Lundayeh Lunbawang
Lundayeh ladies in their costume
by amde sidik
This is how I view Lundayeh community, briefly, from my perspectives. What others have to say is entirely up to them.
Lundayeh ethnic group in Sabah concentrates in Sipitang district, numbered about 10,000 (rough estimate).
They were one of the groups considered by the Brunai as Orang Darat* (ethnic that lives on the Upper land or hinter land)
They were originally from North Western part of Kalimantan, Indonesia. Since Sipitang district shares common border with Kalimantan (not far from Long Pasia), thus quite natural for this group of people crossed the border in unorganized fashion.
They were rightly recognized as hill people rather than sea. Farming and agriculture are quite natural profession for them as fishing to coastal people
The very same people found in Fifth Division of Sarawak, ironically called Lunbawang instead. Nothing is different. The grandson probably is eating soto in Sipitang while the granddad is sipping tea tarik in Lawas overlooking Lawas River. In other words, they were the same root. The different perhaps is they are the same people in the eyes of other communities.The Sabah Lundayeh and the Sarawak Lunbawang couldn’t careless to agree with the name.
From the moment I opened my eyes I didn’t remember if they were differences between them and other communities nearby that I knew of. The only social dividing line is religion. Most modern Lundayeh are practicing Christian follower of a little group known as Sidang Injil Borneo found only in Borneo, but like any other ethnics they are Lundayeh Muslims too.
They have fair skin. The young Lunadyeh boys and girls aren’t have such distinguishable complexion compare with other communities. They have their own language-some say dialect; the term I’m not that particular.
In Sipitang, they could be categorized as having two earlier groups (I don’t think it matters but to some say they do) the earlier Lundayeh mostly from Sarawak, and some like to call themselves as Lunbawang too rather suspiciously or deviously. Notably they say this older group of migrants is milder and softer type compare with the latter.
The new arrival came directly from Kalimanatan as later as 70s, many were born in Kalimantan but benefited dual citizenship (Malaysia and Indonesia) by the very system, the porous border system we have in the jungle almost at the heart of Borneo.
Among the important institutions which is still practiced to date by Lundayeh/Lundbawang together with other ethnics in Sipitang is Tamu Besar. Its the occasion when people converged without borders regardless their ethnics or religions.
Whilst talking about myself, my grandfather was Lundayeh or Lunbawang? My birth certificate has this to display (/), Kadayan/Lundayeh, luckily it has nothing to do with religion otherwise someone has to korek-unearth my grave one day by the time I’m defenseless-wonder if I have already settled somewhere midway or at the extreme end, heaven or hell? Could I not protest?
August 10, 2008 at 11:56 pm
Something I never come across these days until I met one Lun Bawang’s man. I only knew very little details about natives in Malaysia. I am amazed at their objectives to improve the level of education and to be known, recognize. Let me convey/congrats of the efforts poured in from the Raja Brooke’s era till now.
August 11, 2008 at 9:52 am
Hi,
Thank you for your visit. I’m not too sure if Raja Brooke had a grand agenda in those days to improve Lun Bawang people. But what I knew from reading history Raja Brooke managed to maneuver the Sultan of Brunei which dissected the Kingdom into two, notice Limbang stands in the middle of Brunei!
Lun Bawang in Sarawak but in Sabah they are known Lun Dayeh
Cheerio
as
September 3, 2008 at 9:46 pm
Hi borneorainbow,
Yes I myself am a Lun Bawang, and currently I’m reading on books that relates to my people. Apparently at that time (according to James Brooke’s journal), the people around Limbang (Bisaya, Kedayan, Lun Bawang (then called Murut)) were oppressed by the then Brunei aristrocrats and he actually came to the rescue. (Although we can never know whether this is a rose-tinted version of the history or the whole story)
September 5, 2008 at 4:18 pm
Hi Headhunter,
According to fragment of bones found buried in the jar somewhere in Kota Batu as one writer puts it- such burial were common only by the Murut people in those days- I can’t say if here was the concentration of Murut, ie in Brunei, all we thought Murut were from kalimantan
Thank you
September 6, 2008 at 12:28 pm
Hi borneorainbow,
Do you mean Murut as in the Northern Murut (Tagal, Timogun etc) or the misnomer that the british gave to the Lun Bawangs, ie Southern Murut?
Because if it’s the former, according to this http://www.digitalhimalaya.com/collections/journals/brb/pdf/BRB_1975_07_02.pdf (page 54)
it’s quite a common ancient culture amongst the Lun Bawangs and Lundayehs, the Berawans, some Punans and some Melanaus at that time to practise second treatment of the dead (jar burial), as oppose to the Northern Muruts.
September 14, 2009 at 10:17 am
no comment
November 22, 2009 at 4:29 pm
so the conclusion? means lundayeh or lunbawang are also Murut People?
November 25, 2009 at 3:33 pm
lunbawang(sarawak)=lundayeh(sabah)=murut (sarawak) …same
murut of sabah = Tagal of sarawak
murut of sarawak = Lunbawang or lundayeh of sabah
The lunbawang/lundayeh spoke a totally diffferent language from the Tagal.
confusing?
November 8, 2009 at 5:18 pm
Yes, two are the same one