Sarawak Malays
The Malays have been in Sarawak for a long
time and they form 25% of the population of
the state. The Malays originally migrated
from Sumatra. Indeed some of the Malay kampungs
in Kuching still bear the names of Javanese
towns from which the inhabitants originated.
The Sarawak Malays speak a different dialect
from the Malays of Peninsular Malaysia (called
Bahasa Sarawak), and have a certain amount
of cultural and historical affinities with
the Brunei Malays (Sarawak was after all
notionally part of the territory of the
Sultan of Brunei before James Brooke came
along).
The Malays traditionally lived along the
coasts, where they were fishermen, and the
majority of Malays in Sarawak still live
along the coast - mostly around Kuching
and Limbang, near Brunei. The Sarawak Malays
have been Muslim since around the 14th Century,
and their faith is very important to them.
The Malay kampungs along the Sarawak River
still contain a lot of beautiful traditional
wooden Malay houses, and the people are
very warm and friendly. This makes walking
through the kampung a very pleasant experience.
The Islamic Museum (on Jalan P.Ramlee, just
behind the new wing of the Sarawak Museum)
is a beautiful former colonial building,
which contains a number of interesting displays
and provides a good introduction to Sarawak
Malay culture and religion.
The rest of Sarawak's population is made
up of a fascinating mixture of other indigenous
groups. The more significant of these include
the following:
Bidayuh
The Bidayuh is well known as a peace-loving
and easygoing people, it was their gentleness
that so enchanted the first White Rajah. They
are also famous for their hospitality. The
Bidayuh are reputed to be the best makers
of tuak, or rice wine.
But it was because of their mild disposition
that the Bidayuh was dislodged by the influx
of new tribes. The Bidayuh retreated from
the lowlands to seek refuge in the mountainous
areas, which were easier to defend. They built
fortified longhouses, which led Europeans
to call them "Land Dayaks" to distinguish
them from the Iban - the "Sea Dayaks.
 The
Bidayuhs' meekness belies their headhunting
past. In their baruk, a roundhouse that rises
about 1.5 metres off the ground, the Bidayuh
store their skulls. The baruk also served
as a gathering place for when the tribe was
under attack.
Although of the same ethnic group, the Bidayuh
speak a number of different but related dialects
that to some extent is mutually intelligible.
Some of the Bidayuh still practice traditional
religions, but Christian missionaries have
made converts among them.
Iban
The Iban are the most numerous of Sarawak's
ethnic groups forming 30% of the state's population,
and are sometimes erroneously referred to
as the "Sea Dayaks" because of their skill
with boats. The Iban actually originated from
deep within the Kalimantan hinterland. They
first crossed into Sarawak in the mid 16th
century - a mass migration of people that
lasted until the early 1900s. The first Iban
settlements in Sarawak were at Lubok Antu
(approximately four hour's drive from Kuching).
 The
Iban are the most numerous of Sarawak's ethnic
groups forming 30% of the state's population,
and are sometimes erroneously referred to
as the "Sea Dayaks" because of their
skill with boats. The Iban actually originated
from deep within the Kalimantan hinterland.
They first crossed into Sarawak in the mid
16th century - a mass migration of people
that lasted until the early 1900s. The first
Iban settlements in Sarawak were at Lubok
Antu (approximately four hour's drive from
Kuching).
The Iban then settled in nearby river valleys
such as Batang Ai, the Skrang River, Saribas,
the Layar Basin. In a second wave of migration
in the 1800s, the Iban settled on the Rajang
River and the lower reaches of the Baram River.
By the early 1900s the Ibans had migrated
as far across the state as Limbang, Tatau
and Kemena Rivers.
Although the majority of Iban are nowadays
Christian, many traditional rituals are still
practised, including the Gawai Dayak (harvest
festival), Gawai Kenyalang (hornbill festival)
and Gawai Antu (festival of the dead). The
traditional Iban religion is a fusion of animistic
and Hindu-Buddhist beliefs and they worship
a triumvirate of gods under the authority
of Singalang Burung, the bird-god of war.
Iban women are superb weavers, using the
back strap loom, while Iban men are excellent
silversmiths, and are famous for their colourful
ngajat dance and their majestic and imposing
tattoos. The Iban have a strong tradition
of hospitality, and a longhouse visit is
an unforgettable experience.
Melanau
Legend has it that the name "Melanau"
was given to the inhabitants of the coastal
swamp flats and river banks of Central Sarawak
by one of the Sultans of Brunei.
In their heartland of Mukah, the Melanau
have abandoned living in their traditional
tall houses and now favour coastal kampung-style
villages having adopted a Malay lifestyle.
The Melanau differ ethnically from the
Sarawak Malays, but their dialects, which
are distinct from Malay, do not differ sufficiently
to constitute a barrier to communication.
They are regarded as fine boat-builders
and fishermen. Their economy is supplemented
by padi, rubber and sago palm cultivation.
The original religion of the Melanau people
was Liko, meaning "people of the river".
In the Liko religion, life and the environment
are one. Followers worship the spiritual
world, including the superior tou spirits
and the lesser belum spirits that cause
sickness. The pagan Melanau use effigies
of sickness spirits when practising healing.
These effigies are called berbayah and berayun.
Many Melanau today are Christian and Muslim,
though they still celebrate traditional
animist festivals, most notably Kaul.
Kayan
These former head hunters migrated north into
Sarawak from Kalimantan where they settled
in their present domain - midway on the Baram
River, the upper Rejang River and the lower
Tubau River. They still can be found staying
in their longhouses.
Kayan women are distinguishable by tattoos
on their hands and their legs. It is considered
a form of feminine beautification. The tattooing
is carried out when a girl is about ten
to twelve years old. Men and women used
to perforate their earlobes. The men wear
leopard's teeth through the hole and the
women wear brass or other types of material
through the earlobes in order to extend
them.
As with all Orang Ulu tribes, the Kayan
are great craftsman. They are well known
for their boat making skills, which they
carve from a single block of belian - the
strongest of the tropical hardwoods.
The Kayan population in Sarawak is about
15,000. Although many Kayan have become
Christians, some are still pagans, unspoilt
by western religions.
Kelabit
The Kelabit, who have close ties to the Lun
Bawang, are inhabitants of the Sarawak highlands
- the remotest and highest of Borneo's mountains.
The elevation here is slightly over 1,200
meters. Because there are few roads and the
area is largely inaccessible by river because
of rapids, the highlands and the Kelabit are
relatively untouched by modern western influences.
One major western influence that did penetrate
this remote ethnic group was the arrival of
Christian missionaries. The Kelabit are now
predominantly Christian.
The Kelabit still lead a traditional life
in their inherited longhouses. In tight
knit communities they practice a generations-old
form of agriculture - they are cultivators
of wet padi, hill rice, maize, tapioca,
pineapple, pumpkin, cucumber, beans and
fruit. They are also great hunters and expert
fisherman.
The Kelabit also raise buffalo, which they
value very highly. Traditionally, the dowry
for the upper class bride must consist of
at least seven buffaloes.
Kenyah
It has been suggested that the Kenyah are
descendants of Bornean aborigines. Other theories
suggest that the Kenyah lived as nomads in
the Upau Kayan area in Kalimantan and migrated
later to the Usun Apau area and the Plieren
Valley.
They now live near river headwaters. The
Kenyah heartland is Long San, upriver along
the Baram River from Long Akah. They live
in close. Associations with the Kayan, with
whose culture they have much in common though
the languages, differ.
The typical Kenyah village consists of
only one longhouse up to 400 yards long,
built on piles, with a row of family rooms
at the back and a wide covered veranda that
serves as a general working space and village
street. The traditional Kenyah economy is
based on the cultivation of dry rice in
jungle clearings. The forest is cut and
burned, and the rice is planted among the
ashes.
Orang Ulu
Orang Ulu literally means "upriver people".
 The
various Orang Ulu groups collectively number
about 100,000 and form roughly 5.5% of Sarawak's
population. The description "Orang Ulu"
was originally given to the major Kayan and
Kenyah tribes, both of whom live in the Upper
Rejang and Upper Baram, and smaller neighbouring
groups including the Kajang, Kejaman, Punan,
Ukit, and Penan.
The definition has been expanded, however,
to include mid and down-river groups with
cultural similarities - such as the Lun Bawang,
Lun Dayeh, Murut and Berawan - and the plateau-dwelling
people of the Kelabit Highlands.
The vast majority of Orang Ulu is Christians,
of various denominations, but old animistic
beliefs still persist in some areas, along
with Bungan, a modern adaptation of traditional
religions.
The Orang Ulu are probably Borneo's most
artistic people; their massive longhouses
are ornately decorated with murals and superb
woodcarvings, their utensils are embellished
with intricate beadwork, and aristocratic
ladies cover their hands, arms, legs and
feet with finely detailed tattoos.
Orang Ulu are also fine musicians; once experienced,
their plaintive praise-songs are never forgotten,
and the haunting melody of the mandolin-like
sape can be heard in most Kayan and Kenyah
longhouses. Orang Ulu longhouses attract few
visitors because of their remoteness, but
specialist tour operators offer upriver safaris,
and adventurous independent travellers are
starting to discover the charms of these warm
and hospitable people.
Penan
Shy and elusive, the Penan are the only true
nomadic people in Sarawak. Among the last
of the world's hunter-gatherers, the Penan
make their home under the rainforest canopy,
deep within the vast expanse of the State's
virgin jungle.
Even today, the Penan continues to roam the
rainforest hunting wild boar and deer with
blowpipes. The Penan make complex mental maps
of their territory by naming every feature
of the land after an incident that occurred
there, such as the death of a favourite hunting
dog or the sighting of an unusual bird.
Their staple food is wild-sago, and a nomadic
group only stays in one area until the sago
supply is exhausted. They supplement their
diet by foraging for wild fruits, roots
and plants.
On jungle treks a fortunate traveller may
cross paths with the Penan on a hunting
trip. They suddenly and silently appear
out of the dense undergrowth on the trail
in front of you as if by magic, such is
their skill and stealth in the jungle. It
has been suggested that the Penan are descendants
of Bornean aborigines. There are two distinct
groups of Penan - the eastern and the western
Penan. The Eastern Penan live mainly in
the Baram and Limbang River areas. The Western
Penan are found in the Balui (the upper
Rejang area) as well as the Silat River
(a tributary of the Baram River).
The Penan is very skilful in making rattan
baskets and mats. The quality of these products
is extremely good and very durable. The
Penan is also well known for the manufacture
of the parang (machete).
The traditional Penan religion is animistic.
They believe in a supreme god called Bungan.
There have been conversions to Christianity
among the Penan that no longer live the
nomadic life and have settled in longhouses.
Punan
There is a great deal of confusion between
the Punan and Penan. The difference is in
their language. There are three main Punan
dialects that distinguish them from the Penan:
Punan Bah-Biau, Punan Batu and Punan-Nibong.
The Punan Bah-Biau are found in Central
Sarawak, around Merit on the Rejang River.
The Punan Batu have settled west of Long
Geng, southeast of Belaga. The Punan-Nibong
have settled in the Upper Baram and Balui
Rivers and the Nibong branch of the Lobong
River, a tributary of the Tinjar River.
The Punan were nomadic hunter-gatherers
who roamed the rainforest hunting wild boar
and deer with blowpipes and foraged for
wild sago, fruits, roots and plants.
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