The Sama are a people group native to the southern Philippines as well as parts of Malaysia and Indonesia. Historically the Sama are known as seafarers and are quite mobile. The Badjao are a subgroup of the Sama that are renowned worldwide as the sea nomads of Southeast Asia. The Badjao traditionally live in houseboats. Traditionally other subgroups of the Sama build their homes on stilts over the ocean.
The Sama language, including the language of the Badjao and the Bajau of Malaysia is referred to as Sinama, hence the name Sinama.org. Linguists have defined four separate languages known as Sinama: Central Sinama (likened to the speech of the Siasi Sama and Badjao), Northern Sinama (likened to the speech of Sama Banguingi), Sinama Pangutaran, & Southern Sinama (likened to the speech of Sama Tawi-Tawi, Sibutu, & Sitangkai).
Historically the Sama livelihood is fishing and diving. Their fishing consists of various forms, spear fishing, hook and line fishing, and fish trapping by both nets and traps. They also were historically the dominant traders in pearls and dried fish.
Sinama.org seeks to be an ambassador for the Sama people to both the Philippines and the world while creating a social network environment that Sama can participate in increasing the sustainability of their culture.
How could linguists defined the “four separate languages of “Sinama” when there is ONLY ONE Sinama language being spoken and understood by the Sama? By the way, what are these four separate languages of Sinama? If they are meant to be Sinama Central, Southern, etc., then the answer is NOT because members of the Sama ethnolinguistic belonging to all the groups found in the four locations speak the same language –Sinama. Unless each one of each group found in the four locations does not intelligently share the same language then they have truly a separate language. Sinama language, as spoken by those Sama Sulu, e.g. Pangutaran, Siasi, Tawi-Tawi, Zamboanga Peninsulas, is only one because it shared or understood by members of each group, not many, not separate, except Jama Mapun and “Bajo” of Indonesia. Members of the Jama Mapun, linguistically speaking, do not speak intelligibly the Sinama anywhere in the Philippines. Therefore, speakers of these two groups have two separate languages, although they descended from one common ancestors (Pallessen, 1985).