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 | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 205,900 (2014)[1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Borneo: | |
 Malaysia (Sarawak) | 201,376 (2020)[2] |
 Indonesia (West Kalimantan) | n/a |
| Languages | |
| Bidayuh languages:Bukar Sadong,Jagoi,Biatah (Siburan and Padawan),Malaysian (Sarawak Malay dialect) orIndonesian,English,Iban (secondary language) | |
| Religion | |
Christianity (predominantly), Islam,Animism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Bekati', Binyadu, Jongkang,Ribun,Selako,Lara',Sanggau,Sara', Tringgus,Semandang,Ahé | |
Bidayuh is the collective name for several indigenous groups found in southernSarawak,Malaysia and northernWest Kalimantan,Indonesia, on the island ofBorneo, which are broadly similar in language and culture (see alsoissues below). The nameBidayuh means 'inhabitants of land'. Originally from the western part of Borneo, the collective nameLand Dayak was first used during the period of RajahJames Brooke, theWhite Rajah of Sarawak. At times, they were also lesser referred to asKlemantan people.[3] They constitute one of the main indigenous groups in Sarawak and West Kalimantan and live in towns and villages aroundKuching andSerian in theMalaysian state ofSarawak, while in theIndonesian province ofWest Kalimantan they are mainly concentrated in the northernSanggau Regency. In Sarawak, most of Bidayuh population can be found within 40 km of the geographical area known as Greater Kuching, within theKuching andSerian Division. They are the second-largest Dayak ethnic group in Sarawak after theIban and one of the major Dayak tribes in West Kalimantan.
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Predominantly Bidayuh areas in Sarawak are in the suburban areas of the state capital city ofKuching (Penrissen as well asPadawan areas),Lundu, Siburan,Bau andSerian. Most Bidayuh villages can be found in the rural areas of Padawan, Lundu, Penrissen, Bau and Serian. The area continues up to the adjacent West Kalimantan border, where they reside in Kembayan, Noyan, Sekayam, and Jangkang district in Sanggau Regency. The area in which they live is mainly in the basin of theSarawak River and hilly to a mountainous forest, traditionally worked by rotational agriculture and hunting based around farms populated from parent villages situated on the hills for protection. Today, almost all the traditionallonghouse villages have been replaced by individual houses, by roads and there are some plantation agriculture and a reduced emphasis on the growing of hill padi. Fruit trees, especiallyDurian, remain important property markers. The distinctive architectural and cultural feature of the Bidayuh is the head-house, now adopted as a symbol.
There are approximately 25 dialects of Bidayuh (Land Dayak) spoken in Sarawak, Malaysia, which can be grouped into four clusters of dialects: Eastern, Central, Highland, and Western.[4] In Sarawak, there are generally said to be three main linguistic groupings (Biatah,Singai-Jagoi, andBukar–Sadong), but these can be broken down even beyond the list referenced below as most people can be distinguished by locals down to village level through smaller differences in vocabulary and intonation.[5] Each area speaks its own dialect:
The dialects are not mutually intelligible andMalaysian English orMalay are often used as commonly spoken languages within the community.
The Serian Bidayuhs have a distinct dialect known asBukar–Sadong, which is not intelligible to Bidayuhs from other Districts. Here are some examples of the differences in the various dialects spoken in Serian, with their English and Malay equivalents. Also included are two Philippine languages,Kapampangan andTagalog:
| English | Malay | Bukar–Sadong | Bau-Jagoi | Siburan-Padawan | Bi-Annah | Bra'ang-Pinyawa | Lundu (Salako) | Kapampangan | Tagalog |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Father | Bapa | Amang | Sama | Sama | Sama' | Sama' | Apak, Bapak | Ibpâ, (Bapa – Uncle) | Amang, Ama |
| Mother | Ibu | Andĕ/ayang/a'nek | Sino | Sendo | Sin(d)ū' | Sin(d)o | Inuk, Indok, Umak, | Indû | Inang, Ina |
| Food | makanan | pima-an | pinguman | pimaan | Pinguman | Pinguman | Pamakanan | Pamangan | Pagkain |
| Rice | nasi | songkoi/sungkoi | tubi | tubi | Tubi' | Tubi | nasik | nasi | kanin |
| I | aku | aku | oku | Ěku | Aku' | Ěku | aku | aku/I-aku | ako |
| You/thee | kamu/anda/engkau/kau | amu/akam | mu-u/ingan | ku-u/kaam | Ku'u/Ka'am(ng)/Angan | (K)u'u/ ka'am | kau | ika (sing.)/ikayu (pl.) | ikaw |
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Bidayuhs are traditionallyanimist or pagans, and vestiges of these beliefs remain.[6][7] TheBrooke family era saw the arrival ofChristian missionaries from 1848, bringing education and modern medicine, while a similar process also took place inDutch Borneo on the Dutch controlled side. The great majority of Bidayuh are now Christians,[6] majority of them being Roman Catholic. Almost 70% of the people of Bidayuh have changed their traditional name to English name since they converted to Christianity and many young indigenous Bidayuh in Sarawak do not practice their traditional ceremonies anymore, weakening their culture as indigenous peoples of Sarawak. The Bidayuh people are the closest relative of the Melanau people and are said to have the same ancestor before splitting into different tribes. The original Bidayuhs are mainly pagans or animists, however 50% already converted to Christianity. They have big festivals likeGawai Dayak, which is a celebration to please the padi spirit for a good harvest.[8]
Most Bidayuh villages have either aRoman Catholic orAnglican church, or amosque. The Biatah people, who live in the Kuching area (Padawan/Lundu), are mostly Anglican with Catholic minorities. Meanwhile, the people who live in Bau or Serian are mostly Catholic. Catholicism was first introduced to people in Kampung Taee by theMill Hill Missionaries in the early 1920s.
Some renowned churches were also being established in some villages such as SIB (Sidang Injil Borneo) also known as the Borneo Evangelical Mission (BEM) church, Baptist as well as other denominations like Seventh-Day Adventist (SDA), Assemblies of God, Methodist, Latter Rain, etc.
The Bidayuh of Bukar had a unique tradition of hanging the bodies of the dead on trees and leaving them to rot away. The skeletons are left on trees as a reminder of the dead. The tradition is rarely practiced nowadays.[5]
The Bidayuh or Klemantan celebrate Gawai Padi (Paddy Festival)[9] or Gawai Adat Naik Dingo (Paddy Storing Festival).[10]
TheNyobeng/Nyobong was an ancientheadhunting ritual that was performed to show gratitude for peace and good harvests.[11] The ritual involved bathing or cleaning the skulls of sacrificed humans.
Although classified as "Bidayuh" by the Malaysian government, the Salako and Lara culture have little resemblance to other Bidayuh groups and their oral tradition claims different descent and migration histories. Linguistically, the Salako belong to another language family tree which is of theMalayic Dayak family (the same family as theIban).[12] The Lara, although said to be more related to the Bidayuh (Jagoi-Singai), speak a language almost not mutually intelligible at all with the Bidayuh but belonged to the same language family tree which is theLand Dayak.[12] Even their customary rituals and rites differ from the other Bidayuhs (all Bidayuhs share almost the same ritual and customary rites).
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The Bidayuh have a musical heritage consisting of various types ofagung ensembles - ensembles composed of large hanging, suspended or held, bossed/knobbedgongs which act as a drone without any accompanying melodic instrument.[13][14] They also use a bambooidiochordtube zither calledpratuokng.[15][16]
Several traditional Bidayuh dishes are:[18]
According to Professor Dr Peter Songan (graduate fromCornell University, in Year 2004 the Bidayuh Graduate community by category of qualificationA majority of the graduates holds a diploma degree (45.1%), followed by bachelor (44.2%), masters (5.2%), Ph.D. (0.9%) and others (4.7%).
Table 2. Distribution of Graduates by Degree Frequency PercentDiploma 743 holders 45.06%Bachelor 729 holders 44.21%Masters 85 holders 5.16%Ph.D. 15 holders 0.91%Others 77 holders 4.67%Total 1649 holders 100.00%
