Sabah

Ethnics Profile: The Bajau

Along with the Suluk, Irranun, Binadan and Obian people, the Bajau landed on Sabah’s shores around 200 years ago. Once regarded as sea gypsies because of their seafaring ways in the past, many have settled down to a more sedentary life of rice farming and cattle breeding. The Bajau people are well known for their weaving and needlework skills. The women, especially from Kota Belud, make beautiful embroidered panels sewn into their long black wrap-skirt. Traditional headgear worn by almost every indigenous group known as kain dastar is one of their specialty. The Binadan (from Kudat) is well known for their kain pis, a richly embroidered one-meter piece of two-facing cloth.

The Bajau of Kota Belud have been dubbed as “Cowboys of the East” for their highly skilled horsemanship and they are also excellent buffalo rearers. Those living on the east cost of Sabah still practice their traditional nomadic way of life, coming ashore only to bury the dead.

Costum & Beliefs

The water buffalo is a truly valuable animal to the Bajau people. It usually forms a major part of a bride wealth and the more highly regarded a maiden is, the more buffaloes she is likely to receive. Being Muslim generally, the Bajau observe Islamic traditions and practices.


Kota Belud Bajau

The Bajau community from this district observes a colourful and elaborate wedding tradition which recounts their belief in their ancestors’ link to royalty. Bridal couples enjoy royal status and this is truly shown from the most obvious colour in their wedding costume – yellow.

The Bajau bride’s blouse or badu sipak has long extended sleeves which are slashed at the elbows, giving the blouse a soft flowing effect. The sleeve openings show off velvet inner sleeves of a darker contrasting colour.

The front opening of the round-necked blouse is fastened by 14 or more pairs of gold buttons (betawi). The finishing touch to the blouse is meddapun - a bib-like piece of cloth upon which pieces of gold leaf cut out in typical Bajau design is sewn. A hole the size of the wearer’s head is cut from the cloth so that it slips over easily.

The badu sipak is worn with a full-length sarong (olos berangkit). The design of the berangkit panel usually takes on the motif of a cotton plant in bloom (sumping kapas) and Rafflesia motif (sumping bogong). Both panels are bordered by zigzag stitching called karis-karis. The blouse is tucked into the sarong and then gathered at the sides to form pleats and tied around the waist with strip of cloth and also silver coin belt (ingkot pangkat). The bride’s hair is tied up into a bun (simboong) and decorated with a headpiece (sarimpak) shaped like a boat, and a two-pieced ornament. The dangling attachments to the sarimpak are called garigai.

Other accompanying jewellery are gold bangles (gelang) worn on both arms, earrings (subang) and gold finger covers known as keku.


Costume of Women  

The Bajau bridegroom always wears a royal yellow badu sipak with extended sleeves slashed at the elbows. The shirt is high collared with gold buttons (Betawi) in front. The trousers (seluar sama) are baggy and the waist is not sewn in to fit. A silver coin belt (ingkot pangkat) with a wider buckle is worn. The groom’s ingkot pangkat has a very interesting attachment called supu (ball shaped silver Bajau cigarette case).

Beeswax is smoothed on the Bajau man’s moustache to keep it slick while Bajau women use beeswax as lip salve. The groom’s headpiece (podong) is a one-square meter piece of dastar cloth. Threads of green, red, yellow, orange, gold and white are woven to form floral patterns on the cloth. The shape of podong with a flap (tanjak) at the back resembles buffalo horns.

Costume of Men