Bajau, Indonesian
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A language of Indonesia
ISO 639-3
Alternate Names
Badjaw, Badjo, Bajao, Bajo, Bayo, Gaj, Indonesian Bajaw, Orang Laut, Sama, Taurije’ne’
Population
150,000 (Mead et al 2007). 5,000 or more in North Maluku (Grimes 1982), 8,000 to 10,000 in South Sulawesi (Grimes and Grimes 1987), 7,000 in North Sulawesi and Gorontalo, 36,000 in Central Sulawesi, 40,000 in Southeast Sulawesi (Mead et al 2007), and several thousand in Nusa Tenggara (Wurm and Hattori 1981, Verheijen 1986).
Location
Widespread throughout north central Indonesia, Sulawesi island; also throughout Maluku Utara Province on Bacan, Obi, Kayoa, and Sula islands, southwest of Halmahera island.
Language Status
6b (Threatened).
Classification
Dialects
Jampea, Same’, Matalaang, Sulamu, Kajoa, Roti, Jaya Bakti, Poso, Togian 1, Togian 2, Wallace.
Language Use
Language Resources
Known as Bayo and Taurije’ne’ in the Makasar [mak] language. Known as Bajo in Buginese [bug]. Schools in some villages. They live in houses on stilts over water. Other Bajau languages are in Sabah, Malaysia, and the southern Philippines. Muslim, traditional religion.