|
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.
Religion
The Dayak consider their religion to be a form of Hinduism. Their sect of Hinduism is called Kaharingan. Some Dayaks have converted to Christianity and a tiny number of them have converted to Islam and Buddhism as well in the recent years.
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 densely-populated Java and 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 were violent attacks on Madurese settlers, including a resurgence of the beheading and cannibalism for which the Dayaks were formerly renowned.
| 
