The History of Dayak (1)

 

The History of Dayak deserves to be called an opus magnum, a great work of Dayak writing in this century.

Editorial Introduction:

Travel is not just about destinations, photographs, or itineraries. At its best, travel is an encounter, with people, histories, and ways of life that long predate our arrival. As visitors and outsiders, we carry a responsibility to understand the communities whose lands we explore.

This belief shapes the vision of our Editorial Team and advisors. Through this series, we invite Readers to discover the Dayak people in their full depth: their origins, migrations, historical journeys, and the living cultures that continue to shape Borneo today.

To make this possible, we have chosen to translate a landmark work, the contemporary Dayak opus magnum, written by a professor and a Dayak master speaking from within the community itself. At 442 pages, and published in 2025, this book stands as one of the most comprehensive references on Dayak history and culture ever produced. Beginning today, December 19, 2025, it will be presented in serialized form. We invite you to read along, reflect deeply, and travel with greater understanding.

This opening installment of The History of Dayak series invites readers to journey through time, following the book’s own narrative structure. It begins with the earliest milestones of the Dayak prehistoric horizon and moves steadily forward, tracing key moments that shape Dayak history up to the modern and digital age.

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The History of Dayak deserves to be called an opus magnum, a great work of Dayak writing in this century. For the first time in history, the Dayak narrative is written fully, deeply, and with sovereignty from the Dayak point of view, not as a marginal note in colonial historiography or external ethnography. This book places the Dayak as active subjects of history who think, move, adapt, and endure across the long currents of civilization in Borneo.

As a great work, The History of Dayak is not merely a history book, but an intellectual monument. It traces thousands of years, from prehistoric evidence and migration patterns to social and cultural systems, spirituality, and modern struggles such as the nation state, capitalism, and ecological crisis. Here, history is not frozen, but brought to life as collective memory that gives meaning to the present and direction to the future of the Dayak people.

The distinction of this opus magnum lies in its interdisciplinary approach. History, anthropology, archaeology, linguistics, ecology, and cultural studies are woven together. Oral traditions, customary law, symbols, art, and local knowledge that were long considered peripheral are elevated as primary sources of knowledge. In this way, the book bridges academic intellectuals and village intellectuals, transforming Dayak tacit knowledge into explicit, documented, and legitimate knowledge.

This work is also a subtle yet firm act of resistance. It challenges single narratives of development, modernization, and progress that have often displaced the Dayak from their own land. The book affirms the dignity, cultural sovereignty, and historical rights of the Dayak in Borneo, asserting that the Dayak are not relics of the past, but actors of the present and shapers of the future.

For these reasons, The History of Dayak deserves to be remembered as the opus magnum of the Dayak in this century, an intellectual milestone, a legacy of knowledge, and a call of compassion to present and future generations to understand, protect, and carry forward Dayak civilization with pride and confidence.

Milestones in Dayak History (Overview)

The long history of the Dayak people begins deep in the prehistoric past. Archaeological evidence from Niah Cave in Sarawak, dating back roughly 46,000 to 39,000 BCE, reveals early human habitation marked by stone tools and some of the world’s oldest known rock art. These findings place Borneo among the earliest centers of human creativity and cultural expression, forming the biological and cultural foundations of what would later become Dayak societies. By around 5,000–1,000 BCE, distinct patterns of life had taken shape across the island, centered on sago extraction, rattan use, and shifting cultivation. These practices were not merely economic strategies but the basis of a complex socio-ecological and spiritual system rooted in rivers, forests, and reciprocal relationships with nature.

Entering the early historical period, the Dayak world became increasingly connected to broader regional dynamics. The Yupa inscriptions of the Mulawarman Kingdom in the 4th–5th centuries CE signal the emergence of literacy traditions and early social organization in Borneo. Between the 10th and 14th centuries, the influence of Srivijaya, Brunei, and Majapahit reshaped coastal regions through trade and the spread of Islam, creating new points of contact between coastal communities and the inland Dayak. These encounters did not erase Dayak cultures but placed them within expanding networks of exchange, belief, and power that linked Borneo to the wider Malay world.

The early modern era brought more direct and disruptive external interventions. In 1689, the first recorded interaction between Dayak communities and an Italian Catholic missionary, Pastor Antonio Ventimiglia, introduced Christianity and European cultural horizons, particularly along the Barito River. By 1757, colonial administration began to impose its own categories, with the term “Dajak” first formally used by the Banjarmasin controller Hogendorff, shaping how Dayak identity would later be defined and governed. The 19th century intensified these transformations: James Brooke’s establishment of the Kingdom of Sarawak (1838–1842) marked British colonial rule in northern Borneo, while Dutch consolidation in the interior toward the late 1800s brought ethnographic classification, administrative control, and profound changes to Dayak political and social life. Notably, by 1847, hundreds of Ngaju Dayak on Pulau Petak were already literate and engaged in inter-island trade, challenging stereotypes of isolation and backwardness.

A crucial moral and social turning point came in 1894 with the Tumbang Anoi Peace Treaty, which ended intertribal headhunting and fostered a shared Dayak consciousness across regions. The early 20th century saw the expansion of modern education and social services through Capuchin missionaries, the establishment of Catholic institutions in Sanggau, and the founding of Pakat Dayak in 1926, the first modern Dayak socio-political organization. During World War II, Dayak fighters collaborated with Allied forces in Operations Semut and Agas, gaining their first experience of modern warfare. In the aftermath, Dayak political awareness deepened through movements such as Daya in Action and active participation in Indonesia’s struggle for independence, led by figures like Tjilik Riwut.

MILESTONES IN DAYAK HISTORY

 In the post-independence and contemporary periods, Dayak history has been shaped by both empowerment and challenge. The formation of Central Borneo Province, the founding of Tanjungpura University, and the growth of local educational institutions created new opportunities for political representation and intellectual development. 

At the same time, transmigration programs and timber expansion in the 1970s–1980s led to land conflicts and the loss of customary territories, prompting new forms of resistance and organization. 

From the Pancur Kasih movement and Penan blockades to reform-era autonomy, national customary councils, and international cultural congresses, Dayak voices have grown more unified and visible. This trajectory culminates in recent decades with the founding of the Ikatan Cendekiawan Dayak Nasional ((CDN) -  National Dayak Scholars Association, reflections on the relocation of Indonesia’s new capital, the publication of The History of Dayak in 2022, and major literacy and cultural forums up to 2025. 

Together, these milestones reveal a continuous Dayak story of resilience, adaptation, and intellectual resurgence from deep prehistory to the modern digital age. 

(More to come)

Readers who wish to obtain a copy of this book may contact:

ANYARMART +62 812-8774-3789