimming down to depths of around 66 feet (20 m)!
This amazing ability is something they train for from childhood. [6]
Since diving is the main occupation for the Bajau people, some
Bajau intentionally rupture their eardrums at an early age to
facilitate diving and hunting at sea. Many older Sama-Bajau are
therefore hard of hearing. They hunt with spear guns fashioned
from boat timber, tyre rubber and scrap metal. Sama-Bajau women
also use a traditional sun-protecting powder called burak or borak,
made from water weeds, rice and spices.
Modern Issues
In recent decades, the majority of the community has been forced
into settlements built on stilts near their fishing grounds. The local
government has been trying to settle nomads to make everyone
accountable as part of campaign to cut piracy.
As a stateless people, they do not have the right to education or
health services. The wildlife of the area and these communities are
at risk, as large fishing companies and exporters look to make more
profits at the expense of the areas delicate ecosystem thus
directly affecting the Bajau.
References
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orang_laut
[2] Mary Somers Heidhues. Southeast Asia: A Concise History.
London: Hudson and Thames, 2000. Page 27
[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seafarers_(ethnic_groups)
[4] http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_551_2005-0109.html
[5]
http://press.anu.edu.au/austronesians/austronesians/mobile_devices
/ch13s05.html
[6] http://scribol.com/anthropology-and-history/the-bajau-seagypsies-of-borneo
[7] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sama-Bajau_peoples
[8] http://www.peoplesoftheworld.org/text?people=Bajau
[9] http://www.jamesmorgan.co.uk/features/bajau-laut-sea-nomads/
(photographer James Morgan)
[10] http://busanhaps.com/bajau/
[11] http://www.everyculture.com/East-Southeast-Asia/BajauHistory-and-Cultural-Relations.html
[12] http://matadornetwork.com/notebook/last-sea-nomads/
[13]
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/gallery/2010/sep/20/bajau
-sea-nomads

[14] http://www.adamdocker.com/photos/bajau-sea-gypsies/
(photographer Adam Docker)