The Sea Nomads

She was born on the sea.
She lived on the sea.
She died on the sea.
Her feet, strangers
to the tickle of soil.
They barely walked on earth,
but danced in water.

I read something really interesting today, about nomads on the sea - thanks to a Norwegian blogger called Simen - that inspired me to write this little poem. What was so strange to me was that I studied anthropology for four years and never heard of the sea nomads. How's that possible? I guess we were to busy focusing on the desert ones maybe? But, this is what fascinates me so much about life. How you learn something new every day. I dream of one day writing stories like this, combining anthropology and journalism.




"Diana Botutihe was born at sea. Now in her 50s, she has spent her entire life on boats that are typically just 5m long and 1.5m wide. She visits land only to trade fish for staples such as rice and water, and her boat is filled with the accoutrements of everyday living – jerry cans, blackened stockpots, plastic utensils, a kerosene lamp and a pair of pot plants.

Diana is one of the world's last marine nomads; a member of the Bajau ethnic group, a Malay people who have lived at sea for centuries, plying a tract of ocean between the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia. The origins of the Bajau diaspora are recounted in the legend of a princess from Johor, Malaysia, who was washed away in a flash flood. Her grief-stricken father ordered his subjects to depart, returning only when they'd found his daughter."

Read the rest here: The last of the sea nomads