Badjao

BADJAO

Sea Gypsies of the Sulu and Celebes sea

The Tribe

Malay-Bornean word

Man of the seas

Samal Palau

Outcast Samal

Samal Laus

Sea Sama

Houses

Traditions & Beliefs

• Once a baby is born, he/she will be thrown to the open sea.

• The badjaos are muslims.

• Some are animists.

Way of life

• Their lives revolve around the sea.

• Men usually sail out to the sea to fish, farm a bit of land by the shores and build boats.

• Women weave mats and do some pottery.

Ethnobotany

Badjao Herbal Belief

They use some of the plants as medicine because of its unique shape or because the place where they got the plant was special or sacred

Cassava (Manihot esculenta)

• root crop which grows in parched islands
• shrubby, tropical, perennial plant that thrives better in poor soils, meaning it doesn’t require much fertilization
• has toxic concentrations of cyanogenic glucosides – linmarin and lotaustralin
• tuberous root and the leaves are the only edible parts of the plant
• rich in starch and is a major source of low cost carbohydrates in populations of humid areas.

Panggi

• may be steamed (piyuto), boiled (biyanban) and cooked in a pan (siyanglang) which almost never contains oil
• their staple food
• Cassava paste is also made from the plant
• Ground cassava is milked by locals to its sap
• Badjao women use cassava flour for cosmetic purposes. They apply the flour on their faces to provide a healthier look.
• The Badjaos either buy the Cassava from markets in trade of their sea products (sea cucumbers, fishes etc.) or harvest from their own soils

Ampalaya (Momordica charantia L.)

• For vomit-ingested materials

Turmeric (Curcuma longa) and Black Pepper (Piper nigrum )

• Where the umbilical cord is placed to prevent infection

Kamantigui (Impatens balsamina L.)

• Used for skin diseases

Sambong (Blumea balsamifera L.)

• Used as a genital wash

The "Tree"

• Sacred to the Badjaos

• Source of great vitality

• HAGTUH- boiling of roots of trees; used to cure fever

Guava Leaves (Psidium guajava)

• Used as a genital wash

• Anti-septic

Lemon Basil Leaves or sulasi (Ocimum × citriodorum)

• A hybrid between basil and African basil

• Used to ward off bad spirits

Bark of Coconut Tree

• Prevent excessive postpartum bleeding

• Liquefy blood clots and release retained placental fragments

Bamboo (Bambusa sp.)

• Used for building houses, and bridges

Oregano (Oreganum vulgaris)

• Used for coughs and colds

• Cultural belief is that it is from getting damp from dew, sweat or unchanged wet shirt

Copra

• The dried meat, or kernel, of the coconut
• Cash crop of the Badjaos
• Copra is valued for the coconut oil extracted from it and for the resulting residue, coconut-oil cake, which is used mostly for livestock feed
• Coconut oil is also used for the skin as a moisturizer. It also prevents protein loss when used on the hair
• Some accounts said that the oil may be used as a sexual lubricant, but it weakens latex condoms

Trivia!

Palao or Lumaan

Because the badjaos are oppressed , they are also referred to as Palao or Lumaan which means 'God forsaken'.

The Reporters

Janmarie Gabrielle DG. Maano

Arianne Camille L. Rivera

Thanks for listening! =)

The name