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| The History of Dayak: The magnum opus of the Dayak in this century. |
Chapter 2
The Dayak people did not originate from Yunnan. They are indigenous to Borneo. Clear evidence of Dayak ancestry can be traced to Niah Cave, where human presence has been scientifically dated through carbon testing to around 40,000 years ago.
This discovery, often cited as one of the earliest proofs of modern human presence in Southeast Asia, challenges simplified migration narratives and instead highlights the long-term continuity of local populations on the island (Curnoe et al., 2016).
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The current condition of Niah Cave. Photo courtesy of Masri Sareb Putra.
Located in Sarawak, Malaysia, Niah Cave is not merely an archaeological site. It is a window into deep human history, revealing how early humans adapted to the tropical environment of Borneo.
Excavations conducted since the 1950s by researchers such as Tom Harrisson have uncovered successive cultural layers, including stone tools, food remains, and human skeletons, all pointing to continuous habitation over tens of thousands of years.
Radiocarbon testing of charcoal and bone confirms that the site dates back approximately 40,000 to 46,000 years, making it one of the oldest Paleolithic sites in the region (Barker et al., 2007).
The findings from Niah Cave provide strong evidence that the ancestors of the Dayak have inhabited Borneo for at least 40,000 years. Excavations at the site have continued since 1996, with significant discoveries sent to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, in the United States for advanced scientific analysis, including radiocarbon testing.
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Archaeological excavations and research at Niah Cave confirm that the ancestors of the Dayak people originated from this site. Photo reproduced from the Niah Cave Museum.
This work has involved international collaboration, with bone samples and artifacts examined using techniques such as radiocarbon dating and accelerator mass spectrometry, producing highly accurate chronological results (Higham et al., 2009). These discoveries not only confirm early human presence, but also reveal complex hunter-gatherer lifeways.
Evidence of controlled fire use, stone tool production, and the processing of toxic plants for food reflects sophisticated adaptation to Borneo’s tropical rainforest, an environment rich in resources yet challenging due to seasonal flooding and natural predators.
These conclusions are reinforced by additional radiocarbon analyses of artifacts from the site, which demonstrate that human occupation in Borneo predates any migration from Yunnan, China.
To deepen this understanding, however, it is important to distinguish between pre-Neolithic populations, represented by Niah Cave, and later Austronesian migration waves that contributed to the formation of modern Dayak ethnic groups.
The earliest inhabitants were likely Australo-Melanesian or Negrito populations who reached Borneo via the Sunda landmass during the last Ice Age, when sea levels were lower and Borneo was connected to mainland Southeast Asia (Barker, 2013).
These migrations occurred approximately 50,000 to 70,000 years ago, well before the Neolithic period, and left genetic traces that are still detectable among certain groups today, such as the Punan of Borneo, who retain pre-Austronesian ancestry (Brucato et al., 2016).
(More to come)
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