The Dayaks are one of the native groups of Borneo are found living on the coastal areas of Kalimantan. Culture, history, language etc, embark with us on a wonderful ethnic travel.

Following to last week’s article, we would like to present to you the ethnic group of Borneo’s Kalimantan island: the Dayak tribe.

Dayaks, the natives of Borneo are found living on the coastal areas of the main rivers of Ketapang and Kapuas regencies. The Kapuas river with its 1,143 kilometers (710 mi) in length, is actually the longest river of Indonesia and one of the world's longest island rivers.

The community have been rich in driftwoods which they have used to built stunning housing their longhouses, known as “Rumah Betang” and furniture making.. Speaking of longhouses, the Dayak, for generation lives inside these structures with many compartments or “bilik”, separated by walls. The separation of walls will be divided based on their functions which is separated from the kitchen. Read more about longhouses in this article from our Bali neighbours of Thread Of Life.

They have also used Ironwood extensively to build entire villages on land that is yearly flooded when the monsoon comes. This intensive logging has put ironwood (ulin) trees in grave danger, hence the need to recycled disused structures. This is the work done by Kaltimber and the reason why we gained the FSC Recycled Certification.

While culturally strong, they Dayaks were not given the same opportunities as other Indonesian ethnicities. During the regime of President Suharto, they were not given an opportunity to become political leader or head of governments.

However, and maybe thanks to this past lack of political influence, the economic aspect has been focusing on actively immersing themselves in small and medium enterprises like furniture making or legal consultancies. However, a lot of small entrepreneurs struggled to develop extensively because of a lack of capital and funding supports from the local government. The reason being, could probably be due to the system that restrict them to obtain political position. Hence, their “isolation” in the island itself.

Language and cultural differences among the Dayaks are numerous. Culture is commonly recognized as leading many aspects and ways of life which practically includes customs and traditions, codes of ethical conduct as well as their values and attitudes. It also comprise the physical manifestations of the identity of the tribe. This identity is demonstrated thanks to their traditional costumes, dances, music, etc. They perceive culture as fully part of their way of life.

In terms of languages, there are many among the Dayak Communities. They have sub-ethnic groups like Iban, Kantuk, Sberuang, Selakau, Behe Ahe and the Kendayan group. But because of uniqueness, there is a distinction between all dialects. That is why the medium of communication as well as the common denominator is the Indonesian language. Dayaks can mixed well with other ethnicities. They are very tolerant individuals so long as the racial groups do not harass or disturb them physically and culturally.

Please visit Kalimantan as soon as you have the opportunity, and do not miss on the chance to be hosted by a warm Dayak family in a heritage longhouse.