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Stranded by the Shore: The Philippines' Land-Trapped Sea Gypsies
| Article
# : |
15708 |
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Section : |
CULTURE
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| Issue
Date : |
12 / 1997 |
172 Words |
| Author
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Mark Downey
Mark Downey, a frequent contributor to the Culture section,
is
a freelance photographer based in California. |
The Log Ban Enforcement Law, part of the Philippines Conservation Act, was designed to curb illegal logging. The ban helped push the price of a legally harvested log far beyond the reach of the average Badjao. The unintended side effect has been to disrupt Badjao lifestyle.
This new economic reality has meant that the Badjao could no longer build, or even repair, the boats that were their homes and source of livelihood. A house, built from scrap wood, costs far less than a boat, and the Badjao have been obliged to move--and construct homes--on land.
These sea gypsies are establishing communities of stilt houses along the waterfront areas of cities like Zamboanga in southern Mindanao. An insular people, they choose not to socialize outside their tribe and try to build their homes away from other Filipinos. This often means that their scrap-wood homes are constructed some distance from shore and exposed to the ravages of the sea. Here, the Badjao are closer to the ocean they call home, to which they long to return.
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