Kenyah

The Kenyahs People

The Kenyah are an indigenous, Austronesian-speaking people of Borneo, living in the remote Baram (Lio Mato, Long Jeeh, Long Belaong, Long San, Long Silat, Long Tongan and etc), Data Kakus,Long Bulan, Long Jawe, Long Beyak, Bintulu, Miri, Sungai ASAP and Belaga regions in Sarawak, Malaysia and the remote Apau Kayan, Bahau and Mahakam regions in Kalimantan, Indonesia.Kenyah race are divide into various tribe such as, Uma Bakah/Uma Baka', Lepo Tau, Lepu Jalan, Uma Kelab, Badeng, Bakong, Lebu Kulit, Uma Alim, Uma Timai, Uma Lasan, Lepo Maot etc.

Culture and Economy

The Kenyah, traditionally being swidden agriculturalists and living in long houses (uma dado'), is an umbrella term for over 40 sub-groups that mostly share common migration histories, customs and related dialects. Kenyah's people also well known of their unique culture. They lived in long house in a small community. Long house bring them to unite. Each long house is like their family where they have to choose their own leader (headman). When they have any event or celebration such as harvest festival they will normally use the long house verandah (oseh dado) to gather and usually deliver speech to guide their youngsters. Normally this harvest festival celebration (tau bio Ramay o o Ajau, pelepek uman) is really grand festival because most of them are still farmers and living in longhouses.

Religions

They give thanks to God for the incredible and great year of blessings and almost all of Kenyah peoples are Christian nowadays. Before they become Christian they believe in 'Bungan Malan Peselong Luan' ( traditional religion was a form animist-ngelan Su-i,malan su-i tai pelawat janan re tai na-o) which is like their God for protection and healing. But nowadays there's only a small number of Kenyah's people that still believe in Bungan and when they've died they believe to go to Alo Malau (heaven)with their ancestors (tepun).

Population

Statistical figures, based on the Indonesian and Malaysian national censuses collected in 2000, recorded a total of 44,350 Kenyah in East Kalimantan and 24,906 in Sarawak. [See 2000 National Census, Jawatan Perangkaan Malaysia, 2000 and 2000 Population Census /Sensus Penduduk 2000, Central Bureau of Statistics Indonesia, 2000]

Origins

The Usun Apau (aka Usun Apo) plateau(in the Peliran river valley) or Apo Kayan Highlands (a remote forested plateau in Malaysian and Indonesian border) in the present-day Indonesian province of East Kalimantan was the largest concentration site of Kenyah populations between the late 19th century to the early 1980s.

See also

*The Kenyah people

Notes

Further reading

* [http://www.tribalarts.com/feature/borneo/ Into the Art of Borneo: The Kenyah-Kayan Tradition]
* [http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9045126/Kenyah Encyclopædia Britannica: Kayah]