Bajau Research Articles

Integration of Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Practices (IKSPs) in the K to 12 Curriculum for Sama Bajaus: A Case Study

This study is concerned with mending the gap in department orders, specifically the policy framework on IPED known as DO No. 62, s. 2011, which was meant for indigenous groups. The study would concentrate on finding significant data to recommend a tailored policy framework that would answer the needs of Sama Bajaus. This study utilized a convergent mixed method with teachers, school heads, students, parents of students from pre-selected education institutions in Batangas, Sama Bajau elders, and local government and NCIP officials served as the participants. Based on the results and discussions presented in this study, it is concluded that the Indigenous Knowledge System and Practices (IKSPs) of the Sama Bajau community exhibit characteristics that align with curriculum integration, promoting cultural advancement, social inclusion, and the preservation of Indigenous heritage. Integration of Sama Bajau’s IKSPs within the K to 12 Basic Education Curriculum has the potential to support Sama Bajau learners by offering increased learning opportunities that are culturally sensitive and inclusive. Furthermore, it can enhance the awareness and understanding of school personnel, particularly teachers and school heads, regarding the importance of localizing and indigenizing knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values (KSAV) in education. However, the study also revealed that challenges and issues are impeding the effective integration of IKSPs into the curriculum. These challenges include the availability of cultural learning resources and the overall responsiveness of the educational system. It was found that the extent of integration of Sama Bajau’s IKSPs is significantly related to the problems and issues encountered. Therefore, a policy recommendation is suggested to address the gaps in localization and indigenization within the curriculum, ensuring that learners’ needs are adequately met.

Preserving Coastal and Marine Resources:The Existence of Local Wisdom among the Bajau Tribe

The Bajo or Bajau tribe is a tribe that lives and survives in the sea. In some countries, the Bajau tribe is known as Sama or Samal. The Bajo tribe is more widely spread in Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Brunei, and Malaysia. Bajau as a maritime community certainly have hereditary habits relating to their lives in utilizing marine and coastal natural resources. On this basis, this research aims to determine the form of local wisdom of the Bajau tribe in utilizing marine and coastal natural resources, and second, to know the efforts made by the Bajau tribe to maintain local wisdom so that it remains sustainable now and in the future. This research was conducted using a post-positivism (qualitative) paradigm. The research location chosen was the Bajau tribe who inhabit the Spelman waters, precisely along the coast of the Tiworo Strait in Muna Regency, West Muna Regency, and Central Buton Regency, Southeast Sulawesi Province, Indonesia. The research involved around 17 people who were determined purposively, namely Tribal Heads. Research data comes from primary and secondary sources. Primary data resulting from in-depth interviews were then analyzed descriptively. It was found that the local wisdom of the Bajau tribe in preserving marine and coastal natural resources is sangal and pamali. The current efforts of the Bajau tribe to preserve local wisdom so that it remains intact is by upholding the advice of their ancestors and maintaining a figure (Tribal Chief) as the trustee of the source of ancestral knowledge. Therefore, the agenda for the future is the wisdom of the Bajau people which has been proven to protect the sea so that it can be replicated in other coastal communities. Regarding replication and conceptual models is a challenging discussion for future research.

Symbolism in the Queen of Lepa as the Regatta Lepa Festival of Bajau Semporna Community

The Regatta Lepa, also known as the Sambulayang Festival, is a celebration of the Bajau community in Semporna, Sabah. This event symbolises a way of life that embodies the people’s history and cultural heritage. Various activities are held during the Regatta Lepa, including water sports, the parade of the most beautiful lepa, and the Queen of Lepa contest. Previous research indicates that many important questions about the meaning of the Queen of Lepa have not yet been fully explored in relation to this celebration. Bajau girls in Semporna are highly enthusiastic about competing in this contest and winning the title of Queen of Lepa. Therefore, this study will examine the symbolism and uniqueness of the Queen of Lepa in the context of the Lepa Regatta. It will also thoroughly identify the distinctive attire and jewellery worn by the Queen of Lepa. An in-depth discussion of the symbolism and uniqueness of the Queen of Lepa clothing and jewellery has revealed that these elements are not solely for the competition but carry symbolic meanings that reflect the identity of the Bajau people. Furthermore, the Queen of Lepa herself symbolises the Regatta Lepa celebration. This research will adopt a quantitative approach, including fieldwork such as interview with informants and observation for data collection purposes.

TIBA PINAH, RITUAL TOLAK BALA ORANG BAJAU DI KABUPATEN TOJO UNA-UNA SULAWESI TENGAH

This study aims to find out how the process of carrying out Tiba Pinah, which is a ritual of rejecting reinforcements for the Bajau people in Tojo Una-Una Regency, Central Sulawesi. The research was conducted in two villages, namely Labuan Village, Ratolindo District and Kabalutan Village, Talatako District. This research uses qualitative methods by conducting interviews, observations and documentation. The results of the study show that the ritual performance of the Bajau people is an integral part of their belief in the ruler of the sea. The Tiba Pinah ritual that is still maintained and carried out by the Bajau people in Tojo Una-Una aims for treatment, search for missing persons, and ease of sustenance. Arriving Pinah is not only carried out at sea, but also on land. Sandro (shaman) is the person who leads the ritual by preparing ingredients such as areca nut, betel leaf, betel nut, gambir, tobacco, cigarettes and rice as offerings to be anchored (sea) or placed on the ground (land) in the morning while recite prayers, incantations.

KELANGSUNGAN ADAT BERTIMBANG KOMUNITI BAJAU KAMPUNG BOLONG, TUARAN

Before Islam was introduced in Malaysia, the majority of Bajau ethnic believe in animism. Along with the passage of time, there has been a cultural clash between Islam and the beliefs of the ancestors of the Bajau community in Sabah, then adapted according to the current situation and interests. Among the practices that still exist today is Adat Bertimbang, which is a ceremony of weighing babies born in the month of Muharam and Safar. The Bajau people believe that babies born in that month will bring disaster to themselves when they grow up. Therefore, Bertimbang is performed to supplicate to Allah SWT to keep the baby away from calamity for the rest of his life. The question is, why do the Bajau people continue the traditional customs of their ancestors? Based on a case study in Kg. Bolong, Tuaran, this article reveals the Factors of the Survival of Adat Bertimbang in the Bajau Community of Kampung Bolong, Tuaran. This study used a qualitative approach. Several informants were interviewed involving the elders of Kampung Bolong, Kampung Simpangan and Kampung Pulau Gaya Asal. The findings of the study conclude that there are two factors that cause the Adat Bertimbang is still accepted untill this day. First, the Adat Bertimbang is important from the point of view of spiritual healing, and second, the Adat Bertimbang has been aligned with the Islamic faith.

The Transition of Co-management Practices in a Marine Protected Area: A View from the Bajau Seafaring Nomadic Community in Indonesia

Customary communities with nature-based livelihoods have ways of knowing and living with their environment that they are best situated to manage. One example of such a group that lives in coastal and small island areas is the semi-nomadic Bajau people. At present, most of them have been sedentary in coastal areas and several Marine Protected Areas (MPA) such as Wakatobi National Park (WNP). They are rarely incorporated into the MPA management system. This research aims to investigate the transitional pattern of co-management in MPA from the view of the Bajau as a maritime-oriented people. This ethnographic study was carried out in five Bajau villages in WNP, Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia. Interviews and participatory mapping were employed as research methods among related stakeholders to explore the many perspectives on these issues. WNP is starting to put the concept of co-management into practice, yet they face several challenges. However, Bajau communities there face cultural degradation and institutional complexities in inter- and intragroup relations, especially in promoting coastal and marine management. The documented pillars of the Bajau community indicate socio-ecological constraints on their involvement in the co-management transition of WNP. Administration, governance, sustainable resource management, capacity building, locality, and other issues can be addressed via a participatory model, but there will be difficulties to resolve on many levels for this model to prove optimally effective. To justify the need for WNP, Bajau sacred areas as part of traditional ecological knowledge have the prospect of being incorporated into marine co-management schemes.

Sea Nomads of Southeast Asia: From the Past to the Present ed. by Bérénice Bellina, Roger Blench, and Jean-Christophe Galipaud

Reviewed by: Sea Nomads of Southeast Asia: From the Past to the Present ed. by Bérénice Bellina, Roger Blench, and Jean-Christophe Galipaud Carol Warren Bérénice Bellina, Roger Blench, and Jean-Christophe Galipaud, editors. Sea Nomads of Southeast Asia: From the Past to the Present. Singapore: National University of Singapore Pres, 2021. 383. The Sea Nomads of Southeast Asia: From the Past to the Present offers impressive studies from an array of disciplines—archaeology, anthropology, history, linguistics, genomics—to piece together the longue-durée of "sea nomad" cultures in the Southeast Asian region. There is a striking paradox that peoples so central to the deep history of globalization should find their cultures marginalized in the modern era. The collection of essays grapples with the relative "invisibility" of sea nomad cultures despite rich, although scattered, historical records of sightings and engagements from the 16th century among Western explorers and earlier still in Arabic and Chinese sources. Challenging also for interpretation are substantial differences in the socioeconomic status and political relationships reported in historical and contemporary ethnographic accounts. The weight of evidence amassed in this volume goes some way toward revising the image of sea nomad populations as subordinated minorities within nation-states today. The sea nomads of Southeast Asia are shown in these studies to have contributed to linking together a Maritime Silk Road between South and East Asia in the ancient world and are credited with playing an important role in the earliest phases of the globalization of commerce. At the same time, evidence on the subsistence, trading, craft producing, and political arts of the sea peoples of the region in the historical and archaeological record leaves unresolved the questions of direct relationship with currently identified groups. Case studies in the book cover multiple disciplines focused primarily on the main contemporary "sea nomad" populations—the Moken and Orang Laut off the Malay-Thai-Myanmar coasts and the Sama Bajau who inhabit the waters of eastern Indonesia, Malaysian Borneo, and southern Philippines. Yet much of the piecing together of material deposits from prehistory, recorded encounters, and contemporary ethnographies leave the tacit connections between past and present groups practicing a more or less mobile, boat-dwelling way of life an open question: Is this a cultural adaptation that saw groups and individuals move in and out of lives on the sea? Or has it been an enduring lifeway for distinctive groups whose cultural core revolved around maritime resources and relations that represent a largely intangible cultural heritage? The chapter structure follows a roughly chronological trajectory, including early evidence of maritime movements as sea levels rose during the Pleistocene-Holocene transitional period that expanded the potential for this remarkable adaptation to the coastal cultural-ecological niche. The introductory chapter 1 by editors Bérénice Bellina, Roger Blench, and Jean-Christophe Galipaud sets out the themes around which core archaeological, historical, linguistic, genetic, and ethnographic questions are pursued in the following chapters: How should we understand the "sea nomads" and their relation to the wider traditions of maritime migration and exchange of goods, material, and intangible culture across the region? What are the relationships between mobile, [End Page 225] boat-dwelling ethnic groups of island Southeast Asia and land-based groups of the estuaries and hinterlands? What roles have they played in the evolution of state societies and of the trading polities that mediated state-building among the emerging kingdoms that rose and fell across the region? How did they fit into the network of trading relations between state societies and the "stateless" cultures of the less controllable mountains and seas, who were more or less successful in practicing the arts of "not being governed."1 Chapters 2, 3, and 4, tease out the archaeological evidence on sea peoples in painstaking detail. They will be challenging for those outside the field, however. The technical vocabulary is unfortunately taken for granted and would have proved more accessible to scholars of other disciplines if a detailed glossary had been provided. Nonetheless the inferences drawn from assemblages of implements, pottery, and ornaments offer tantalizing interpretations and points of debate in these efforts to reconstruct a partially "invisible" world of seaborne fishers...

Giant Clam Conservation in Sabah: a need for the appreciation of the Bajau people’s traditional ecological knowledge

Kima (Tridacna sp.) is a type of giant clam that can be found in Indo-West Pacific tropical coral reefs. It is endangered due to its excessive exploitation as a source of exotic food and the degradation of its habitat. The gazette of marine parks in Sabah is a positive modern conservation effort to reduce threats on endangered marine species especially those found in the northern part of Sabah. Integral to the conservation of giant clams within those marine parks is the appreciation of indigenous knowledge of once known sea gypsies i.e. the Bajau people. Current conservation methods at several sites in Sabah’s marine park had shown several challenges, which circulate tension among the economics of local communities. To explore the possibility of appreciating indigenous knowledge into the conservation of giant clams, a scientific study with the objective of documenting traditional consumption method of the Bajau people was carried out. Direct observations and interviews on the local people were conducted, while descriptive statistics were used to analyse all collected data. Finding of this study shows the existence of traditional ecology knowledge (TEK) and traditional management among Bajau people pertinent to the conservation of Kima. TEK can complement conventional science and help to make more informed management decisions for clam conservation through for hybridization of modern and traditional management to customary management in managing and conserving giant clam population in Sabah’s marine parks. A synthesized advice to use traditional ecology knowledge as tool in developing more effective knowledge-inclusive partnerships between indigenous communities, researchers and policy decision-makers is provided in this article.

The Life and Culture of the Bajau, Sea Gypsies

The Life and Culture of the Bajau, Sea Gypsies

GENDERING DANCE, GAZING MUSIC: DANCE MOVEMENTS, HEALING RITUALS AND MUSIC MAKING OF SAMA BAJAU AND SAMA DILAUT OF EAST MALAYSIA AND SOUTHERN PHILIPPINES

Amongst the Sama and Bajau of the Sulu Sea (formerly referred to as ‘sea gypsies’), the Sama Bajau of Malaysia (who no longer roam the sea but live in coastal hamlets and villages) and the Sama DiLaut of the Southern Philippines share commonalities in the way dancers are gendered through the choices of musical tunes while partaking in the ritual healing ceremony of Magpaibahau or Magduwata (amongst Sama Bajau and Bajau Laut in Malaysia), Mag-paigal (Bajau Laut in Semporna, Malaysia and in Sitangkai, Philippines), or Pagkanduli (Sama Dilaut in Sitangkai, Philippines). The tagunggu' ensemble with the kulintangan pot gong set, agung (two big hanging gongs) or tawag (large gong), and tambul (drum) play tunes or titik for the spirit bearer (Jin), which is represented by Jin Lella (male Jin) or Jin Denda (female Jin). The tunes (titik) may also signify the places where these events take place such as Titik Lellang for the Magduwata ritual amongst Sama Bajau in Semporna, East Malaysia or Titik Limbayan for the Pagkanduli ritual of the Sama Dilaut in Sitangkai, Southern Philippines. Similarly, these tunes are associated with the gender of the spirit-bearers, Titik Lellang for the male spirit bearer and Titik Limbayan for female spirit-bearers. Dances or igal of the spirit-bearers in these communities are also identified and named after the tunes, such as Igal Lellang and Igal Limbayan respectively. This paper aims to highlight the responses between the tagunggu'/kulintangan musicians and the dancing spirit-bearers in these two locations: Semporna in East Malaysia and Sitangkai in the Sulu Archipelago in Southern Philippines as they reciprocate on the gazes of the dancing spirit-bearers in sustaining appropriate rhythmic pulses to the tunes of gendered musical styles.

Ethnobotanical note, total phenolic content, total flavonoid content, and antioxidative activities of wild edible vegetable, Crassocephalum crepidioides from Kota Belud, Sabah

Crassocephalum crepidioides or locally known as “tanduk manggarang” (Bajau) or “gipun” (Dusun) is an underutilized weed that has been consumed as wild edible vegetable by Sama Bajau people in Kota Belud, Sabah. The villagers obtained the plant from local traders at fresh market or foraging the plant from forest. Correlation between TPC and TFC with IC50 of DPPH and ABTS scavenging activities were analysed by using Pearson’s correlation. The ethanolic extract exhibited the highest TPC (175.06±0.574 µg/ml) and TFC (139.72±0.923 µg/ml), followed by hot water extract with TPC of 54.45±0.818 µg/ml and TFC of 25.07±0.156 µg/ml. The distilled water extract showed the lowest TPC (29.98±0.918 µg/ml) and TFC (19.96±0.538 µg/ml). Antioxidant activities also demonstrated the same trend, ethanolic extract displayed the highest percentage of antioxidant activity of DPPH (85.4±1.64 %) and ABTS (85.2±0.57 %), followed by hot water extract with 65.4±3.87 % for DPPH and 79.4±3.2 % for ABTS. Distilled water extract had the lowest antioxidant activities for both DPPH (55.0±0.7 2%) and ABTS (71.35±2.61 %). The IC50 of DPPH assay were decreasing in the subsequent order; distilled water>hot water>ethanolic. Meanwhile, the IC50 of ABTS were decreasing in the following order; hot water>distilled water>ethanolic. There was negative high correlation between TPC in C. crepidioides leaves extracts with their IC50 of DPPH and ABTS assays. Following the same trend, there was also negative high correlation between TFC in C. crepidoides leaves extracts with their IC50 of DPPH and ABTS assays. As a conclusion, this readily available wild edible vegetable could be a potent resource of natural antioxidant for rural populace in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo.

SAMA BAJAU DISPERSALS TO SABAH

This paper discusses the archaeological evidence related to the early dispersals of the Sama Bajau, an Austronesian language speaker to Sabah, Malaysia. A brief review of the current archaeological data and findings will be presented and discussed along with the various issues and problems of the present state of knowledge and views on the Austronesian diaspora in Sabah. The Sama Bajau is an indigenous group of Austronesian language speakers residing in the Sulu-Sulawesi Seas and beyond. Many archaeologists and scholars believed that the Sama Bajau together with the other indigenous ethnic groups in Southeast Asia are the descendants of the Austronesians who migrated to Sabah and elsewhere in Island Southeast Asia and the Pacific region since the Neolithic period, dated 3,000-4,500 BP. Keywords: archaeological research, Sama Bajau, Austronesian, Sabah, Neolithic

SPELLING ISSUES IN WEST COAST BAJAU: A COMPARATIVE LOOK

A number of values inform people’s decisions on how to spell their language. Sometimes these values conflict. For example, some may hold strongly to the value that a language should be spelled according to its sound system, while others prioritize the value that their language should be spelled as much as possible like the national language. Both values have been instrumental in shaping the orthography used in West Coast (WC) Bajau [bdr], spoken on the west coast of Sabah, Malaysia. In 2004, a Bajau orthography workshop was held in Kota Kinabalu, involving some 30 WC Bajau leaders and educators. The decisions reached at this workshop have formed the basis of the current WC Bajau orthography. With the publication of the Bajau Sama – Malay – English Basic Dictionary last year (2017), more people are being exposed to the spelling system than perhaps ever before. In the present paper, some of the key features of the WC Bajau orthography will be discussed. These include: the representation of the glottal stop; the representation of the pepet vowel; the use of semivowels (‘y’ and ‘w’) vs vowels (‘i’ and ‘u’) in vowel glides; and the representation of long vowels. We shall consider how the Malay sound system and orthography have influenced the development of the WC Bajau orthography. We shall also examine how the WC Bajau orthography differs from the spelling systems used in other Sama Bajau languages such as Mapun, Central Sama, and Southern Sama, languages which are much more influenced by Filipino/Tagalog than Malay since they are spoken mostly in the Philippines. Keywords: orthography, West Coast Bajau, Mapun, Central Sama, Southern Sama

A Narrative on the Origins of Mantra in the Bajau Community of Pitas, Sabah

This qualitative study was intended to document and perceive the existing narratives on the origins of mantra among the Bajau community living in the villages of Kampung Mapan-Mapan Darat and Kampung Mapan-Mapan Laut in Pitas, Sabah. This study uses participant observation as a systematic method of collecting data on mantra through three informants, who are also experienced mantra practitioners, residing in the two said villages. The data collected was analyzed using Malinowski’s functional theory, which emphasizes on analyzing the origins of occurrences and cultural phenomena in an ethnic group. This study focused more on the Bajau community’s need for safety and food. The urgent documentation of the narrative of mantra is imperative before the practice disappears from the cultural expressions of the Bajau community. Keywords: narrative, origins, mantra, Bajau community Abstrak Kajian ini dijalankan dengan menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif yang melibatkan proses temu bual serta pemerhatian sebagai cara untuk mendapatkan data kajian secara sistematik yang melibatkan tiga orang informan, di Kampung Mapan-Mapan Darat dan Kampung Mapan-Mapan Laut, Pitas. Dalam usaha untuk menganalisis data, penyelidik menggunakan kerangka teori fungsional Malinowsky yang menjurus kepada penganalisisan asal usul sesuatu kejadian dan fenomena budaya dalam sesuatu kelompok etnik. Penelitian ini lebih memfokuskan keperluan manusia dari sudut keselamatan dan keperluan terhadap makanan. Pada dasarnya, kajian ini dilakukan dalam usaha untuk meneliti naratif yang wujud untuk mengungkapkan asal usul mantera dalam kalangan masyarakat Bajau Pitas. Usaha pendokumentasian kajian naratif dalam mantera perlu dilakukan dengan segera sebelum warisan ini hilang daripada kamus budaya masyarakat Bajau Pitas. Kata kunci: naratif, asal usul, mantera, masyarakat Bajau

A breath-holding adaptation.

A new study in Cell reports genomic selection of physiological adaptations to hypoxia in breath-hold diving marine hunter–gatherers, the indigenous Bajau people of Southeast Asia.

Physiological and Genetic Adaptations to Diving in Sea Nomads

Understanding the physiology and genetics of human hypoxia tolerance has important medical implications, but this phenomenon has thus far only been investigated in high-altitude human populations. Another system, yet to be explored, is humans who engage in breath-hold diving. The indigenous Bajau people ("Sea Nomads") of Southeast Asia live a subsistence lifestyle based on breath-hold diving and are renowned for their extraordinary breath-holding abilities. However, it is unknown whether this has a genetic basis. Using a comparative genomic study, we show that natural selection on genetic variants in the PDE10A gene have increased spleen size in the Bajau, providing them with a larger reservoir of oxygenated red blood cells. We also find evidence of strong selection specific to the Bajau on BDKRB2, a gene affecting the human diving reflex. Thus, the Bajau, and possibly other diving populations, provide a new opportunity to study human adaptation to hypoxia tolerance. VIDEO ABSTRACT.

Thalassemia Distribution Based on Screening Programs in the Population of the East Malaysian State of Sabah

Objective: The aim of the study is to examine the distribution of thalassemia in the indigenous population of Sabah where thalassemia is most prevalent in Malaysia based on screening programs carried out at the public health centers. Method: A total of 645 blood samples were obtained from all over Sabah for thalassemia screening in the month of May 2013. High performance Liquid Chromatography and Capillary Electrophoresis were used for analyzing the hemoglobin subtypes. Result: 94% of the total sample came from voluntary screening offered at primary care level and various government-promoted programs while the other 6% were cascade screening. The study included patients from the age of 1 to 73 years old. The majority (97%; 624/645) were indigenous people and 94% of the total sample came from voluntary screening offered at primary care level via various government promoted programs. 82% were female, mostly screened during their antenatal visit. 30% (193/645) of the sample were tested positive for; β-Thalassemia trait (78%; 151/193), HbE trait (10%; 20/193), Homozygous HbE (2%; 4/193) and other haemoglobinopathies (7%; 13/193). The other 3% (5/193) of the abnormal results were inconclusive hence would require further molecular analysis. Among all the indigenous people screened, the Kadazandusuns had the highest occurrence of haemoglobinopathies (35%; 87/250), followed by the Muruts (33%; 15/45), Malays (29%; 19/65), other races (26%; 46/180) and the Bajau people (23%; 19/84). Conclusion: Thalassemia is prevalent in the indigenous population of Sabah and most people are asymptomatic. Government health clinics play a crucial role in promoting greater awareness of the disease via campaigns and screening programs as they are easily accessible and oftentimes are the first point of contact with the community.

Amphibious Encounters: Coral and People in Conservation Outreach in Indonesia

Drawing on long-term ethnographic research in Indonesia, this article describes a conservation outreach project that attempts to educate and convert local people into coral protectors. Both coral and the sea-dwelling Bajau people appear to be amphibious beings, moving between a changeable land-water interface, and between different, fluidly interwoven ontological constellations. We show that the failure of conservation organizations to recognize the ontologically ambiguous nature of “coral” and “people” translates to a breakdown of outreach goals. Mobilizing the concept of amphibiousness to engage this ambiguity and fluidity, we describe the moving land-water interface as the actual living environment for both coral and people. The notion of amphibiousness, we suggest, has practical and political value, in particular for reconsidering outreach and how it may be reframed as a process involving ontological dialogue. For conservation outreach to become seaworthy, it needs to cultivate an amphibious capacity, capable of moving in-between and relating partly overflowing ways of knowing and being. Providing room for ambiguity, thinking with amphibiousness furthermore encourages suspension of the (Western) tendency to explain the Other, to fix what does not add up. As such, it is of heuristic relevance for the on-going discussions of ontological multiplicity that have proliferated at the intersection between STS and anthropology.

The Political Struggle of the Sama Dilaut within the Context of the Indigenous Peoples, the Zamboanga City Indigenous Peoples Mandatory Representative Struggle and Their Quest for the Assertion of Civil Political Rights

Zamboanga City presents a case of cultural extremism in contrast. While it is home to five indigenous peoples communities and other cultural communities, and proudly sports the eternal symbol of the Sama, the Vinta as part of its symbolism and identity. The struggle for recognition and acknowledgement of the Indigenous Peoples of which the Sama Dilaut, also known as the Sama Bajau has been a long and ardous process. This paper is an attempt to tell the narrative of the struggle of the indigenous peoples (which includes the Sama Dilaut) in its quest of recognition of its political and socio-cultural rights in Zamboanga City. It will focus on the following: 1. Process of assertion of the recognition of the IP (Sama) Rights 2. Struggle for recognition of SAMA Organizations 3. Struggle for recognition of the Indigneous Peoples Mandatory representative 4. Current realities in the recognition and assertion of the rights of the Sama in the context of the Indigenous peoples of Zamboanga City. Paper presented at the 1st INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON THE SAMA BADJAO (SAMA DILAUT) SEA-BOUND and CROSS-BORDERS Maritime Commerce and Sea-faring Lifeways of the Sama Dilaut in Tawi-Tawi ,December 1 to 3, 2015,Venue: Marine Science Museum, Integrated Fisheries Research and Training Center [IFRTC], MSU-TCTO Campus, Sanga-Sanga, Bongao, Tawi-Tawi, PHILIPPINES

Kalang Sama: The Identity of Bajau People through their Verbal Art

Kalang Sama: The Identity of Bajau People through their Verbal Art