Dayak

See also: dayak

English

Alternative forms

Noun

Dayak (plural Dayaks or Dayak)

  1. Term referring to the indigenous ethnic groups of Borneo.

Usage notes

Most ethnic groups indigenous to Borneo can be labelled as "Dayaks", however there are several exceptions to this rule:

  • Malayic-speaking ethnic groups who adhere to Islam (including Banjars, Kutais, Beraus, Kedayans, and West Kalimantan Malays), even though they might originate from assimilated peoples, are (almost) never labelled as "Dayak".
  • The same rule as above also applies to ethnic groups who speak Northwest Sabah or Southwest Sabah languages and reside in Sabah, Sarawak, and Brunei.
    • However, Murutic peoples in North Kalimantan, including Abai, Burusu, and occasionally Tidung peoples are exempt from above.
    • Some sources, especially from Indonesia, do refer all of them as "Dayaks".
  • Such labelling remains disputed for ethnic groups who were subject into Islamisation and (cultural, not linguistic) Malayisation. These include Paser, Bulungan, and Tidung peoples.
  • In Sarawak, only Land Dayaks and Iban (historically the Sea Dayaks) are always referred to as "Dayaks".
    • Ethnic groups who reside in eastern Sarawak and also the neighbouring Indonesian provinces (e.g. Kenyahs, Kayans, or Lun Dayehs), are specifically grouped as "Orang Ulu" rather than simply as "Dayak".

Derived terms

Indonesian

Etymology

From Malay Dayak, from Dutch Dayak, coined by August Kaderland in 1895, ultimately from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *daya, likely used to refer peoples living in the interiors of Borneo.

Pronunciation

Noun

Dayak

  1. Dayak

Further reading

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