Throughout the 17th century the islands were used as a port for ships intent on exporting slaves. In the late 19th century the archipelago was colonized as part part of Portuguese Guinea. The lowland swampy ecology of the islands is particularly good for growing rice, making it the most important staple crop of the Bidyogo. Fishing in the surrounding Atlantic is nearly as important as farming. The Bidyogo are quite adept at handling long canoes that on occasion have also been used to war against people living on the coast.
Pigs are the primary animal raised on the island.
Although this practice may have been introduced by Portuguese sailors in the 15th century, it is also likely that pigs, which were once a very important part of North African economies, were brought to the islands by Bidyogo ancestors before the influence of Islam. Political power is invested in leaders who derive their power through their relationship to the ancestors, which is traced through the matrilineal line. Having a direct connection to the ancestors buried in the land entitles the leader to control the distribution of that land. The leader of each community is attended to by a council of elders. Bidyogo homes are structured with connecting compounds, creating a strong sense of community, both physically and socially.