Birau, is a type of small dugout canoe of the Sama-Bajau people of the Philippines. They are made from a single log hollowed into a canoe with a rounded bottom. The prow and stern of the vessel usually has knob-like protrusions. A smaller wider variant without these knobs is known as bitok. Birau are usually around 1.5 to 4.5 m (4.9 to 14.8 ft) long. They are sometimes equipped with two outrigger floats. They are very similar to the buggoh, differing only in that the prow and the stern of the birau slope inward.[1]

Sama-Bajau children on birau from Semporna, Sabah, Malaysia

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References edit

  1. ^ Nimmo, H. Arlo (1990). "The Boats of the Tawi-Tawi Bajau, Sulu Archipelago, Philippines". Asian Perspectives. 29 (1): 51–88. S2CID 31792662.