Bajunis love for the deep sea

By Crystal Okusa

Sitting on the sand, I delve into my first ever-smoked fish on the Bajun Island. I watch the Bajuni fishermen who made the meal as they go about their business with the neatness of a surgeon.

The tribe is one of the smallest in the coastal region whose main occupation is sailing and fishing. Like most of the coastal people, they are a patient lot and painfully courteous. The Wabajuni, as they are known, speak a dialect closely related to Swahili with a difference in some syllables.

Like all fishing communities, their day starts early before 6am in an attempt to catch the high tide. On this day, they gladly show us their catch. We meet a fisherman carrying a slimy looking creature coiling around his arms.

A closer look reveals it’s an octopus.

When he sees us moving away, he explains that it is harmless and goes on to kill it right before our eyes — gouging out its eyes and heart. It is a sight not for the faint-hearted.

Source of income

A Bajuni fisherman. Photo: Pius Cheruiyot/Standard

He later cleans it and hooks it up, ready to be sold for a few hundreds if the buyer is a local who is on the island.

But if the fisherman takes it to town, then the tourists have to spend a few thousands for the same. This is their main source of income.

Yet fishing or sailing is not their only preoccupation, the Bajunis also collect flip-flops from the beaches, which they then fashion into beautiful sandals and toys before selling them to tourists. They also repair sandals that have been washed onto the beach.

It’s a sight to behold as the men prepare lunch of smoked fish, lobsters and chicken over a grill. It’s an activity that would shame many other men who still regard the kitchen as a woman’s place.

A strong tide

Whenever a strong tide comes, water covers the whole island forcing the Bajunis to relocate to other Islands. At such times the fishermen are forced to carry the grill across the water to other islands where they continue with their cooking.

There are six main Islands around the Bajun, these are Chandra, Chovaye, Chula, Koyama, Vein Darakasi and Ngumi. Of the lot, Chula with the village of Ndowa and the neighbouring Kismayu are the only islands with significant population of about 500–1000 people. Most of the fishermen around this area come from these two Islands.

The biggest island of the archipelago is Coiama or Koyama with two separate villages, Koyama and Koyamani. Of the two, Koyama is rich in historical ruins and monuments like "Pillar Tombs".

All Bajuni inhabitants of Koyama Island belong to Nowfali, a Bajuni sub-clan. Foreginers are, however, advised to avoid the Burgao Islands also inhabited by the Bajunis as the inhabitants are considered hostile.

With their love for the water, they are known to be good at deep-sea diving and snorkelling.

Unlike many other communities, young Bajun men swim under water until their eardrum burst as a rite of passage to adulthood. With open non-sensitive ears, they then become excellent deep-sea divers.