INDONESIA


For three months a year, Bajau fisherfolk live in stilted homes built above shallow waters off the coast of Central Sulawesi (above). Every day, they set out into the ocean, diving repeatedly with little more than wooden goggles, weights and spears (right). Octopus, shellfish and sea cucumbers form the bulk of the catch, which is then traded with nearby island communities. Scientists have found that generations of free-diving have even shaped their bodies, with enlarged spleens that allow them to hold their breath for up to 13 minutes — a striking example of human adaptation to this ocean-bound way of life. Back on firm land, life in Bajau villages


continues. Families tend small gardens of tubers and coconuts, while children move easily between sand and shallows, learning the moods of the ocean almost as soon as they can walk. Along the shore, carpenters and boat-builders shape hulls and repair nets, their skills passed down through generations.


44 NATIONALGEOGRAPHIC.COM/TRAVEL


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