Dayak

dayak English Alternative forms en Dyak Noun s * + people A member of the indigenous ethnic groups of Borneo. Usage notes Most ethnic groups indigenous to Borneo can be labelled as "Dayaks". In general, this label is used to all of these peoples in Indonesia, while it is restricted to a few in Malaysia and Brunei. The following are specific exceptions: Malayic ethnic groups who adhere to Islam (including Banjars, Kutais, Beraus, Kedayans, and West Kalimantan Malays), even though they might originate from previously assimilated peoples, are never labelled as "Dayak". The same rule as above also mostly applies to ethnic groups who speak Northwest Sabah or Southwest Sabah languages and reside in Sabah, Sarawak, and Brunei. Murutic peoples who reside 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 en Dayak land Land Dayak Sea Dayak Indonesian id: Etymology From id ms Dayak, from id nl Dayak, coined by August Kaderland in 1895, ultimately from id poz-pro *daya, likely used to refer peoples living in the interiors of Borneo. Pronunciation Noun id noun en Dayak Further reading