The Dayak Tribe Culturals
The
Dayak or Dyak are the native people of Borneo (Kalimantan). It is a loose term for over 200 riverine
and hill-dwelling ethnic subgroups, located principally in the interior of
Borneo, each with its own dialect, customs, laws, territory and culture,
although common distinguishing traits are readily identifiable. Dayak languages are categorised as part of the Austronesian
languages in Asia. The Dayak
were animist in belief; however many converted to
Christianity, and some to Islam more recently. Estimates for the Dayak
population range from 2 to 4 million.
The main ethnic groups
of Dayaks are the Bakumpai and Dayak Bukit of South Kalimantan,
The Ngajus, Baritos, Benuaqs of East Kalimantan,
the Kayan and Kenyah groups
and their subtribes in Central Borneo and the Ibans, Embaloh (Maloh), Kayan, Kenyah, Penan, Kelabit, Lun Bawang and Tamanpopulations in the Kapuas and Sarawak
regions. Other populations include the Ahe, Jagoi, Selakau, Bidayuh, and Kutai.
The Dayak people of Borneo possess an
indigenous account of their history, partly in writing and partly in common
cultural customary practices.In addition, colonial accounts and reports of
Dayak activity in Borneo detail carefully cultivated economic and political
relationships with other communities as well as an ample body of research and
study considering historical Dayak migrations.In particular, the Iban or the
Sea Dayak exploits in the South China Seas are documented, owing to their
ferocity and aggressive culture of war against sea dwelling groups and emerging
Western trade interests in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Coastal populations in Borneo are
largely Muslim in belief, however these groups (Tidung,
Bulungan, Paser, Melanau, Kadayan, Bakumpai, Bisayah) are generally considered to
be Islamized Dayaks, native to Borneo, and heavily influenced by the Javanese
Majapahit Kingdoms and Islamic Malay Sultanates.Other groups in coastal areas
of Sabah, Sarawak and
northern Kalimantan; namely the Illanun, Tausug, Sama and Bajau, although inhabiting and (in the case
of the Tausug group) ruling, the northern tip of
Borneo for centuries, have their origins from the southern Philippines.
These groups are not Dayak, but instead are grouped under the separate umbrella
term of Moro.
Common interpretations in anthropology
agree that nearly all the Dayaks tribes, are of a larger more common
Austronesian migration from Asia, regarded to have settled in the South East
Asian Archipelago some 3,000 years ago. The main Dayaks are the Bakumpai and
Dayak Bukit of South Kalimantan, The Ngajus, and Baritos of Central Kalimantan,
Benuaqs,Kayan and Kenyah of East Kalimantan, and the Ibans of West Kalimantan
and Malay Borneo, Other populations are the nomadic Punan, which are live
nowadays along the Border between Kalimantan and Sabah / Sarawak. Coastal
populations in Borneo are largely Muslim in belief, however these groups
(Ilanun, Melanau, Kutai) are generally considered to be Islamized Dayaks,
native to Borneo, and governed by the relatively high cultural influences of
the Javanese Majapahit Kingdoms and Islamic Malay Sultanates, periodically
covering South East Asian history. Traditionally, Dayak agriculture was based
on swidden rice cultivation. Agricultural Land in this sense was used and
defined primarily in terms of hill rice farming, ladang (garden), and hutan
(forest). Dayaks organised their labour in terms of traditionally based land
holding groups which determined who owned rights to land and how it was to be
used. The "green revolution" in the 1950s, spurred on the planting of
new varieties of wetland rice amongst Dayak tribes. The main dependence on
subsistence and mid-scale agriculture by the Dayak has made this group active
in this industry. Nowadays, the Dayaks work in the mining industry, wood
industry, and plantations of Borneo.
Dayak Religion
The Dayak indigenous religion is
Kaharingan a form of animism which is categorized as a part of Hinduism in
Indonesia. The practice of Kaharingan differs from group to group, and for
example in some religious customary practices, when a noble (kamang) dies, it
is believed that the spirit ascends to a mountain where the spirits of past
ancestors of the tribe reside. On particular religious occasions, the spirit is
believed to descend to partake in celebration, a mark of honour and respect to
past ancestries and blessings for a prosperous future. Over the last two
centuries, most Dayaks converted to Christianity which was introduced by
European & American missionaries, and created a social bulwark against the
spread of Islam. Relations, however in all religious groups are generally good.
Despite the destruction of pagan religions in Europe by Christians, most of the
people who try to conserve the Dayak's religion are missionaries
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