Reviewed by Gina Maria Kleinmartin

Imagine being cornered at a cocktail party by an enthusiastic anthropologist. Now imagine that he can bring to life stories of a sea-nomad culture that had disappeared by the 1970's. If your imaginary self is not frantically searching for a way to escape, then you might consider curling up with H. Arlo Nimmo's latest book.

His collection of stories is about the Bajau, a small society of nomadic boat-dwellers in the southernmost Philippines. Nimmo spent two years in the mid-sixties studying this group in the Sulu Archipelago. He has written a great deal about the Bajau, including The Sea People of Sulu, but this is the first time he has written down his personal interactions. The collection covers every aspect of Nimmo's stay, from his first glimpse of Bongao through the start of the civil war that would deny him access to Sulu, and eventually would destroy the Bajau way of life. Among the stories is the tale of Salanda, the beautiful, fun-loving woman who sings; Masa, the man who befriends Nimmo, and introduces him to the customs and people of the houseboats; and Laka, the shaman who brings Nimmo to the island of the saitan, the local spirits. Nimmo discusses the other cultures of Sulu as well, including Muslims, Christians and Catholics; displaced Chinese and Americans; priests and nuns. He shows us how these cultures view and interact with the Bajau. The stories are entertaining and informative, and are an enjoyable glimpse into the lives of the people in the Philippines.

Despite the changes that destroyed his beloved Sulu, Nimmo displays a remarkable professionalism when recounting what has happened. He remembers what the anthropologists job is, to study and record, to befriend and to learn, not to judge and preserve. My only real complaint with the book is the writing. Nimmo, used to writing texts, contradicts himself, wanders, and has an annoying tendency to overstate his opinion. However, the people he brings to life in these stories do make the book worth reading. All in all, it is a delightful book which introduces to us a culture we will never have the opportunity to observe for ourselves.