BADJAO The Badjao are popularly known as "Sea Gypsies" of the Sulu and Celebes Sea.

The name "Badjao" is a Malay-Bornean word which connotes "man of the seas" or Orang-Laut in Bahasa Malayo. Their Sama and Tausug neighbors call them by pejorative names such as Samal Palau (outcast Samal). The badjao call themselves as Samal Laus (Sea Sama). Many badjaos live most of their lives in houseboats, which occasionally cluster in moorings near certain strands and beaches, so as to do business in nearby market places of the land-dwelling Sama and Tausug. In the markets they barter their sea products for such farm produce as fruits and cassava. On the shore they also fetch drinking water, gather firewood and gather materials needed in the construction and repair of their houseboats. The Badjao or sea gypsies inhabit the shores and waters of Sulu archipelago. These groups of Badjaos may be classified according to lifestyle.The badjao inhabiting Siasi Island are semisedentary, building stilt-houses over the water and engaging in fishing. The group of the Sitangkai builds permanent homes on the shore while the group live in the houseboat called sakayan. The stilt-houses merely serve as a temporary refuge during the time that their boathouses undergo repairs. The other boats are called lipa, vinta, pelang and kumpit. The Badjaos are found in many coastal settlements dotting the Sulu archipelago, particularly in Jolo, Tawi-Tawi and Sitangkai. Others are scattered in Davao, Surigao, Zamboanga, Basilan, Bohol, Cebu and Manila in search of livelihood. They are estimated to be 191,817 (OSCC,1987). Their physical features are distinctively attributable to their environment and their mode of life. They have sturdy built dark brown skin and bronze hair. Their manner of walking is affected to a large extent by their crouching on boat stern while sailing or fishing. The Badjaos are oppressed tribe. They are referred to as palao or lumaan (God forsaken) by the Tausugs. Badjaos developed an inferiority attitude towards the Tausugs and the Samals who always look down on them. Originally, they used to live on the land but the constant pressure on their safety by the other Muslim tribes forced them to seek the sea. They eventually found that the sea afforded them greater avenues of escape in the event of attack. Tradition A sea ritual makes the Badjaos childbirth practice somewhat peculiar. The newly born infant is thrown into the sea. Other people dive after it to rescue it. This ritual is simply an initiation into the reality of the Badjao life which is based on kinship with the sea. Badjaos can be divided into three types based on their form of residence: the sedentary, with commercial pursuits and permanent homes; the semisedentary, who spends periods alternately between their houseboats and village homes; and the sea gypsies, who live in houseboats as itinerant fisher folk in search of rich fishing grounds.

The Badjaos have no permanent dwellings and live on their boats throughout the year. In some places, the Badjaos have built houses usually 20 to 30 feet long with a width of 15 feet thereby forming a perfect rectangle. Fronting their house is an open platform to serve as boat landing stage. Marriage among the Badjaos is usually arranged by the parents of the bride and the groom. It is characterized by the dowry giving by the groom. http://en.wikipilipinas.org/index.php?title=Badjao

The sea environment shaped Badjao attitude. They learned to exploit the sea to their fullest advantage. Their prowess is in fishing, raising seaweeds and oyster. Pearl gathering is another occupation, and products of the sea they gather to sell at market. Scattered throughout the Sulu Archipelago of the Philippines live the Sama Badjao, a people nobody wants. Badjao means "man of the seas." By tradition, the people are sea nomads, traveling by boat from one island to the next in search of a fishing harvest. But the Sama Badjao are known to other tribes living in the same area as 'palau' or 'lumaan,' both meaning "godforsaken."

The origin of the Sama Badjao is not clear. The Sama originally inhabited the islands and coastal areas between the island of Mindanao and the Sulu Islands. Evidence suggests that they began to leave their homeland during the first millennium AD. Most moved south and westward, establishing themselves along the main Sulu Archipelago, the Cagayan Sulu Islands, and the eastern Borneo coast. Many believe they came from either Sumatra or the South Sea Islands. Some think their migration in the first millennium A.D. resulted from expanding Chinese trade. Originally, the Sama Badjao may have been a land-based tribe pushed into the seas by population pressures and by more dominant tribes. Historically, they held no land or other property ashore, except for small burial islands. Through years of oppression, the Sama Badjao have found solace on the seas. The Sama are a highly fragmented people with no overall political unity. Specific Sama groups can be distinguished by dialect. However, most identify themselves with a particular island or island cluster. The Central Sama of the Philippines live on several islands in the Sulu Archipelago, near the island of Borneo. Their language, Siasi Sama, is similar to Tausug and other Sama languages. In

general, the term Sama refers to a diverse group of Sama-Bajau speaking peoples who are scattered from the central Philippines to the eastern shore of Borneo, and throughout the Indonesian islands.

The lives of the Central Sama revolve around fishing, seafaring, and trade, with some farming along the coastal strips. Throughout much of Sulu and eastern Sabah, copra (the meat of the coconut from which coconut oil is derived) is the major cash crop. Copra holdings are small, and few families own enough palms to support themselves entirely from copra sales. Trade has also long occupied a central place in Central Sama society. Since long ago, seafarers were valued as suppliers of trepang (sea cucumbers), dried fish, pearls, pearl shells, and other marine commodities. Among the Central Sama, both men and women share in agricultural labor and engage in trade. Fishing, building boats, and working with iron are primarily male occupations. Women generally weave mats and market pottery. POPULATION LANGUAGE 113,000 Sama, Central RELIGION Islam %CHRISTIAN %EVANGELICAL < 5.00 % 0.00 %

Location within Country:

Sulu-Tawitawi, Siasi, Tabawan, Bonggao Sitangkai, Cagayande

Tawitawi (Mapun); Basilan, Maluso, Malamawi, Bohe Lobbong; Zamboanga del Sur, Rio Hondo, Batuan Lumbayaw, Taluk Sangay, Sanggali; Zamboanga del Norte, Olutangga; Davao City, Isla Verde, Sasa; Cagayan de Oro; Visayas, Cebu, Tagbilaran; Palawan, Puerto Princesa; Batangas.

Culture All Central Sama are Shafiite Sunni Muslims. Those who are well versed in religious matters, including the imams (religious leaders) and other mosque officials are called paki or pakil. The paki preside over all major rites, act as religious counselors, and conduct minor rites of thanksgiving. Friday prayers are performed in the parish mosque and are the climax of a weekly cycle of daily prayers. An annual religious calendar includes Ramadan (the ninth month in which all Muslims fast) and the prophet Mohammed's birthday. Some of the Central Sama are animists (believe that non-living objects have spirits). Spirits of the dead are thought to remain in the vicinity of their graves. These spirits require offerings for appeasement. Some graves have reportedly become the sources of miracle working power.

During the month of Shaaban, it is said that Allah permits the souls of the dead (roh) to return to this world. To honor their return, the people offer special prayers to the dead and clean the grave areas. http://www.joshuaproject.net/people-profile.php?rop3=114778&rog3=RP

Badjao Pictures

http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images?p=badjao+in+the+philippines&fr2=pivweb&tab=organic&tab=organic&b=1

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Badjao_kid_diving_for_coins.jpg http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Badjao_beggars.jpg

http://www.google.com.ph/ WARAY The Waray are an ethno-liguistic group of people geographically inhabiting in the islands of Samar, Leyte and Biliran - commonly referred to as the Eastern Visayas region of the Philippines. The Waray, speak their native language called Waray-Waray. Waray people inhabit in the whole island of Samar and they are called Samareos while in the island of Leyte they are called Leyteos. In Leyte island, Waray people occupy only in the northern part of the island as it is divided by a mountain range in the middle of the island. Hence, the language division between the Waray-Waray speaking people in the northern part and the Cebuano speaking people in the southern part. In the island of Biliran, Waray-Waray speaking people lives on the eastern part of the island facing the island of Samar. They are commonly referred in Waray-Waray term as Biliranon. In the island of Ticao which belongs to the province of Masbate in the Bicol region, Waray-Waray speaking people lives in most parts of the island. They are commonly referred to as Ticaonon. However, the Ticaonon have their affinity with the Bicolano speaking people of Masbate island as it is their home province. Bicol and Waray-Waray languages have a lot of similarities in vocabularies as compared to Cebuano language. Culture The Warays' livelihood are farming and fishing. Samar and Leyte remain among those underdeveloped areas in the Philippines. The Warays are primarily known for their traditional courtship dances, like the balitaw, kuradang and kuratsa, which features verses in rhyme and dance motions. One aspect of the Waray culture that makes them widely known is faith-healing. In the island of Samar, especially in the province of Eastern Samar, many still practice animistic traditions alongside with Roman Catholicism. Traditions Religion The Waray people are one of the most religious people in the Philippines. Almost all of them belong to Roman Catholicism, the world's largest Christian denomination. Their religious devotion is very evident in their celebrations like feasts honoring their patron saints, Santacruzans and many more.

Waray Pictures