The world's great wonders
You don't go out to see the world
How do you know the herdsmen
In the waters between the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia in Southeast Asia,
For centuries, there has been a group of people likened to the "gypsy at sea".
They have lived and reproduced on the ocean for generations,
Lead the most primitive way of life,
It is considered to be the last marine nomadic people in the world.
This is the Bayao people,
"Ba Yao" means "people of the sea" in Indonesian.
The main activities are in the Banda Sea, Sulu Sea, Sulawesi Sea and other waters.
According to the "Saga Sama Legend" narration of the Bayao people,
The Bayao ancestor was originally the Royal Guard of the Sultan of Johor,
After the storm raged in the Malacca Empire in Malay,
They gradually settled and proliferated in Borneo on the east coast.
Most of the Pak folk have no house on land.
Or drifting on the boat,
Either live in a humble tall stilt house in shallow waters,
Fishing is their only way of life,
Some basic daily necessities,
You need to go to land on a regular basis in exchange for salvaged marine products.
The children here have n’t studied math or physics,
They learn to swim, dive, catch fish, catch octopuses, catch lobsters and even catch sharks.
It is said that the Ba Yao people deliberately pierced their eardrums when they were young.
To reduce the water pressure during diving and adapt to life at sea;
Therefore, the Bayao people will have poor hearing in their old age.
The Bayao people use a type of water transportation called Lepa-Lepa in their lives.
The hull is narrow and the bow is tall, generally 5 meters long and 1.5 meters wide.
Many fishermen live on craft boats all year round,
Some older people have spent almost their entire lives on board.
The Ba Yao people sit on the beautiful nature and live a simple and happy life;
Every morning, I wake up early and start a day of "sailing" and fishing.
Children dive in the sea around the boat.
They are masters of free diving,
Can dive to 30 meters or even deeper to catch deep sea fish,
Look for pearls and sea cucumbers.
And long-term marine diving operations,
It also caused some fishermen to suffer from decompression sickness.
When night falls, the Ba Yao people will dock their boats in the mangrove forest near the island.
From as few as five or six ships to as many as forty or fifty ships,
Light a fire at the stern, or roast sea shells, or stew seafood,
For them, being close to nature is essential.
For the Bayao people, the ocean is a complex and complex life.
Water currents, tides, coral reefs and even mangroves have souls.
And this awareness and awe should be used to protect rather than spoil nature.
Looks like a paradise
and
They have no nationality
They have no nationality and often have conflicts with neighboring countries.
For example, the Philippine government recently closed the Bayao settlement on the coast of the state of Sabah.
Caused many Ba Yao people to migrate to certain islands in Malaysia,
Based on the island, they often enter Sabah for manual labor.
Today the number of Bayao people living at sea is decreasing,
On the one hand, some of the Ba Yao people volunteered to live on land.
Be able to have a more secure life;
On the other hand, because of conflicts in neighboring countries,
In order to avoid disputes and protect marine resources,
Some neighboring governments forced them to settle ashore.
This marine nomad is truly a "four seas home",
Everyone has the right to choose their own lifestyle,
I hope they can live as they wish.
I also hope that the new coronavirus will not reach them!