Dayaks.org http://www.dayaks.org The head hunters of Borneo Wed, 26 Dec 2007 13:24:39 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 en Dayaks http://www.dayaks.org/2007/10/29/dayaks/ http://www.dayaks.org/2007/10/29/dayaks/#comments Mon, 29 Oct 2007 12:40:36 +0000 admin http://www.dayaks.org/2007/10/29/dayaks/ The dayaks or the dayak people are the indigenous population of Borneo.

The term Dayak loosely refers to about 200 hill-dwelling and riverine ethnic subgroups, located primarily in the interior of Borneo.

Each subculture has its own dialect, laws, customs, territory and culture although there are common distinguishing traits noticeable between the groups. The total population of Dayaks is currently believed to be from 2 to 4 million people.

See also

]]> http://www.dayaks.org/2007/10/29/dayaks/feed/ History of the Dayaks http://www.dayaks.org/2007/10/29/history-of-the-dayaks/ http://www.dayaks.org/2007/10/29/history-of-the-dayaks/#comments Mon, 29 Oct 2007 12:40:00 +0000 admin http://www.dayaks.org/2007/10/29/history-of-the-dayaks/ The Dayaks are descended from a common Austronesian migration from Asia some 3000 years ago.

This is the view hold by most modern anthropologists on the indigenous peoples of South East Asia,

The early populations spoke several languages and dialects falling under the term Austronesian Lingua. Dayak languages can be traced to that common language. About 2500 years ago, metallurgy was introduced and subsequently became used by most of the populace. There are numerous ethnic groups within the Dayak population.

The Dayak people of Borneo have an indigenous account of their history, partly in writing and partially as a part of their common cultural practices. They cultivated political relationships during the colonial times with outside peoples and there is a large body of information regarding their migratory behavior.

Coastal populations in Borneo are largely Muslim in belief; however, these groups are generally considered to be Islamized Dayaks, native to Borneo.

]]> http://www.dayaks.org/2007/10/29/history-of-the-dayaks/feed/ Dayak Agriculture http://www.dayaks.org/2007/10/29/dayak-agriculture/ http://www.dayaks.org/2007/10/29/dayak-agriculture/#comments Mon, 29 Oct 2007 12:38:28 +0000 admin http://www.dayaks.org/2007/10/29/dayak-agriculture/ Traditionally, Dayak culture was based on the cultivation of swidden rice.

Agricultural land was divided into hill rice farming areas, gardening areas and forested areas. The Dayaks organized their labor in terms of traditionally based land holding groups.

The “green revolution” of the 1950s caused the cultivation of new types of rice among the Dayaks. Currently, large scale plantations growing palm oil and bananas threaten the local political, agricultural and rainforest landscape in many regions of Borneo. The conflict between the state-owned plantations and the Dayak natives over land laws and native rights will continue as long as the model on land tenure is used against local customary law.

]]> http://www.dayaks.org/2007/10/29/dayak-agriculture/feed/ Religious Beliefs http://www.dayaks.org/2007/10/29/religious-beliefs/ http://www.dayaks.org/2007/10/29/religious-beliefs/#comments Mon, 29 Oct 2007 12:35:21 +0000 admin http://www.dayaks.org/2007/10/29/religious-beliefs/ The primary indigenous religion of the Dayaks is called Kaharingan.
Kaharingan is a form of animism which is categorized as a form of Hinduism in Indonesia.

The practice of Kaharingan differs from group to group and in some instances, when a noble “Kamang” dies, it is believed that the spirit ascends to a mountain where the spirits of past ancestors of the tribe reside. On certain religious occasions, the spirit is believed to descend from the mountain to take part in the celebration.

Over the last 200 years, however, some Dayaks have converted to Islam, abandoning certain cultural rites and practices. Christianity was also introduced by missionaries so that some groups have Christian beliefs systems.

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