Bajautopia

The Tales of Borneo

UNVEILING THE SEA GYPSIES The Tales of Borneo investigates the lives of Sea Nomads of the prehistoric site along the southeastern cosat of Sabah. The captivating wonders and alluring scenery of Semporna, its rich cultural heritage, traditions, customs and ethnic diversity reinforce Semporna City as a unique microcosm of society. Kampung Bangau-Bangau, an indigenous village of the Sea Gypsies is chosen as the proposed site.

Sama-speakers inhabit a vast maritime area of some 3.25 million square kilometres, extending from eastern Palawan, Samar, and coastal Mindanao on the north, through the Sulu Archipelago of the Philippines, to the eastern coast of Borneo, and southward through the Straits of Makassar to Sulawesi and from there, over large parts of eastern Indonesia.

Semporna is a town on the island of Borneo, in the Malaysian state of Sabah. Because of the presence of these rich coral formations, and the location of the district at the juncture of the Sulu Archipelago and the eastern Borneo coast, Semporna has long been a home to maritime trading and seafaring peoples.

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The Bajau Laut, Sama Dilaut, or 'Sea nomads' ethnic community of Semporna are mostly boat dwellers (living in houseboats or stilt hut) that are dependent on the sea resources for their livelihoods, They make a living through sea based activities (traditional ďŹ shing, pearl farming and seaweed farming) while the Bajau Darat communities who have settled on the land, are skillful wood artisans, mat-makers, boat builders, ironsmiths, and producers of tortoiseshell ornaments, In the eeort to uphold the authenticity of their nomadic lifestyle and the seafarers' proud maritime heritage, the Regatta Lepa Festival is celebrated annually and is believed to be originated from the Pa'alau Bajau people who live on the Bum Bum Island.

Their boats or 'Lepa' will be beautifully decorated with bright colour sails and at the helm of their boats, dancers will dance to the tune of the live musicians as part of the sea parade. Despite the rich customs and traditions, the plight of the Bajau Laut people has remained immutable. Their stateless status is the main contributor to the multiple setbacks faced throughout the years in terms of social deprivation, educational underachievement, limited rights to medical healthcare, lack of job opportunities that eventually lead to criminal activities, including inhalant abuse and drug traacking.

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Content

Chapter 1 : Imaginative Cartography

Focusing on the current issues and development on the selectecd site, Semporna.

Chapter 2 : The descendent of the Sea

Focusing on the concept of gamification on the indigenous knowledge

Chapter 3 : Kaleidoscope linkage

Focusing on the conceptualise structure or idea on the proposal

Chapter 4 : Land vs Water

Focusing on the design process, strategies, and planning

Chapter 1 : Imaginative Cartography

Chapter 2 : The descendent of the Sea

Chapter 3 : Kaleidoscope linkage

Chapter 4 : Land vs Water

Bajau Laut are often described as the ‘Invader along the shore’, this is because there is a lack of understanding of the local and land people towards the living condition and cultural aspect of the Bajau community. The existense of prejudice is gradually affecting the social status of the sea nomads. In order to break through these complicated human relation, it is crucial to uplift the pride of the Bajau Laut community and to encourage the interaction between both parties.

In the proposal, each of the stages require coorperation between the Bajau Laut community and the local to carry ou the activities in each space. Cultural exchange interaction aims to create a mutual understanding towards the indigenous knowledge hold by the Bajau Laut community. By paying respect to their culture, certain cultural aspects such as lepa houses design and weaving pattern are incorporated into the design of the entire proposal. Also, by introducing modular system also ease the future extension of the Bajau Laut village in Semporna.

Besides, other than cultural exchange the proposal serves as a common gathering space for the Bajau Laut community which they could gather around during their leisure time and hang out with the others. They could get portable water and essential cooking ingredients from the building without accessing to the land through exchanging system (barter system).

Create to unite the people from different background and breakthrough the wall between them. Wall-less city enhance human relation by celebrating indigenous knowledge of the Bajau laut community and visualise the future of the Bajau village.

What do the Bajau Laut do when they are free?

The sea nomads spent their leisure time with their families and neighouring. They swim, dive, cook, kayaking, make crafts and many more. Some of them produce ďŹ sh net before their next catch. The nomadic group are unity as in socially and physically which they often gather around and spend some quality time with the other in order to improve human relation.

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Land vs Water

Selected site is located across the junction when people coming from the outer sea. The proposed building is meant to control the flow of the water network and open up new access to the market. Portable water can be collected when the community sail through the building.

The surrounding context of the selected site is very much traditional stilt houses there are built by the Bajau Laut community. It is mainly constructed using local material such as timber and mangrove. The stilt houses are not built according to the gridline but and it is clustered at the site. The houses are connected with broken bridges and some part are not accessible from the land.

Main building emphasize on the cultural heritage of the indigenous group.

The space designed is intended to serves as a spot for daily life performance.

Mutual understanding is created through cultural exchanging activity.

Kaleidoscope linkage which showing the regular activities that carried out by the cimmunity and the connection with the water.

Lepa nostalgia is a place to repair, decorate and make lepa boats. Pulley system is used to ease the process of transporting lepa to a higher level for repairing.

Bajau laut community are skillful people in producing their own fishnet everytime before they leave for marine hunting and catches other marine resources along the shore.

Communal kitchen is a place provided to learn to cook together with others during their leisure time. The local get to taste the dishes prepared by the sea gypsies with their daily cath.

The sea gypsies spent their daily life with their families, with the community, and with the ocean.

Lepa plays an important role in the life of the Bajau Laut community. They ride lepa to the further sea for marine hunting. Essential goods are also transported using the lepa by the Bajau Laut. Providing a Lepa related activites building near to the nature of source allows them to easily get the essential materials on site. Collected mangrove or woods can be store in the wood storage for future purposes.

Community building emphasize on the daily activities carried out by the Sea gypsies. Most os the time, their activites are very much associated to the ocean. Hence, providing a communal building in between the junction of 3 portion of the village connects the people together and allows them to interact more.

BAJAUTOPIA

Design Portfolio Denise Lui Cheng Thong | 1001643390