Bajo

This article is about the ethnic group. For the actor, see Steven O'Donnell (Australian actor).

The Bajo, Bajonese, Bajonesian, or Wajo, Wajonese (Buginese: ᨈᨚ ᨓᨍᨚ, romanized: To Wajo; Javindo: Badjo; Dutch: Badjo, Wadjo) are the indigenous Indonesian ethnic group native to the Bajo Island of Lesser Sunda Islands (Nusa Tenggara) in Central–Eastern Indonesia region. These ethnic group can be found all across the Flores Sea to the northeastern Bali Sea, and some have established permanent settlements in the southern of Sulawesi where they are locally known as the Wajo Bugis due to their close historical relation with the Bugis ethnic group.

Bajo

Bajo (in Indonesian Bajau) ᨈᨚ ᨓᨍᨚ To Wajo (in Buginese and Gorontalo)
The settlement of Bajo at the coastal region of Ternate in northern Maluku
Regions with significant populations
Indonesia (Flores Sea)
Languages
Southern Sulawesi of Bajo
Religion
Predominantly Islam (adhered to Sunni) Animism Also Christianity Hinduism
Related ethnic groups
Bugis Butons Kangeaneseª¹ Macassanª² Papuans Wakatobi
ª¹² These groups of people might not related genetically, but have coexisted for centuries

Ethnonym

The ethnonym of Bajo people is an endonym, which referring to their native origin in the Bajo Island of Lesser Sunda Islands (Nusa Tenggara). According to Oxford English Dictionary,^[1] the term later adopted or borrowed in English^[a] via the Southern Sulawesi language of Bugis^[1] (ᨅᨍᨚ, romanized as 'Wajo'), which literally means "[the] wood", referring to the material for making boats that are often used by the Bajo ethnic group to travel the sea across the Flores Sea region.

History

Genetic study and research

A portrait of Bajo (the one in the left with no clothes) with another indigenous of South Sulawesi in Makassar, these picture officially published and released to the public by KITLV in c. 1910

A genetic study of Bajo ethnic group population in three regions of Derawan Islands, Kotabaru (South Kalimantan), and Kendari (Southeast Sulawesi) indicates that the origin of the Bajo was from southern region of Sulawesi, this is in line with the oral tradition of the locals of Wajo Regency. The ethnogenesis of the Bajo is thought to predominantly arose in the c. 4th century AD when the native of Bajo Island in Lesser Sunda Islands started to migrate to northern region in Flores Sea and practiced intermarriage with the Bugis from Sulawesi and Papuans from Papua. Some researcher stated that the Bajo began to migrate to the island of Borneo (known natively as Kalimantan) around the 11th century AD by first settled in East Kalimantan via the Derawan Islands, and then headed to North Kalimantan and later to southern of the Philippines around the 13th to 14th century where they are commonly referred as the Samal Badjaw (the Bajo diaspora who settled in Samal Island, located in northeastern Sulawesi Sea); it is suspected that the Bajo were encouraged to migrate during the increasing influence and trading activity of the Palembang-origin empire of Srivijaya in the northern Makassar Strait area of Sulawesi Sea (the Srivijayan traders who settled in the Philippines later known as the Visayans and regarded as 'the indigenous' by the modern country of Philippines despite its historical origin; the Philippines' municipality region of Palimbang also named after the capital of Srivijaya, which is the Palembang city in southeastern Sumatra).^[2]

Sub-ethnics

The Bajo people’s identity is intrinsically tied to the sea.^[3] Their traditional way of life revolves around fishing, diving, and boat dwelling.^[3] According to the native Bajo sociogrouping, there are at least four classifications of society which form the sub-groups that can be classified through the way how they usually wander the sea (especially the Flores Sea region and its surroundings):^[4]

• Pallibu Bajo,^[b] the Bajo who had the habit of going to sea only for a day and the distance is relatively close. They used a Soppe boat which can be driven by oars. After getting the fishes, they return to their homeland to sell their catch or enjoy it with their families.

• Papongka Bajo,^[c] the Bajo who went for a week or couple of weeks to wander the sea. They use the same type of boat as the Palibu group; which is a Soppe boat. If they feel that they have obtained enough catch or run out of clean water, they will stop by the nearest islands. After selling the fish they caught and getting clean water, they will return to the sea, and the cycle will repeat continuously.

• Sakkaiʼ Bajo,^[d] the Bajo who are characterized by the usage of large boat called Leppa and spent longer time in sea (at least a month or two). The Leppa boat itself specifically can even accommodate a family and the necessities of daily life while at sea, and nowadays the Leppa equipped with engines as well. However, the Sakkai are not much different from the Papongka group, but Sakkai have greater reach of 'working areas'.

• Lamme Bajo,^[e] the Bajo who can be categorized by the adoption of modern techniques of fishing. They use large boats with large crews and powerful engines. They crossed the high-tide seas and even reach another countries (mostly neighbouring countries of Indonesia). And they can be in the ocean for months.

Diaspora

The Bajo diaspora refers to the diasporic community of Bajo who mainly lived or settled outside of their native Indonesia homeland.

• In Madagascar, the Bajo diaspora locally known as Vezo (the spelling of “Bajo” according to Malagasy orthography).^[5][6]
• In Philippines, the Bajo diaspora locally known as Samal Badjaw, they primarily settled in Samal Island in northeastern Sulawesi Sea.
• In vicinity of Riau Archipelago (such as Singapore, Malaysia, and Sabah), the Bajo diaspora locally known as Bajau (the spelling of “Bajo” according to Malay orthography).

Language

The native spoken language of Bajo people is Bajo language, it is part of the South Sulawesi languages.

Comparison

English gloss	Indonesia		Diasporic
	Bajo Island Standard Bajo (Bajo)	Bima Island Standard Bojo (Mbojo)	Madagascar Standard Bajo (Vezo)	Philippines Samal Bajo (Badjaw)	Sabah Samal Bajo (Bajau)
one	sa’	iça	isa	issa	isa
three	telu	tolu	telo	t’llu	telu
five	lime	lima	limy	lima	limo
seven	pitu	pidu	fito	pitu’	pitu’
eight	walo	waru	valo	walu’	wau’
nine	sanga	çiwi	sivy	siyam	siom
ten	pulu	puru	folo	pu’	sepu’
hundred	datus	saratu	zato	dahatus	da’atus

Popular culture

Movies

• The Mirror Never Lies (2011) — an Indonesian film directed by Kamila Andini
• Avatar: The Way of Water^[7][8][9] (2022) — An American movie directed by James Cameron

“…we did a lot of research, about real indigenous cultures that are very tightly associated with the ocean… there are these sea people in Indonesia (Bajo), that lives on stilted homes and lives on rafts and so on, we looked things like that, and we see couple of different villages, and The Way of Water (Avatar movie) use that (as reference)…”

— James Cameron in his official National Geographic interview on Avatar: The Way of Water movie^[7]