Citizens

Lun Bawang

LunBawang Online Community

The Lun Bawang Community who were formerly identified as Murut (which means ‘dregs’ or ‘rotten’– a derogatory terms championed by the Rajah Brooke, whose government wanted this community to be wiped off from the face of Borneo Island : "Let them die …. Furthermore they are like an old shoe that has no value any more ….the country would be better off if the Muruts were allowed to die out". (Jungle Fire, Drunk Before Dawn, A New Dawn Over Sarawak)) made up of one of the ethnic natives that occupied the Borneo Island for centuries. According to Tom Harrison (1959) and S. Runciman (1960), the Lun Bawang Community is one of the earlier settlers in the mountainous regions of central Borneo.

Today, a majority of the community still lives in Kalimantan Indonesia; 25,000 in Kalimantan, 2,000 in Sabah (prefers to be called as Lundayeh), more than 300 in Brunei (Crain 1978) and about 15,000 in the State of Sarawak (Sarawak Statistic Dept. 1980).In the State of Sarawak, they mostly live in the Limbang Division, especially in the District of Lawas.

The Brooke Regime (Government) considered the Lun Bawang Community as the worst and dangerous ethnic; the worst drunken people of Borneo, the dirtiest long house (Sarawak Gazette 1936), though the customs and traditional practices are not very much different compared to other ethnic groups in Sarawak, and that it is well accepted that the first Sultan of Brunei is a Lun Bawang from the family tree of Upai Semaring. It was because of the indifference attitude of Brooke Government ( Diseases were let to spread out) and coupled with lifestyle that was purely influenced by animism and taboos, that the population had greatly diminished from around 20,000 to 5,000 in the year 1907 and to 3,000 people in the year of 1937 (Reports of District Officers during that periods – Sarawak Gazette; Drunk Be fore Dawn). The status of the Lun Bawang became worsen that the then District Officer reported that the Lun Bawang Community "is facing extinction".

At the time when the condition had become critical, God in His sovereign mercy performed a miracle, in that Christian Missionaries were allowed (previously forbidden by the Government in 1920s) to fully enter the Trusan valley sometimes in the 1930s to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ. The community as a whole repented from their ancestral beliefs and became Christians. It was the missionaries from the Borneo Evangelical Mission from Australia that was responsible in bringing about the great changes to the Lun Bawang Community which ultimately catapult the formation of the Sidang Injil Borneo (Evangelical Church of Borneo) after the Second World War.

The changes brought about by the Christian teachings had greatly surprised the Raja Charles Vyner Brooke during his visit to Lawas in the year 1940 and commended the two missionaries that paid a courtesy call to him, saying :

"I am amazed at the change in the Murut tribe (Lun Bawang). I believe you have done more good in a few years (3 years) than the Government has done in forty"

As a result of the changes, the living condition of the Lun Bawang gradually improved and lifestyle became more systematic. All their ancestral beliefs, the grip to animism and taboos which they had practiced for centuries were removed completely so much so that some customs and cultures that could still be practiced were also wiped off. The changes also include various aspects like health, education and socio-economy. These changes have indirectly helped towards the increase of its populations.

There are few findings on the exact origin of the Kenyah tribe. Their heartland however, is Long San, along the Baram River. Their culture is very similar to that of the Kayan tribe with whom they live in close association.

The typical Kenyah village consists of only one longhouse and the people are mainly farmers, planting rice.

The Penan are the only true nomadic people in Sarawak and amongst the last of the world's hunter-gatherers. The Penan make their home under the rainforest canopy, deep within the vast expanse of Sarawak's virgin jungle. Even today, the Penan continue to roam the rainforest hunting wild boar and deer with blowpipes.

The Penan are skilled weavers and make high-quality rattan baskets and mats. The traditional Penan religion worships a supreme god called Bungan. However, the increasing number who have abandoned the nomadic lifestyle for settlement in longhouses have converted to Christians.

There are approximately 15,000 Kayans in Sarawak. The Kayan tribe built their longhouses in the northern interiors of Sarawak midway on the Baram River, the upper Reiang River and the lower Tubau River, and are well known for their boat making skills, which they carve from a single block of belian, the strongest of the tropical hardwoods.

The phrase Orang Ulu means upriver people and is a term used to collectively describe the numerous tribes that live upriver in Sarawak's vast interior. Such groups include the major Kayan and Kenyah tribes, and the smaller neighbouring groups of the Kajang, Kejaman, Punan, Ukit, and Penan. Nowadays, the definition also includes the down-river tribes of the Lun Bawang, Lun Dayeh, Murut and Berawan as well as the plateau-dwelling Kelabits. The various Orang Ulu groups togther make up roughly 5.5% of Sarawak's population.

The Orang Ulu are artistic people with longhouses elaborately decorated with murals and woodcarvings. They are also well-known for their intricate beadwork detailed tattoos. The Orang Ulu tribe can also be identified by their unique music - distinctive sounds from their sape, a stringed instrument not unlike the mandolin.

The Ibans form the largest percentage of Sarawak's population, making up some 30%. Reputed to be the most formidable headhunters on the island of Borneo, the Ibans of today are a generous, hospitable and placid people. Because of their history as pirates and fishermen, they were conventionally referred to as the "Sea Dayaks". The early Iban settlers who migrated from Kalimantan (the Indonesian part of Borneo south of Sarawak) set up home in the river valleys of Batang Ai, the Skrang River, Saribas, and the Rajang River. The Ibans dwell in longhouses, a stilted structure comprising many rooms housing a whole community of families.

The Melanaus have been thought to be amongst the original settlers of Sarawak. Originally from Mukah (the 10th Administrative Division as launched in march 2002), the Melanaus traditionally lived in tall houses. Nowadays, they have adopted a Malay lifestyle, living in kampong-type settlements.

Traditionally, Melanaus were fishermen and till today, they are reputed as some of the finest boat-builders and craftsmen.

While the Melanaus are ethnically different from the Malays, their lifestyles and practices are quite similar especially in the larger towns and cities where most Melanau have adopted the Islamic faith.

The Chinese first came to Sarawak as traders and explorers in the 6th Century. Today, they make up 29% of the population of Sarawak and comprise of communities built from the economic migrants of the 19th and early 20th centuries.

The first Chinese migrants worked as laborers in the gold mines at Bau or on plantations. Through their clan associations, business acumen and work ethic, the Chinese organized themselves economically and for commerce.

The Sarawak Chinese belong to a wide range of dialect groups, the most significant being Hokkien, Foochow, Hakka, Teochew, Cantonese and Henghua. Hokkien and Mandarin are the most widely spoken dialects. The Chinese maintain their ethnic heritage and culture and celebrate all the major cultural festivals, most notably Chinese New Year and the Hungry Ghost Festival. The Sarawak Chinese are predominantly Buddhists and Christians.

The Malays make up 21% of the population in Sarawak. Traditionally fishermen, these seafaring people chose to form settlements on the banks of the many rivers of Sarawak. Today, many Malays have migrated to the cities where they are heavily involved in the public and private sectors and taken up various professions. Malay villages (kampungs) - a cluster of wooden houses on stilts, many of which are still located by rivers on the outskirts of major towns and cities, play home to traditional cottage industries.

The Malays are famed for their wood carvings, silver and brass crafting as well as traditional Malays textile weaving with silver and gold thread (kain songket).

Miri is home to 27 ethnic groups; people each with their own distinct language, culture and lifestyle. Cities and larger towns are populated predominantly by Malays, Melanaus, Chinese, and Ibans and Bidayuhs who have migrated from their home-villages for work.

While consisting of many different races, it is hard to distinguish between the races of the general populace in Miri because they all look very similar with perhaps the exception of skin tone.

Sarawak is rather distinctive from the rest of Malaysia in that there is a smaller community of Indians living in the state compared to elsewhere but they are all equally welcome in the community.