The origins of the Badjao are uncertain. According to a legend, they came from the shores of Johore, Indonesia, where they had already been living in clusters of houseboats. Anthropologist H. Arlo Nimmo (1968) believes, however, that the Badjao were originally of the land-based Samal group but branched off into boat dwellers as a result of their occupation. This practice might have subsequently spread to the area around Malaysia. Another theory is that the Badjao were originally boat dwellers who eventually built stilt houses near fertile fishing grounds.