Marine "gypsies" - the people of Bajo

In Southeast Asia, home to people of Bajo - the people living on boats and most of the time in the water conductive. They live by fishing and rent its prey traders Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia. They are called vorem and sea gypsies, but slowly and reluctantly followed. Firstly, for the agile swimmers and fishermen can not keep up, and, secondly, is embarrassing to buy fresh seafood, especially rare for a penny?





These people, for example, quietly endured deplorable famous earthquake of 2004 because they were in their boat in the Indian Ocean. On the beach they go only to bury the dead.



The photographer and anthropologist by training, James Morgan traveled to Asia to make a photo report about people, about which almost nobody knows anything. Baggio - Malay descent. Throughout his life, they settled in the boat with a funny name "Lepa-Lepa" which is done by hand. This floating houses, where there are camp stove, a kerosene lamp is placed, there is a storage compartment for food, drinking water. There is even a shelf for plants that caring woman with pleasure Bajo tribe grow. In other words, "all as people».





Baggio fish and go to the bank to make a commodity-exchange operations and repair the boat.





Since childhood, children learn to dive and Baggio hunt underwater creatures. They are excellent divers and often ear ear special port to not feel pain during the fast deep dives. They can dive without scuba gear to a depth of 30 meters. Fish, eels, squid, sea cucumbers harvested and are looking for a precious pearl.





Such a lifestyle is fraught with many dangers. Many fishermen are maimed or die from decompression sickness. This decompression illness occurs when a person is immersed, and then rises to the surface before the body pressure relief.





Many Baggio die from decompression sickness, when the pressure in the body does not have time to adjust to the ambient pressure. Some devour or maim marine creatures, sharks eat. But live, continue to dive and hunt.





People live a difficult life. They in fact are essentially poachers and themselves sawed off the branch on which they sit. Catch all the fish, they are not alone, of course, but they, too, and look for prey every year becomes more and more difficult. Earlier Baggio caught a rare redfish and fish-Napoleon, selling them in Hong Kong, in restaurants.



During the Second World War Baggio trained soldiers to stun fish with dynamite, and since then applied to the Indian and Pacific Ocean and Java Sea irreparable harm. And they kill fish using cyanide (cyanide), which paralyzes the fish. Then you can take your bare hands. Cyanide poisoning the coral reefs, which feeds on fish, as a result, the population is decreasing.



Live fish is pumped steroid supplements in order to remain alive, and of course, natural products is highly appreciated.



Governments of all countries waters, where they live Baggio is trying to deal with them: forced to move to the land, and catches on the borders as they consider themselves to be free citizens of the world, although technically are residents of any country. Actually, now it is almost a dying culture, but piracy is still there in the world. Youth Baggio did not want to live by the example of their parents, moved to the city, studying, looking for work.



P.S. After Morgan published pictures broke serious scandal. Surfaced out many facts related to the illegal fish trade in Hong Kong.