Kedayans really confusing, 1839

Written by Arimi Sidek

Monday, 21 April 2008

The discovery of antimony ore in the early nineteenth century and its importance in international economy aroused Brunei's interest and Pengiran Makhota, a Brunei prince and noble, took up residence in the Sarawak River basin in the second decade. He coerced the Land Dayaks** to mine the ore, paying them in bads and brass. **The term 'Dayak' is used to identify the original inhabitants of Borneo. It stems from the Kenyah word daya which means 'upriver' or 'interior'. Broadly, the Dayak peoples of Sarawak include the Bidayuh (Land Dayak), Iban (Sea Dayak), Kenyah, Kaya, Kedayan, Murut, Penan, Bisayah, Kelabit and the other groups. The above statement is true. I mean, early researchers classified Kedayan as part of “Klemantan” group of peoples. Borneo people under this category are basically unfit to any other categories, mostly small in numbers, inhibit upper and uppermost river section, and the interior areas of the Island. Until at present, Kadazan Dusun Cultural Association (KDCA) of Sabah is following the same line of thinking. According to them kedayan is one of 44 Nunuk Ragang stock. Fact aside. I see no harm in their wilillingness to accept us, kedayan, as their blood brother. But of course, I have yet to be a KDCA member! Source: Amarjit Kaur, 1995. The Babbling Brookes: Economic Change in Sarawak 1841-1941. Amarjit Kaur. Modern Asian Studies, Vol. 29, No. 1. (Feb., 1995), pp. 65-109.