Many times, by take the amenities of modern life for granted, we almost assume that certain qualities and factors that we live with are true for everyone across the board. Some of our developments are so integral to our particular society, that we may accidentally assume that those without them are in some way less fortunate. But that is not at all the case. Just take a look at the daily lives of the Bajau people– a prime example of a cultural group that lives life in such a different way than many other people. While it may take most of us some time to get used to the lack of conveniences provided by the digital age, the Bajau live in a way that most of us can only dream of.
The Bajau are, in short, best described as an aquatic people. In an article from the travel blog of Nowhere Mag, the reader learns that they spend much time in, near, or on the water. And nothing, except for breathing underwater, is off limits to them. And even still, they get pretty close, as a great number of the Bajau are exceptional freedivers, able to restrict their breathing for up to five minutes at a time. Take into account that the hardest hunters spend up to five hours a day submerged, and that makes it all the more exceptional. Oh, and “hunters” was the proper word. Their diet mainly consists of pelagic fish and sea cucumbers, caught by hunters who can walk across the sea floor as easily as if it were land. And even that is a comparison that doesn’t hold a ton of water- some Bajau report “landsickness” when circumstances find them on more stable earthy terrain.
Bajau dwellings.
From a young age, even from infancy, Bajau are trained to perfect systems that make their bodies exceptionally fit for such a heavily maritime lifestyle. They learn to constrict the muscles in their eyes in order to let in more light, thus giving them heightened underwater vision. Their bodies are well hydrated and they have incredibly low amounts of body fat; this lean build is a huge contributing factor to buoyancy. Perhaps most incredible of all, the young children intentionally rupture their eardrums, and after bleeding and bedrest, they are able to dive painlessly. However, because of this, many older people are hard of hearing.
Unfortunately, the numbers of Bajau people are declining, not in part because of forced relocations by the Government. But they continue to preserve their heritage and lifestyle, which serves as proof that cultures will always have their own way of going about this thing called life.
from Ramble On http://ift.tt/1xhv01r