H. Arlo Nimmo Papers - Songs, Kalangan Kamun, Box 9

The papers of H. Arlo Nimmo document his field research among the Bajau (also known as Sama Dilaut) in Tawi-Tawi Province in the southern Philippines in 1963, 1965-1967, 1977, 1982, and 1997. The collection consists of correspondence, field journals, censuses, genealogies, kinship charts, transcripts of songs, unpublished manuscripts, card files, photographs, sound recordings, and maps. Nimmo's initial research focused on social change, but he collected data about other aspects of Bajau culture, including social organization, kinship, religion, fishing, boats, boat-building, art, and music. Help us transcribe the songs that Nimmo recorded and translated to make this material searchable and more accessible for researchers around the world. Similar to the kalangan kalitan, the kalangan kamun are songs meant to attract a certain type of fish. The "kamun" are reef-dwelling crustaceans fished by Bajau men and boys during low tide. Fisherman, sing these comic songs to coax reluctant female kamun. Please note that this material may be in English and/or other languages of the Malayo-Polynesian language family.