The last sea nomads of the Indonesian archipelago: genomic origins and dispersal.

ABSTRACT: The Bajo, the world's largest remaining sea nomad group, are scattered across hundreds of recently settled communities in Island Southeast Asia, along the coasts of Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines. With a significant role in historical trading, the Bajo lived until recently as nomads, spending their entire lives on houseboats while moving long distances to fish and trade. Along the routes they traveled, the Bajo settled and intermarried with local land-based groups, leading to 'maritime creolization', a process whereby Bajo communities retained their culture, but assimilated - and frequently married into - local groups. The origins of the Bajo have remained unclear despite several hypotheses from oral tradition, culture and language, all currently without supporting genetic evidenc

SUBMITTER: Kusuma P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5567155 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature