 | |
|
The peoples of Sarawak, Kayan (33,000), Kenyah (32,000), Kedayan (21,000), Lun Bawang (20,000), Penan (17,000), Bisaya (7,000), Kelabit (7,000), and Kajang (6,000), constitute small yet vital layers within the ethnic mosaic of northern Borneo.
Though modest in number, these communities sustain exceptionally rich traditions, ranging from the sape’ music of the Kayan and Kenyah to the Penan’s renowned ecological knowledge, grounded in an acute ability to read the signs of the tropical rainforest. Their presence is a reminder that cultural wealth is not measured by population size, but by the depth of knowledge and the steadfast commitment to safeguarding heritage.
From a sociological perspective, this diversity gives rise to a dynamic form of coexistence. In the interior regions, different ethnic groups interact through trade, intermarriage, and shared rituals. In urban areas, diversity assumes another form, namely a modern pluralism in which communities complement one another in economic and educational spheres. Sarawak thus presents Borneo as a shared home, where cultural difference is not a boundary, but a bridge for collaboration. The spirit of “unity in diversity,” often associated with Indonesia, finds an equally compelling expression in Sarawak.
Read The History of Dayak (16):
This diversity is not merely a historical legacy, but also the product of relatively inclusive social policies. The Sarawak government provides space for the celebration of various religious and ethnic festivals and recognizes the importance of language and custom in primary education. In many interior schools, Iban and Bidayuh are used as initial languages of instruction before students transition to Malay and English. Such policies reflect an effort to preserve cultural identity amid rapid modernization. It is therefore unsurprising that Sarawak consistently ranks among the Malaysian states with the highest levels of social tolerance.
An important visual record of this diversity appears in the work of German photographer Hedda Morrison, whose book Sarawak was published in 1957. The volume contains hundreds of black-and-white photographs taken during her residence in Kuching and her travels into the interior. Through Morrison’s lens, Sarawak in the 1950s emerges as a world that still maintained a harmonious balance between humans and nature. Longhouses stood along riverbanks, traditional markets were filled with multiethnic faces, and intimate portraits captured everyday life among the Iban, Melanau, and Bidayuh. Today, Morrison’s work stands as a valuable visual archive, revealing cultural roots that endure even as Sarawak’s social landscape has changed with remarkable speed. What she once captured as rural life has, in part, become industrial zones. Yet its essence, namely mutual cooperation and respect, remains intact.
Beneath this harmony, however, new dynamics are unfolding. Urbanization and interregional migration are gradually reshaping traditional patterns of life. Longhouses that once served as the centers of social life are slowly losing their central function and are being replaced by individual homes in urban settings. Younger generations of Iban, Bidayuh, and Melanau increasingly pursue higher education, work in public and private sectors, and live within ever more cosmopolitan, multiethnic environments. These shifts raise a critical question. How can societies maintain a balance between traditional identity and the demands of modernity? It is here that the importance of cultural revitalization emerges, one that is not romanticized, but adaptive to the changing times.
Notably, the role of the Iban in sustaining this balance is especially prominent. As the largest ethnic group in Sarawak and the most widely dispersed Dayak subgroup, the Iban possess a strong cross-border identity. They are found not only in Sarawak, but also in West Kalimantan, Indonesia, particularly in Sanggau, Sekadau, Sintang, Melawi, and Kapuas Hulu. Taken together, the Iban population in Malaysia and Indonesia numbers no fewer than 1.4 million people. This demographic scale makes them the largest Dayak sub-ethnic group across the entire island of Borneo, transcending the political boundaries that separate two nation-states. Shared language, customs, and kinship systems demonstrate that Iban identity extends beyond the framework of the modern nation-state and lives instead within a collective memory formed long before colonial borders were drawn.
In this context, the Iban may be seen as trans-civilizational custodians of Borneo. They not only preserve ancestral memory, but also serve as cultural bridges between Malaysia and Indonesia. In Sarawak, numerous cultural initiatives have been launched to strengthen these cross-border ties, ranging from joint cultural festivals to research projects on Dayak origins. Such efforts underscore that Dayak culture is not a static entity. Rather, it continues to move forward, adapting to the currents of the age without losing its core identity.
Alongside the Iban, smaller groups such as the Penan offer particularly poignant narratives. As one of the last hunter-gatherer communities in Southeast Asia, the Penan struggle to maintain their traditional way of life amid the expansion of logging and plantation industries. While the government seeks to integrate them into modern development frameworks, many cultural activists argue that the Penan represent an anthropological asset of incalculable value. Their knowledge of the tropical rainforest, traditional medicine, and tool-free navigation systems attests to the profound depth of the human–nature relationship in Borneo. In the Penan, we witness the remnants of an ancient civilization still breathing in the twenty-first century.
Sarawak’s diversity also reveals patterns of interdependence that are seldom highlighted. In the interior, the Kayan and Kenyah are key drivers of traditional arts and music, now internationally recognized through the sape’. Along the coast, Melanau and Malay communities collaborate within the maritime economy. Meanwhile, Chinese communities play a central role in small and medium-sized industries that underpin regional economic stability. Together, these groups form an interwoven social fabric, marking Sarawak as a living and adaptive social ecosystem.
