People of the Wakatobi Marine National Park, Indonesia

People of the Wakatobi

The Wakatobi contains two major ethnic groups, the Pulau (Islanders, ethnic Indonesian) and the Bajau. The Pulau are generally considered to be ethnically Indonesian and speak a series of dialects and languages, many associated to Bahasa. People are mostly a mix of farmers, fishermen and businessmen.

The Bajau are an indigenous ethnic group residing in Sabah, eastern Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, the Philippines and parts of Sarawak. They are sometimes referred to as the Sea Gypsies, although the term has been used to encompass a number of non-related ethnic groups with similar traditional lifestyles. The Bajau of Indonesia live primarily on the islands and in the coastal districts of Sulawesi. The outward spread of the Bajau seems to have been associated with the development of sea trade in trepang.

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Economic Status

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Local Fisheries

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