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Dayak
Tribes of Borneo
History
The
Dayaks tribes came to Kalimantan as a migration from other
parts in Asia about 3000 years ago.
Dayak
are defined in more then 200 different tribes, the main tribes
are the Bakumpai and Dayak Bukit of South Kalimantan; the Ngajus and
Baritos of Central Kalimantan; the Benuaqs, Kayan, Kenyah, and the
nomadic Punan of East Kalimantan, and the Ibans of West Kalimantan and
Malaysian Borneo.
Traditionally,
Dayak agriculture was based on swidden hill rice cultivation called
"ladang" and "hutan. Dayaks organize their labor in terms
of holding groups which determined who owned rights to land
and how it was to be used. Nowadays, the Dayaks work in the mining
industry, wood industry, and on the plantations of Kalimantan.
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Religion
The
Dayak indigenous religion is a form of animism called "Kaharingan", and
seems to be close with Hinduism. The practice of Kaharingan religion
differs from tribe to tribe. The spirit is believed to partake
in the celebration, a mark of honor and respect to past ancestries and
blessings for a prosperous future.
Since
1970 missionaris came in to Kalimantan and most Dayaks converted to
Christianity which was introduced by European and American
missionaries. The relations between all religious groups are generally
good. Despite the destruction of pagan religions in Europe by
Christians, most of the people who try to conserve the Dayak's religion
are missionaries.
In
the Coastal cities the populations are largely Muslim, influanced by
the relatively high cultural Javanese Majapahit Kingdoms and
the Islamic Malay Sultanates that appeared periodically throughout
Southeast Asian history.
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Society
The
Dayaks live in longhouses, which is a structure of hardwood
posts that can be hundreds of meters long, mostly located along a river
bank. At one side there is a long communal platform, the other side
(back side) has the individual households apartments for each family.
Headhunting
kept the practice of old headhunts alive and was an important part of
Dayak culture. The Dayak wars In the past Reports captured
enemy heads, there have been massive coordinated raids in the interior,
and throughout coastal Kalimantan.
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Mandau
(machetes) is a a narrow strip of a harder iron wedged into a
slot in the cutting edge for sharpness. Headhunting necessitated being
able to draw the machete quickly. The mandau is short, and
nowadays used for trail cutting in the forest. It is holstered with the
cutting edge facing upwards and at that side there is an upward
protrusion on the handle, so it can be drawn very quickly with the side
of the hand without having to reach over and grasp the handle first.
The hand can then grasp the handle while it is being drawn. The
combination of these three factors (short, cutting edge up and
protrusion) makes for an extremely fast drawing action. The ceremonial
mandaus used for dances are as beautifully adorned with feathers as the
dresses are.
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