 "The Tattooing of a Married Kayan Woman," (c. 1896-98), photograph byWilliam Henry Furness III. Illustration fromThe Home-Life of Borneo Head-Hunters (1902). | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 200,000 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Borneo: | |
 Malaysia (Sarawak) | 30,000 (2010)[1] |
 Indonesia (East Kalimantan,North Kalimantan &West Kalimantan) | no census |
| Languages | |
| Kayan-Murik languages (Kayan language),Indonesian language,Malaysian language (Sarawak Malay) | |
| Religion | |
| Christianity (predominantly), Bungan (Folk religion) | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Bahau people,Kenyah people | |
Being an indigenous tribe inBorneo, theKayan people are similar to their neighbours, theKenyah tribe, with which they are grouped together with theBahau people under theApo Kayan people group. The Kayan people are categorised as a part of theDayak people. They are distinct from, and not to be confused with, theKayan people of Myanmar.
The population of the Kayan ethnic group may be around 200,000.[2] They are part of a larger grouping of people referred collectively as theOrang Ulu, or upriver people. Like some otherDayak people, they are known for being fierce warriors, formerheadhunters, adept inUpland rice cultivation, and having extensive tattoos andstretched earlobes amongst both sexes.[3]
They may have originated from along the Kayan river in theNorth Kalimantan province of Borneo. They live along the upper Kayan and the middleKapuas andMahakam rivers.[4] They seem to have expanded to the south inSarawak in historic times, generating some conflicts with theIban that were expanding north at the same time.[4] They have settled in Sarawak on the middleBaram River, the Bintulu River and along theRajang River,[4] having been pressed back a little during the late 19th century. In 1863West Kalimantan,Iban people migrated to the upstreams of Saribas River andRejang River and started to attack the Kayan people in those areas and continued doing so northwards and later eastwards. Wars and headhunting attacks have caused many other tribes to be displaced, including the Kayan people, who make up of 1.4% of theWest Kutai Regency population.[5] Significant expansion to the east Borneo also occurred during the historical times, the conversion of the Kayan people toIslam forming theethnogenesis of theBulungan people.[6]
TheKayan language belongs to theMalayo-Polynesian branch of theAustronesian language family.[4]
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Their basic culture is similar to the otherDayak people inBorneo. Their agriculture was based uponshifting cultivation techniques and the cultivation ofUpland rice.[7] Other farming such assago, corn, yams, pumpkin and tobacco are also cultivated. During the years of famine, sago is mined. Fishing (killing fish with poisons) plays an important role,[8] and a smaller role is played by hunting with asumpitan.[9] The Kayan people are engaged in breeding pigs and chickens, while dogs are kept for ritual purposes. The Kayan people are known as excellent blacksmiths (the KayanMandau swords are the main item of exchange), boat builders and carpenters.[10]Loom, weaving, production of tans, arts, wood carving, making of masks and pottery are also developed.[10]
Traditionally, they live inlong houses on river banks. Their settlement consists of one or severallong houses as long as 300 meters, which can accommodate up to 100 families (400–600 people) and consist of a common veranda and rooms. Residents of a long house constitute atribal community. The Kayan people are divided into threeendogamous estate groups; "house owning group" or aristocrat (ipun uma, maren, orketa'u), community members or commoners (panyin) and slaves (dipen).[11][12] Among some Kayan, there is a fourth estate, the lower aristocrats (hipuy ok). Among the nobility, marriages are usually outside of the community, sometimes with other ethnic groups; while community members and slaves usually marry within the community. The leader is usually elected from the nobility class (in the 19th century, he also served as a military leader). The settlement is bi-localized,[13] and the filiation is bilateral.
The Kayan people developed a religion and a complex cult (bounty hunting and human sacrifices[14] that disappeared at the beginning of the 20th century, as well as shamanism).[15] The core event was the feast of collected heads, during which warrior initiations and funeral ceremonies were held.[16] In the 20th century, some Kayan people were converted toChristianity,[17] while others developed an indigenous religious reform after World War II,Adat Bungan. This reform started with the Kenyah Lepo' Tau of Long Nawang.[18]
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