Kayan
Encyclopedia
The Kayan are an indigenous tribe from the island of Borneo
. The Kayan people are categorized as a part of the Dayak people
of Borneo.
Being an indigenous tribe in central Borneo, Kayans are similar to their neighbors, the Kenyah tribe, with which they are grouped together under the Bahau ethnic group.
The population of the Kayan ethnic group may be some 27,000. They are part of a larger grouping of people referred to collectively as the Orang Ulu
, or upriver people. Like some other Dayak people
they are known for being fierce warriors, former headhunters
, adept in dry-rice cultivation, and having extensive tattoos and stretched earlobes
amongst both sexes. They may have originated from along the Kayan river in the Indonesian part of Borneo. They live along the upper Kayan and the middle Kapuas
and Mahakam
rivers. They seem to have expanded to the south in Sarawak in historic times, generating some conflicts with the Iban
that were expanding north at the same time. They have settled in Sarawak on the middle Baram River
, the Bintulu River and along the Rajang River
, having been pressed back a little during the late 19th century.
Their language belongs to the Malayo-Polynesian
branch of the Austronesian language family
.
Their basic culture is similar to the other Dayak people of Borneo. Traditionally they live in long house
s on river banks. Their agriculture was based upon shifting cultivation
techniques and the cultivation of dryland
rice. They also cultivate sago
, and go hunting and fishing. Their society knows aristocrats. They are known for good carvings and metalwork.
Borneo
Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
. The Kayan people are categorized as a part of the Dayak people
Dayak people
The Dayak or Dyak are the native people of Borneo. 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...
of Borneo.
Being an indigenous tribe in central Borneo, Kayans are similar to their neighbors, the Kenyah tribe, with which they are grouped together under the Bahau ethnic group.
The population of the Kayan ethnic group may be some 27,000. They are part of a larger grouping of people referred to collectively as the Orang Ulu
Orang Ulu
Orang Ulu is an ethnic designation politically coined to group together roughly 27 very small but ethnically diverse tribal groups in Sarawak, with a population ranging from less than 300 persons to over 25,000 persons. Orang Ulu is not a legal term and no such racial group exist or listed in the...
, or upriver people. Like some other Dayak people
Dayak people
The Dayak or Dyak are the native people of Borneo. 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...
they are known for being fierce warriors, former headhunters
Headhunting
Headhunting is the practice of taking a person's head after killing them. Headhunting was practised in historic times in parts of China, India, Nigeria, Nuristan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Borneo, Indonesia, the Philippines, Taiwan, Japan, Micronesia, Melanesia, New Zealand, and the Amazon Basin, as...
, adept in dry-rice cultivation, and having extensive tattoos and stretched earlobes
Stretching (body piercing)
Stretching, in the context of body piercing, is the deliberate expansion of a healed fistula for the purpose of wearing body piercing jewelry. Ear piercings are the most commonly stretched piercings, with nasal septum piercings, tongue piercings and lip piercings/lip plates following close behind...
amongst both sexes. They may have originated from along the Kayan river in the Indonesian part of Borneo. They live along the upper Kayan and the middle Kapuas
Kapuas River
The Kapuas River is a river in the Indonesian part of Borneo island, at the geographic center of Maritime Southeast Asia. At in length, it is the longest river of Indonesia and one of the world's longest island rivers...
and Mahakam
Mahakam River
The Mahakam River is in Indonesia. It flows 980 km from the district of Long Apari in the highlands of Borneo, to its mouth at the Makassar Strait....
rivers. They seem to have expanded to the south in Sarawak in historic times, generating some conflicts with the Iban
Iban people
The Ibans are a branch of the Dayak peoples of Borneo. In Malaysia, most Ibans are located in Sarawak, a small portion in Sabah and some in west Malaysia. They were formerly known during the colonial period by the British as Sea Dayaks. Ibans were renowned for practising headhunting and...
that were expanding north at the same time. They have settled in Sarawak on the middle Baram River
Baram River
The Baram river is a river in Sarawak, East Malaysia on the island of Borneo. The river originates in the central Iran Mountains and flows westwards through tropical rainforest to the South China Sea....
, the Bintulu River and along the Rajang River
Rajang River
The Rajang River is a river in Sarawak, Malaysia. The river is located in northwest of Borneo and it originates in the Iran Mountains. The river flows approximately 563 km to the South China Sea, making it the longest river in Malaysia....
, having been pressed back a little during the late 19th century.
Their language belongs to the Malayo-Polynesian
Malayo-Polynesian languages
The Malayo-Polynesian languages are a subgroup of the Austronesian languages, with approximately 385.5 million speakers. These are widely dispersed throughout the island nations of Southeast Asia and the Pacific Ocean, with a smaller number in continental Asia...
branch of the Austronesian language family
Austronesian languages
The Austronesian languages are a language family widely dispersed throughout the islands of Southeast Asia and the Pacific, with a few members spoken on continental Asia that are spoken by about 386 million people. It is on par with Indo-European, Niger-Congo, Afroasiatic and Uralic as one of the...
.
Their basic culture is similar to the other Dayak people of Borneo. Traditionally they live in long house
Long house
A longhouse or long house is a type of long, proportionately narrow, single-room building built by peoples in various parts of the world including Asia, Europe and North America....
s on river banks. Their agriculture was based upon shifting cultivation
Shifting cultivation
Shifting cultivation is an agricultural system in which plots of land are cultivated temporarily, then abandoned. This system often involves clearing of a piece of land followed by several years of wood harvesting or farming, until the soil loses fertility...
techniques and the cultivation of dryland
Dryland farming
Dryland farming is an agricultural technique for non-irrigated cultivation of drylands.-Locations:Dryland farming is used in the Great Plains, the Palouse plateau of Eastern Washington, and other arid regions of North America, the Middle East and in other grain growing regions such as the steppes...
rice. They also cultivate sago
Sago
Sago is a starch extracted in the spongy center or pith, of various tropical palm stems, Metroxylon sagu. It is a major staple food for the lowland peoples of New Guinea and the Moluccas, where it is called saksak and sagu. A type of flour, called sago flour, is made from sago. The largest supply...
, and go hunting and fishing. Their society knows aristocrats. They are known for good carvings and metalwork.