Dayak is a name of tribes that identifies the various indigenous peoples on the island of Borneo by the Indonesian part known as Kalimantan. They are divided into about 450 ethno-linguistic groups. Despite some differences, these group share physical features, architecture, language, an oral tradition, customs, social structure, weapons, agricultural technology and a similar outlook on life.
Dayak population estimated at about four million spread over the four Indonesian provinces in Kalimantan / Borneo, the Malaysian territories of Sabah and Serawak and Brunei Darussalam. In Sabah, the Dayak are known as Kadazandusun.
In the past, anthropologists described the Dayak as the "legendary natives of Borneo" who lived in longhouse and engaged in head-hunting. Today, they form a small minority, the loser in an era of swift change and modernization.
The original Dayak identity their cultural, economic, religious and political life has been preserved through their oral tradition. Experts agree that there are many basic affinitives in the legends of the various Dayak groups. Sadly, though, all the original elements of Dayak life as described in the legends have suffered significantly from external elements.
The northeastern Dayak
Most of the ethnical groups of this groep lives in Sabah. In Northeastern Kalimantan are the Tidung and the Bulungan, islamised rice-cultivators which life along the downstream of rivers. Their languages are related to those in the Philipines.
The Lun Dayeh and Lun Bawang
The Lun Dayeh and Lun Bawang in the northeastern part of Kalimantan are related to the Kelabit from Sarawak and the Murud from Sabah. In the south of their habitat there are also Keyan and Kenyah. They grow ladang-cultures and use locally irrigated fields in the swamps.
Before the Kayan settled in the area, the area wa populated by a big variety of ethnical groups with a rich megalyth culture, which founded big stone grave monuments and stone structures. The only surviving groups - the Lun Dayeh and Lun Bawang - probably took the way of growing rice from the Kayan; before they used to grow tubers and harvested saho. Theuir communities have some layered structure, most likely also an heritage of the Kayan.
The Kayan
The Kayan mainly live in the central highland of Kaltim and several villages along the upper stream of the Kapuas river. They probably came from overseas, before setteling in Apokayan. In the 18th and 19th century they spread from Apokayan to Sarawak, the Mahakam beaken and the kapuas. But for what language and culture concerned, they are still a single group.
The society of the Kayan was strongly layered and was made up from four classes; the maren, the highest aristocracy, the hipuy, the lower nobility, the panyin, the normal people and the dipen, the slaves. The classes had their own rights and duties, which were described explicitly. The aristocracy practiced a monopoly on political, economic and religious fields, and had the duty to protect their slaves. Slaved which were captured during enemy attacks worked on the open fields and could not be missed. Every family worked on their own piece of soil, but the rice was stored in a communal storage room in the longhouse.
The nice longhouses of the Kayan mirror their social culture. Around the best and most central room of the head of the village are the rooms of the nobility. The slaves lived in the most extern rooms of the house, the most dangerous in case of any attacks.
However the government has limited the power of the aristocrats dramatically, but they still have much respect. In the common situations they still have high political positions and in important village events they are still consulted. It's not uncommon that the villagers do some unpaid labor on their fields, or they are given free firewood, or the first choice from the hunt. As well as in economical (rice), socially (mandau and woodcarvings), the influence of the Kayan on other populations in Northern Borneo are visible.
The Kenyah
The Kenyah form a kind of heterogene population from a diverse background. They speak different languages. Some originally were forest nomads, which settled in Apokayan, where they slowly overruled the Kayan. Later on, many of them followed the trails of the Kayan by moving to Sarawak and the Mahakam beaken. Just like the Kayan they grew rice and their society was built up from layers. Their villages usually have more than one longhouse and over 2000 residents. The Kenyah are famous because of their remarkable, colorfull woodcarvings and costumes and their music and dances.
The Barito
The Barito live in the southern half of Borneo and form the biggest population of Dayak in Kalimantan. The mighty Ngaju live in Kalteng, the Ot Danum in the Schwaner Range, the Siang and Murung in the upperstream of the Barito and the Tunjung, Benuaq and Bentian along the middle stretch of the Mahakam River.
By the Brito spoken languages belong to three different groups of languages, but lingually and cultural differences are very small. All Barito know difficult rituals for their diseased, when water buffalo's are sacrificed. In several areas there are ritual re-burials, where bones, or ashes are put in special graves. Many people support the kaharingan religion.
The Tebidah, Kebahan and Limbai who are living in the Melawi area, know these rites, but they speak Malay dialects. Most of the Barito Dayak live in scattered villages, which consist of one longhouse.
The 'Land-Dayak'
The so-called 'Land-Dayak' live in Northwestern Kalimantan and the neighboring part of Sarawak. They probably have left Southeastern Borneo in the 18th century. They have their own language, except the Selako, which speak Malay. The Land-Dayak used to live in longhouses. Their villages also had a round house for the men, which met there. The society of the Land-Dayak is fairly equal. They are most known for their wooden statues, which were used during burial rites.
The Iban
The Iban moved from Western Borneo to Sarawak over the last couple of hundred years, where they formed a population of 35,000, and to the Kapuas lake district where there are about 7,000 Iban. In the same area live related Mualang, Seberuang, Desa and Kantuq. The languages of these populations are related to Malay.
The Iban live in longhouses and have ladang, with the preference of a new ladang in the primary forest. The Iban were fierce headhunters and were feared in the wide area. They lead attacks on land as well as on seas, they were named 'Sea-Dayak' and were the most feared pirated of the 19th century.
The Punan
The Punan - also known as Penan, Beketan, Ukit and Bukat - life in the central mountain ranges and around the upper streams of big rivers. They are almost selfsufficient hunter gatherers, which travel around in the jungle in groups of about 35 people. They get everything they need - from food to construction materials - from the forests, without damaging this. Whenever the resources are exhausted, they simply move on.
The Punan collect fruits, mushrooms, honey and edible marrow of the sago tree (Eugeissona utilis), which is their main source for carbo-hydrates. When hunting, they collect wild pigs, which can weigh upto 200 kilograms, which are most loved, but other animals can also be served. When hunting, the Punan use traps and dogs for scaring the wild animals. Their ultimate weapon is the poison arrow.
The two to three metre long 'gun' which is used to shoot arrows over a distance of 100 metres, is the best in the world. In contrary to the 'guns' which are used elsewhere - made from hollow bamboo or soft wood - this one is made from a very good kind of wood, which is made hollow by a long iron tool.
The collected products (besides the already names also ratten, raisin, kampher, aloe wood and bezoar stones) are partially traded in the neighboring Dayak villages, in the form of baskets and matrasses. In trade, the Punan receive tools, salt, tobacco and textile. The relation with the Dayak is not too good all the time. The Dayak sometimes look down on the Punan, and in the past the Punan regularly were victim of headhunters. The first travellers on Borneo reported that the Punan left their goods with the Dayak and only got their traded goods when the Dayak had left.
Dayak population estimated at about four million spread over the four Indonesian provinces in Kalimantan / Borneo, the Malaysian territories of Sabah and Serawak and Brunei Darussalam. In Sabah, the Dayak are known as Kadazandusun.
In the past, anthropologists described the Dayak as the "legendary natives of Borneo" who lived in longhouse and engaged in head-hunting. Today, they form a small minority, the loser in an era of swift change and modernization.
The original Dayak identity their cultural, economic, religious and political life has been preserved through their oral tradition. Experts agree that there are many basic affinitives in the legends of the various Dayak groups. Sadly, though, all the original elements of Dayak life as described in the legends have suffered significantly from external elements.
The northeastern Dayak
Most of the ethnical groups of this groep lives in Sabah. In Northeastern Kalimantan are the Tidung and the Bulungan, islamised rice-cultivators which life along the downstream of rivers. Their languages are related to those in the Philipines.
The Lun Dayeh and Lun Bawang
The Lun Dayeh and Lun Bawang in the northeastern part of Kalimantan are related to the Kelabit from Sarawak and the Murud from Sabah. In the south of their habitat there are also Keyan and Kenyah. They grow ladang-cultures and use locally irrigated fields in the swamps.
Before the Kayan settled in the area, the area wa populated by a big variety of ethnical groups with a rich megalyth culture, which founded big stone grave monuments and stone structures. The only surviving groups - the Lun Dayeh and Lun Bawang - probably took the way of growing rice from the Kayan; before they used to grow tubers and harvested saho. Theuir communities have some layered structure, most likely also an heritage of the Kayan.
The Kayan
The Kayan mainly live in the central highland of Kaltim and several villages along the upper stream of the Kapuas river. They probably came from overseas, before setteling in Apokayan. In the 18th and 19th century they spread from Apokayan to Sarawak, the Mahakam beaken and the kapuas. But for what language and culture concerned, they are still a single group.
The society of the Kayan was strongly layered and was made up from four classes; the maren, the highest aristocracy, the hipuy, the lower nobility, the panyin, the normal people and the dipen, the slaves. The classes had their own rights and duties, which were described explicitly. The aristocracy practiced a monopoly on political, economic and religious fields, and had the duty to protect their slaves. Slaved which were captured during enemy attacks worked on the open fields and could not be missed. Every family worked on their own piece of soil, but the rice was stored in a communal storage room in the longhouse.
The nice longhouses of the Kayan mirror their social culture. Around the best and most central room of the head of the village are the rooms of the nobility. The slaves lived in the most extern rooms of the house, the most dangerous in case of any attacks.
However the government has limited the power of the aristocrats dramatically, but they still have much respect. In the common situations they still have high political positions and in important village events they are still consulted. It's not uncommon that the villagers do some unpaid labor on their fields, or they are given free firewood, or the first choice from the hunt. As well as in economical (rice), socially (mandau and woodcarvings), the influence of the Kayan on other populations in Northern Borneo are visible.
The Kenyah
The Kenyah form a kind of heterogene population from a diverse background. They speak different languages. Some originally were forest nomads, which settled in Apokayan, where they slowly overruled the Kayan. Later on, many of them followed the trails of the Kayan by moving to Sarawak and the Mahakam beaken. Just like the Kayan they grew rice and their society was built up from layers. Their villages usually have more than one longhouse and over 2000 residents. The Kenyah are famous because of their remarkable, colorfull woodcarvings and costumes and their music and dances.
The Barito
The Barito live in the southern half of Borneo and form the biggest population of Dayak in Kalimantan. The mighty Ngaju live in Kalteng, the Ot Danum in the Schwaner Range, the Siang and Murung in the upperstream of the Barito and the Tunjung, Benuaq and Bentian along the middle stretch of the Mahakam River.
By the Brito spoken languages belong to three different groups of languages, but lingually and cultural differences are very small. All Barito know difficult rituals for their diseased, when water buffalo's are sacrificed. In several areas there are ritual re-burials, where bones, or ashes are put in special graves. Many people support the kaharingan religion.
The Tebidah, Kebahan and Limbai who are living in the Melawi area, know these rites, but they speak Malay dialects. Most of the Barito Dayak live in scattered villages, which consist of one longhouse.
The 'Land-Dayak'
The so-called 'Land-Dayak' live in Northwestern Kalimantan and the neighboring part of Sarawak. They probably have left Southeastern Borneo in the 18th century. They have their own language, except the Selako, which speak Malay. The Land-Dayak used to live in longhouses. Their villages also had a round house for the men, which met there. The society of the Land-Dayak is fairly equal. They are most known for their wooden statues, which were used during burial rites.
The Iban
The Iban moved from Western Borneo to Sarawak over the last couple of hundred years, where they formed a population of 35,000, and to the Kapuas lake district where there are about 7,000 Iban. In the same area live related Mualang, Seberuang, Desa and Kantuq. The languages of these populations are related to Malay.
The Iban live in longhouses and have ladang, with the preference of a new ladang in the primary forest. The Iban were fierce headhunters and were feared in the wide area. They lead attacks on land as well as on seas, they were named 'Sea-Dayak' and were the most feared pirated of the 19th century.
The Punan
The Punan - also known as Penan, Beketan, Ukit and Bukat - life in the central mountain ranges and around the upper streams of big rivers. They are almost selfsufficient hunter gatherers, which travel around in the jungle in groups of about 35 people. They get everything they need - from food to construction materials - from the forests, without damaging this. Whenever the resources are exhausted, they simply move on.
The Punan collect fruits, mushrooms, honey and edible marrow of the sago tree (Eugeissona utilis), which is their main source for carbo-hydrates. When hunting, they collect wild pigs, which can weigh upto 200 kilograms, which are most loved, but other animals can also be served. When hunting, the Punan use traps and dogs for scaring the wild animals. Their ultimate weapon is the poison arrow.
The two to three metre long 'gun' which is used to shoot arrows over a distance of 100 metres, is the best in the world. In contrary to the 'guns' which are used elsewhere - made from hollow bamboo or soft wood - this one is made from a very good kind of wood, which is made hollow by a long iron tool.
The collected products (besides the already names also ratten, raisin, kampher, aloe wood and bezoar stones) are partially traded in the neighboring Dayak villages, in the form of baskets and matrasses. In trade, the Punan receive tools, salt, tobacco and textile. The relation with the Dayak is not too good all the time. The Dayak sometimes look down on the Punan, and in the past the Punan regularly were victim of headhunters. The first travellers on Borneo reported that the Punan left their goods with the Dayak and only got their traded goods when the Dayak had left.