The Bajau, also known as Sama Bajau or Bajau Laut, are maritime Indigenous peoples of Southeast Asia who live primarily across the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia, with a history closely tied to the sea, fishing, boats and stilt-house settlements. They are not a “race,” but a diverse ethnolinguistic group, with communities settled in the Sulu Archipelago, Borneo, Sabah and other coastal areas of the region.
For centuries, part of these communities developed a semi-nomadic maritime way of life. Some families lived on boats or in houses built over the water, moving between islands, fishing grounds and trading points. This relationship with the sea gave them a distinct cultural identity, but also left them vulnerable in the face of modern borders, migration controls and state citizenship systems.
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In recent years, the Bajau Laut have been internationally portrayed as “sea nomads” due to their extraordinary ability to free dive. A study published in the journal Cell in 2018 documented a genetic adaptation linked to an enlarged spleen, an organ that helps release oxygenated red blood cells during dives. This finding made the Bajau a significant case for scientific research on human adaptation to marine environments.
However, the romanticized image of a people living on the ocean contrasts with a harsher reality. In Sabah, Malaysia, many Bajau Laut lack identity documents, recognized citizenship and stable access to basic services such as education, healthcare and financial systems.
Sabah is one of the 13 states that make up Malaysia. It is located in the northern part of the island of Borneo, one of the largest islands in the world, which is shared with Indonesia and Brunei. Sabah, whose capital is Kota Kinabalu, is part of East Malaysia and lies along the Celebes Sea, in a region that is key to maritime communities such as the Bajau.
Reuters reported that this condition exposes them to detention, deportation and institutional exclusion, as authorities do not always distinguish between stateless residents and undocumented migrants.
The situation worsened in June 2024, when more than 500 members of Bajau Laut communities were evicted in the Semporna district of Sabah. Activists reported that stilt houses and boats were demolished or burned during an operation targeting settlements considered unauthorized.
Authorities defended the move, citing security concerns, efforts to combat cross-border crime and the protection of areas managed by Sabah Parks.
The Associated Press reported that the Sabah state government justified the demolitions within the Tun Sakaran Marine Park and said prior notices had been issued against 273 unauthorized settlements. Human rights organizations and local activists responded that the operation left hundreds of people homeless and called for more humane solutions, including legal documentation for affected families.
The case of the Bajau reveals a deep tension between tradition, territory and the modern state. For authorities, many settlements violate conservation, security or migration regulations. For human rights advocates, the central issue is that communities born and raised along these coasts continue to live without legal recognition, leaving them excluded from public services and without effective protection from state operations.
The Bajau cannot be reduced to a scientific curiosity or the tourist label of “sea gypsies.” They are peoples with history, language, culture and their own maritime way of life, but also facing a contemporary crisis marked by statelessness, poverty, evictions and lack of access to basic rights.
Their case raises a broader question in Southeast Asia about what happens when a community whose life has been tied to the sea becomes trapped between borders, protected areas and legal systems that do not fully recognize its existence.
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