A viral post that appeared on Twitter mistakenly showed a wrong photo of a Papua New Guinea local as that of the “Bajau” from the Sulu archipelago.
The post, which generated at least 15 million views, 7780 reposts, 727 quotes, 58.2k likes, and 8,010 bookmarks on X (formerly Twitter) as of 10:25 a.m. Friday, 8 December, was posted by X user Historic Vids (@historyinmemes) with the caption:
“The Bajau Tribe, also known as sea nomads, originates from the Sulu Archipelago in the Philippines, among other areas in Southeast Asia. Renowned for their remarkable free-diving skills, they sustain themselves mainly through activities like spearfishing in the sea,” the post said.
“Studies have shown that the Bajau people possess a genetic adaptation commonly referred to as the “sea nomad gene.” This genetic variant often results in larger spleen sizes among the Bajau, potentially aiding in their ability to hold their breath for extended periods while diving. This physical adaptation is thought to be advantageous for their exceptional free-diving lifestyle,” the post added.
Using reverse image tools, we found out that the photo was originally taken in 2005 by Hungarian photographer Dombovari Tibor.
Tibor’s photo appeared in a story about the indigenous peoples of Papua New Guinea in 2015, which included the photo of the individuals mistaken for Bajaus. Using Google translate tools, we determined that the photo was originally sourced from one taken by the photographer.
Somehow, various posts have attributed the photo to be that of Sama-Bajaus throughout the years since the photograph was taken.
According to an archived version of the Bangsamoro Commission for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage website, the term Sama-Bajau “refers to several Austronesian ethnic groups of Maritime Southeast Asia with their origins from the southern Philippines.”
In the Philippines, the term Bajau (or Badjao), is an exonym, or a term that others assign to a group.
The Sama refer to themselves as one of many subgroups, for example Sama Bangingi in Zamboanga. The sea-dwelling Sama call themselves Sama Dilaut (or people of the sea).
According to the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, the Sama Dilaut is mistakenly called Badjao.
In places like Davao City, the Sama are known to be peace-loving people and is documented as one of the 11 tribes of the locality.
While usually portrayed as “sea gypsies” or “sea nomads” and living most of their lives in houseboats (lepa), the Sama have also ventured into other trades on land such as the buying and selling of shoes and garments and jewelry, as well as the vending of fresh seafood.
If anything, the story about the Sama people having more developed spleens is indeed well-documented. In an article published in the journal Cell, a study of the improved anatomy among the Sama has contributed to the understanding of the medical community of human hypoxia.
The journal article sees it as an important step in improvements to the treatment of emergency situations involving hypoxia and the ability of humans to hold their breaths.
As with all our other reports, MindaNews welcomes leads or suggestions from the public to potential fact-check stories.
MindaNews is a verified signatory to the Code of Principles of the International Fact-Checking Network. (Yas D. Ocampo / MindaNews)
