Bajau Laut, the nomadic tribe of the "Coral Triangle"

The Bajau Laut are an indigenous people who for centuries have survived on the natural resources of the "Coral Triangle", a vast stretch of sea located between Malaysia, the Philippines and Indonesia, considered the epicenter of world marine biodiversity. The stateless community is made up of different family groups who live on traditional boats and move continuously without ever touching ground. They are a peaceful people, accustomed to living off small businesses, fishing and all the riches that the sea can offer.



In recent decades, the lifestyle of these “sea nomads” has unfortunately changed radically with most being pressured by the local government and forced to abandon their boats (lepa-lepa) to move to stilts or find a stable life on dry land. This has been difficult as generations have marked their existence in symbiosis with the ocean they have always called "home". The Bajau belong to different aboriginal ethnic groups scattered in Southeast Asia and while remaining rooted in numerous pagan communities linked to their geographical origin, they are for the most part Muslim.



Each member of this community has developed extraordinary diving skills with the ability to reach tens of meters deep while remaining in apnea even for more than 10 consecutive minutes. They thrive on fishing with the only help of some rudimentary tools. Scientific studies have shown that the population of the Bajau Laut, following the repeated descents in apnea, have managed to adapt to situations of lack of oxygen, so much so as to modify their organism. This precise genetic adaptation similar to that of the Tibetan populations that manage to survive at high altitudes is yet another demonstration of the continuous and inexorable human evolution.

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