Dayak

The Dayak people are indigenous occupants of the Kalimantan region of Borneo. The name, meaning 'upstream' or 'inland', was applied by the mainly Islamic coastal population as a blanket term for over 200 tribal groups, each with its own language and culture. Traditionally, each group lives in a communal longhouse. There are about 3 million Dayaks (est. 2003) on Borneo.

History It is believed that the indigenous peoples on Borneo, including the Dayaks, are descendants of Austronesian peoples from Asia who arrived about 3000 years ago, displacing or augmenting the previous stone-age population. The immigrants spoke Austronesian languages from which the Dayak languages are descended. About 2400 years ago the inhabitants learned metalworking skills from the Asian Dongson culture. In the 1950s the inhabitants were using a mixture of metal and stone tools.

Politics In 2001 the Indonesian government ended the colonisation of Kalimantan that began under Dutch rule in 1905. Under Indonesia's "transmigration" programme, settlers from overpopulated Madura were encouraged to settle in Kalimantan, but their presence was, and still is, resented by the Dayaks. Economic development of the region, particularly logging, is also damaging the Dayaks' land and sacred sites.

From 1996 to 2003 there have been violent attacks on the Madurese settlers, including a resurgence of the beheading and cannibalism for which the Dayaks were formerly renowned.