The Bajau Laut (Sea People) are an expansive ethnic group spanning from the Filipinos and Borneo to Indonesia and mainland Malaysia. Their origins are uncertain but they have come to dominate the waters of the southern seas, spending nearly their whole lives on boats or diving underwater to hunt fish or to forage the fruits of the Ocean.
In the summer of 2018, I was fortunate enough to live with a family in the village of Boom Boom for two weeks in Sabah, Borneo. Pirating activity in the region has prevented my return, but some day I will. Consider this brief introduction the first chapter in an unfinished book.