Sama-Bajau peoples

The Sama-Bajau refers to several Austronesian ethnic groups of Maritime Southeast Asia. The name collectively refers to related people who usually call themselves the Sama, Samah, or Samal; or are known by the exonym Bajau (/ˈbɑːdʒaʊ, ˈbæ-/, also spelled Badjao, Bajaw, Badjau, Badjaw, Bajo or Bayao). They usually live a seaborne lifestyle, and use small wooden sailing vessels such as the perahu, (Layag in Meranau) djenging, balutu, lepa, pilang, and vinta (or lepa-lepa). Some Sama-Bajau groups native to Sabah are also known for their traditional horse culture.

The Sama-Bajau are traditionally from the many islands of the Sulu Archipelago in the Philippines (where they are grouped together with the Moro people), as well as parts of the coastal areas of Mindanao and northern Borneo. In the last 50 years, many of the Filipino Sama-Bajau have migrated to neighbouring Malaysia and the northern islands of the Philippines, due to the conflict in Mindanao. As of 2010, they were the second-largest ethnic group in the Malaysian state of Sabah. Groups of Sama-Bajau have also migrated to Sulawesi and North Kalimantan in Indonesia, although their exact population is unknown.