Kenyah people

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Kenyah people
Dayak Kenyah
COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Een Kenyah familie Borneo TMnr 10005528.jpg
A young Kenyah family in North Kalimantan, pre-1944.
Total population
69,256 (year 2000 - Malaysia and Indonesia) [1] 72,000 (year 2023 - Malaysia and Indonesia ) [2]
Regions with significant populations
Borneo:
Flag of Indonesia.svg  Indonesia (East Kalimantan)44,000 (2000) [3]
Flag of Malaysia.svg  Malaysia (Sarawak)25,000 (2000) = 56 600 (2023) [3]
Languages
Kenyah languages (Mainstream Kenyah), Indonesian, Sarawak Malay
Religion
Christianity (Majority 94,27%), Bungan (Folk religion), [4] Islam
Related ethnic groups
Bagai people, Kayan people, Penan people

The Kenyah people are an indigenous, Austronesian-speaking people of Borneo, living in interior North and East Kalimantan, Indonesia and Sarawak, Malaysia.

Contents

Culture and economy

Kenyah dance. Kenyah mural painting.jpg
Kenyah dance.

The Kenyah people, traditionally being swidden agriculturalists [5] and living in longhouses (uma dado'), [6] is an umbrella term for over 40 sub-groups that mostly share common migration histories, customs, and related dialects. Kenyah people lived in longhouses a small communities. Each longhouse consists of families who choose their own leader (headman). When they have an event or celebration such as harvest festival, they will normally use the longhouse verandah (oseh bi'o) to gather and deliver speeches to guide their youngsters. Normally this harvest festival celebration (tau bio Ramay o o Ajau, pelepek uman) is a major festival because most of them are still farmers.

Kenyah people are very creative. They compose their popular songs and melody such as Lan e Tuyang, Kendau bimbin, Ilu Kenyah Kua Lo Te'a, Pabat Pibui, Atek Lan, and Leleng Oyau Along Leleng. Popular traditional Kenyah musical instruments are such as jatung utang (wooden xylophone), [7] sampe (a type of guitar), [8] sampe bio (single-stringed bass), lutong (a four- to six-string bamboo tube zither) [9] and keringut (nose flute). [10]

Religion

Christianity is the predominant religion of Kenyah people, with the majority belonging to the Evangelical Protestanism. Before the arrival of Christian missionaries, the Kenyah people practice a traditional form of animism called 'Adat Pu'un'. During the initial introduction of Christianity by Christian & Missionary Alliance and Borneo Evangelical Mission, traditional beliefs and practices were revitalized and this form was called 'Bungan Malan Peselong Luan' movement. Today, there are only a small number of Kenyah people who still practice the Bungan faith. [11] [12] It is believed that a person will ascend to Alo Malau (seven heavens) with their ancestors (tepun) after death.

Population

Statistical figures, based on the Indonesian and Malaysian national censuses collected in 2000, recorded a total of 44,350 Kenyah people in East Kalimantan, Indonesia and 24,906 in Sarawak, Malaysia. [13]

The Kenyahs traditionally inhabit the remote Baram Lio Matoh, Long Selaan, Long Moh, Long Anap, Long Mekaba, Long Jeeh, Long Belaong, Long San, Long Silat, Long Tungan, Data Kakus, Data Surau, Data Senap, Long Dungan, Long Busang, Long Beyak, Tubau, Bintulu, Miri, Apau Koyan resettlement for Bakun Dam, Long Bulan, Long Jawe, Dangang, Long Bangan, Long Sah B(Uma Kelep), Long Urun, Sambop Long Semutut, Long Tebulang, Long Lawen, Long Unan and Belaga regions in Sarawak, Malaysia and the remote Apau Kayan, Bahau (Bau), Benua Lama, Benua Baru and Mahakam regions in North Kalimantan and East Kalimantan, Indonesia.

Kenyah people are divided into various lepo'/lebo' (tribes/clans) including the Uma Bakah, Lepo Anan, Lepo Tau, Lepu Jalan, Lepo' Tepu, Uma Kelep(Lebuq Timai), Uma Ujok, Uma Pawa', Seping, Sebop, Badeng, Jamok, Lepo Agak, Bakung (Long Singut), Uma Kulit, Uma Alim, Lebuq Timai, Uma Lasan, Lepo Ma-ut, Sambop, Lepo Ke', Lepo Ngao, Ngurek, Long Ulai, Long Tikan, Long Sabatu, Lepo Ga, Lepo Dikan, Lepo' Bem, Lepo' Embo' and Lepo Pua.

Sub-ethnic groups

Traditional folk dance during Kenyah Cultural Festival in Lung Anai, Kutai Kartanegara, East Kalimantan, Indonesia Tari Tani Dayak Kenyah 180618.JPG
Traditional folk dance during Kenyah Cultural Festival in Lung Anai, Kutai Kartanegara, East Kalimantan, Indonesia
Languages of Kalimantan, with the Kenyah sub-dialects in North Kalimantan and East Kalimantan are being labelled as Wahau Kenyah (66) and mainstream Kenyah (73) Languages of Kalimantan.svg
Languages of Kalimantan, with the Kenyah sub-dialects in North Kalimantan and East Kalimantan are being labelled as Wahau Kenyah (66) and mainstream Kenyah (73)

The Kenyah people are also divided into various sub-ethnic groups such as:- [14]

Origins

Kenyah architecture, circa 1898-1900. COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Het graf van een dochter van een Kenja Dajak vorst TMnr 60005442.jpg
Kenyah architecture, circa 1898-1900.

The Usun Apau (aka Usun Apo) plateau (in the Plieran River valley) or Apo Kayan Highlands (a remote forested plateau in Malaysian and Indonesian border) in the present-day Indonesian province of North Kalimantan and Malaysia's Sarawak is believed by the Kenyah people to be their place of origin; [15] which was the largest concentration site of Kenyah populations between the late 19th century to the early 1980s.

Languages

The Kenyah languages are a small family of Austronesian languages. Their language is called Kenyah.

Folk songs

Notable people

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Longhouse</span> Type of house

A longhouse or long house is a type of long, proportionately narrow, single-room building for communal dwelling. It has been built in various parts of the world including Asia, Europe, and North America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kayan people (Borneo)</span> Ethnic group in Southeast Asia

Being an indigenous tribe in Borneo, the Kayan people are similar to their neighbours, the Kenyah tribe, with which they are grouped together with the Bahau people under the Apo Kayan people group. The Kayan people are categorised as a part of the Dayak people. They are distinct from, and not to be confused with, the Kayan people of Myanmar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Punan Bah</span> Ethnic group from Borneo

Punan Bah or Punan is an ethnic group found in Sarawak, Malaysia and in Kalimantan, Indonesia. The Punan Bah people are distinct and unrelated to the semi-nomadic Penan people. Their name stems from two rivers along the banks of which they have been living since time immemorial. They have other names including Mikuang Bungulan or Mikuang and Aveang Buan but those are used only ritually nowadays.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kayan Mentarang National Park</span> National park in Indonesia

Kayan Mentarang National Park is a densely forested national park located in the Indonesian province of North Kalimantan, on the island of Borneo. The national park is named after a great dispersed Mentarang mountain trails plateau of Apau Kayan which covers the entire park from Datadian area in south region to Apau Ping area in mid region until Long Bawan in north region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orang Ulu</span> Group of Dayak peoples of Sarawak

Orang Ulu is an ethnic designation politically coined to group together roughly 27 very small but ethnically diverse tribal groups in northeastern Sarawak, Malaysia with populations ranging from less than 300 persons to over 25,000 persons. Orang Ulu is not a legal term, and no such racial group exists or is listed in the Malaysian Constitution. The term was popularised by the Orang Ulu National Association (OUNA), which was formed in 1969. Orang Ulu is totaling 180 000 people which is 6.2% from 2.8millions of Sarawak people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marudi</span> Town and district capital in Sarawak, Malaysia

Marudi is a town in the Malaysian state of Sarawak, and is a part of the division of Miri. It is the seat of Marudi District, and is located on the banks of Baram River, about 100 kilometres (62 mi) upstream from the river mouth. Marudi was the administrative centre of the northern region of Sarawak before Miri was established. Marudi is considered as the cultural heart of the Orang Ulu, the highland tribes of Sarawak. It is also a transit gateway to Gunung Mulu National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Uma Baka' tribe were originally from the rural center of Borneo Island. Originally from Bahau River, the Uma Baka' people began moved out from that river system along with the Uma' Kulit people in the 18th century. Although the tribe still remains in East Kalimantan, Indonesia, some of them have moved to Sarawak, Malaysia. The tribe was known as the best hunters in jungle. The Uma Baka' people are considered as a sub-ethnic of the Kenyah people and their language is Uma Baka' language, which is a form of Kenyah language dialect.

The Kenyah languages are a group of half a dozen or so closely related languages spoken by the Kenyah peoples of Borneo. They are:

The North Sarawakan languages are a group of Austronesian languages spoken in the northeastern part of the province of Sarawak, Borneo, and proposed in Blust.

Long Julan is a Kenyah longhouse in the interior of the Miri division of Sarawak, Malaysia. It lies approximately 524.6 kilometres (326 mi) east-north-east of the state capital Kuching.

Sarawak's population is very diverse, comprising many races and ethnic groups. Sarawak has more than 40 sub-ethnic groups, each with its own distinct language, culture and lifestyle. This makes Sarawak demography very distinct and unique compared to its Peninsular counterpart. However, it largely mirrors to other territories in Borneo - Sabah, Brunei and Kalimantan.

Mainstream Kenyah, also known as Usun Apau and Bakung, is a Kenyah dialect cluster of North Kalimantan, Indonesia, and Sarawak, Malaysia. Dialects fall into four clusters:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Data Kakus</span> Place in Sarawak, Malaysia

Data Kakus is a remote Kenyah Badeng village settlement in the hilly interior of the Ulu Kakus Tatau division of Sarawak, Malaysia elevates to 650 metres, not far from Tubau and Belaga district. To be exact, Data Kakus is located at the upstream of Sungai Burok and Sungai Nyabet. The highest peak in Ulu Kakus is called Gunung Lumut about 828m located on the peak of Lumut Range not too far from Sungai Bekuyat and Sungai Kakus.

Umaʼ Lasan is a Kayan language of Borneo. Umaʼ Lung is marginally intelligible with the other varieties.

Usun Apau Plieran is a remote abandoned Kenyah Jamuk, Badeng and Lepu Aga' village settled in 1860, Belaga district. To be exact, Usun Apau Plieran is located at the upstream of Sungai Plieran and Sungai Tiyut. The highest peak that close to this area are Bukit Busing 1300m and Mudung Batu Bora about 1450m. There are a few old longhouse sites in this area such as Long Metalon, Long Ampan Aing, Long Bora, Long Taa, Ka Laeh, Lidung Jelo and Lolau Mabo.

Lidung Jelo is a remote Kenyah's longhouse settlement in the mountainous interior located by the Plieran river bank, Belaga division of Sarawak. There are many local fruit trees like durian, alim, terap, rambutan and langsat which still grows wild in these old settlement areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bahau people</span> Sub-ethnic group

Bahau people is a sub-ethnic group of the Dayak people who inhabit West Kutai Regency (9.3%), East Kalimantan, Indonesia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apo Kayan people</span> Ethnic group of Borneo

The Apo Kayan people are one of the Dayak people groups that are spread throughout Sarawak of Malaysia, East Kalimantan and North Kalimantan of Indonesia. The earliest Apo Kayan people are from the riverside of the Kayan River, Bulungan Regency, East Kalimantan, Indonesia. According to the Apo Kayan Dayak legend, the Kayan people are the forefathers of which all smaller sub-ethnic Dayak people that are found along the Kayan River came from. Today, the population of the Apo Kayan people are estimated about 64,900.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Klemantan people</span>

The Klemantan people were a purported ethnic group indigenous to the island of Borneo. The term was established in Western literature by British scientist and colonial administrator Charles Hose in the early 20th century, but has since been rejected as an invented term of convenience that does not properly represent the people it claims to describe. Since then, the term has fallen largely out of use.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bukit Mabong District</span> District in Sarawak, Malaysia

Bukit Mabong is a district, in Kapit Division, Sarawak, Malaysia.

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Further reading