Gisca Syanitia – 18111031

Dayak tribe and the culture

The Dayak tribe is a tribe in Indonesia that inhabits the interior of Kalimantan. Primitive life away from
global information access is their characteristic. But starting from there, there is something interesting
to know. One of the things that is very interesting to learn is their culture.

Dayak in language terms is actually not a name for a tribe. The term "Dayak people" in the Kalimantan
language generally means "inland people", which they are far from city life. The call of "Dayaks" is not
specific to one tribe, but various tribes. For example, Dayak Kenyah, Dayak Tunjung, Dayak Punan, and
dozens of other tribal children.

The customs of the Dayak tribe are very visible, that is, seen from how they dress, how they live their
lives, and the ceremonies / rituals they do. In addition, they also have special language and Dayak
dances. These various customs are their style of culture.

Before discussing more about this one tribal culture, we need to know in advance how their history. By
knowing how they lived in the past, we will know why they have different cultural characteristics from
other tribes. The following is an interesting history of the Dayak tribe.

History of the Dayak Tribe in the Past

That said, the ancestors of the Dayak tribe came from a country with the name "Yunan" in the Chinese
region. They are descendants of the Chinese royal family who suffered defeat in the war, which they
tried to secure themselves by moving to reach the island of Borneo.

Furthermore, they feel comfortable living on the island. But there is a severe trauma that they felt after
the war where they were reluctant and afraid to meet with any community groups or residents.

They were very worried that the war would recur, which could cause their tribes to become extinct.
From there their ancestors made taboo not to meet with any group that was different from their group.

The life of the Dayak group over the years has had several developments. Some tribal children from the
Dayak tribe already want to establish communication with people who are different from their group.
But there are still tribal children who have maintained their traditions in the past, where they remain
unyielding to establish communication with people outside them. That's the glimpse of history that you
can know about the Dayak tribe.

The various dynamics that they experienced in the past make them have a primitive tradition and have
certain restrictions. Besides history, their cultures are very interesting to study. There are various kinds
of their culture which can be explained below.

The Culture of the Dayak Tribe

Dayak tribe has several cultures that cannot be separated from the history of this tribe. There are
several types of culture that is owned by the Dayak tribe, namely:

1. Traditional Clothing
The traditional clothes worn are divided into 2, namely traditional clothes for men and
traditional clothes for women. For men, the traditional clothes are called sapei sadaq.

Characteristics that is wearing a headband made of pandanus, and is generally used by parents.
The superiors are worn in the form of vest and subordinates in the form of loincloths or so-
called abet kaoq, and the mandau which they tie at the waist.

As for women's clothing, it's called Ta'a. This clothing patterned is not much different from
men's traditional clothing. The difference is only their shirt tops called sapei inoq and their
subordinates in the form of skirts. For women, all their clothes are decorated with various
beautiful beads.

2. Traditional House
The traditional house of the Dayak community is called the Betang house or Long house. Ie, a
typical traditional house of Borneo that you can find in the corners of Kalimantan, or rather in
the headwaters of the river which is the center of residence of the Dayak community.

The shape and size of the Betang house varies in various places. There is a Betang house that
reaches 15 meters in length and 30 meters in width. In general, the Betang house is made in the
form of a stage and with a height of up to 5 meters.

Betang houses which are made high are functioned to survive the threatening floods in the
upstream area. Betang house culture is a reflection of togetherness among the Dayak people
and the prevailing system of rules refers to customary law that is mutually agreed upon.

3. Traditional dance
 The traditional dances of the Dayak tribe consist of 3 types, namely Hudoq Dance, Leleng Dance
and Papatai Kancet Dance. Each dance has different characteristics and purposes.

Hudoq dance is part of a ritual carried out after planting rice by Dayak Bahau and Dayak Modang
tribes. The essence of this dance is done to commemorate the service / sacrifice of their
ancestors.

Leleng Dance is a girl dance from Dayak Kenyah which tells of a girl named Utan Along where
she will be forcibly married to a young man she does not love, so that Utan Along escapes into
the forest.

Kancet Papatai dance is a war dance with the story of one of the Dayak Kenyah heroes who is
fighting against the enemy. This dance art is in the form of agile, lively movements, and agile
and beautiful views.

4. Musical Instruments
Dayak also has a typical musical instrument that is often played. Some of them are Garantung
(gongs) which is a musical instrument made from metal materials, and gandang (drum)
Is a musical instrument to accompany dances and songs sung. In addition, Dayak also has a
unique wind instrument made from different materials, namely Kalali, Tote, and Suling
Balawung.

5. Traditional Dayak Ceremony

The famous traditional ceremony of the Dayak community is the Tiwah ceremony, which is a
ritual performed to deliver the bones of the deceased to the Sandung (small house) that has
been made. For Dayaks, the Tiwah ceremony is a very sacred ceremony.

This ceremony is also accompanied by dances, gong sounds, and other entertainment. There are
also other ceremonies performed, such as the ceremonial burning of a corpse, welcoming the
birth of a child, and burial of a corpse.

6. Indigenous Language
The language of origin of the Dayak tribe is the Austronesian language that entered from the
northern part of Borneo, which subsequently spread eastward into the inland areas, mountains,
and islands in the Pacific Ocean.

Furthermore, the languages of the Dayak community developed along with the arrival of the
Malays and people from other places. So that the Dayak people are now estimated to have
many languages as groups from other regions arrive.
7. Typical Food
Dayaks also have special foods, including Juhu Singkah (young rattan), Karuang (vegetables
made from cassava), or Wadi (food made from fish). These foods are obtained and characterized
by searching for objects in the forest. Dayaks also recognize very simple cooking spices.

Those are some of the history and culture of the Dayaks who reside in the interior of Borneo. As
one of the tribes in Indonesia, Dayak has a culture that is very inherent in their lives.

Dayak also can not be released with historical records that make its own characteristics in
tradition. Therefore, by learning more deeply about the Dayak tribe, we can find out why their
culture is different from other tribes.