What about the indigenous community in Sarawak?

The indigenous people make up the majority of the state's population at around 1,899,600 people or 70.1% With its highly diverse demographics, Sarawak has around 40 sub-ethnic groups and each has its own unique culture, lifestyle, and language. These native tribes are informally referred to as the Dayak people and the biggest ethnic group within the Dayak community is Iban - they constitute about 30% of the population. There's also Bidayuh, Orang Ulu, Kayan, Lun Bawang, Kelabit, Kenyah, Penan, Sebup, Bisaya, Melanau, Murut, Penan, Punan Bah, Berawan, and other minor ethnic groups that are part of the Sarawak indigenous population. Dayak languages are categorised under Austronesian languages.

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Let's take a look at the brief history of four of the largest indigenous tribes in Sarawak.

1. Iban - the largest ethnic group in the Land of the Hornbills

The Iban, formerly known as Sea Dayaks, are famous for their head-hunting past, their massive ironwood longhouses, their ornate body tattooing, their wonderful weaving skills, and of course their potent rice wine, tuak, which is always offered to visitors.

• Iban hospitality is legendary, and visitors are guaranteed a good time. A longhouse is basically a terraced street of separate dwellings covered by one roof, under the authority of a headman, or tuai rumah.  Each family lives in its separate apartment, or bilik, and communal activities take place outside on the verandah, or ruai. This is also where single male visitors spend the night.  Female visitors and couples will be invited to stay inside the bilik with the family.

Despite the fact that the Iban people speak various dialects that are divided according to the locations where they reside, the dialects are usually mutually intelligible.

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Apart from headhunting, the Ibans are also well known for their intricately designed, hand-tapped tattoos

The word tattoo is said to have originated from the Tahitian word "tatu", which refers to the act of marking something.The Ibans believe that their tattoos have protective powers in the form of charms that are given by antu (spirits) through dreams, when one is asleep.

More reading about the tattoos: https://says.com/my/lifestyle/the-history-behind-sarawak-s-ancient-tribal-tattoos 

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2. Bidayuh - the second largest Dayak ethnic group in Sarawak

Bidayuh is a collective name for several indigenous groups of  people living the southern part of Sarawak. They are noted for their hospitality and warm smiles. The name “Bidayuh” means “people of the land”. “Bi”mean “people” or “orang” and “Dayuh” mean “Land”.  They are also known as the Land Dayaks, a term first used during the time of James Brooke, the first White Rajah (king) of Sarawak.

Concentrated mainly on the far west of Sarawak, most rural Bidayuh villages can be found in the rural areas of Lundu, Bau, Padawan, Siburan, Penrissen, and Serian. The rural Bidayuh community traditionally practice shifting rice cultivation, however, in recent times, they have moved to be involved with producing cash crops like rubber, cocoa, pepper, and palm oil. The Bidayuh community speak a number of different dialects that falls under the Biatah language, including Sadong, Singai-Jagoi, Salako, and Lara to name a few.

If the Ibans are known for their beautiful traditional tattoos, then Bidayuhs can be identified by their majestic ruyang and rusung - coiled rings made out of copper and brass that are worn on the forearms and calves, respectively. Among the Semban people, (a sub-tribe of the Bidayuhs) the coiled rings signified beauty and status in the olden days.

Will be uploading another 2 largest indigenous tribes in Sarawak in the next article! Hope all of you enjoy reading

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Question: What is the new knowledge that you learn today after reading this article? Do drop me a message and let me know! :)

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References: 
Heather, D. Z. (1994). Authenticity and the Iban: cultural tourism at Iban longhouses in Sarawak, East Malaysia. 360. https://researchonline.jcu.edu.au/27869/1/27869-zeppel-1994-thesis.pdf
Rensch, C. R., Rensch, C. M., & Ridu, R. S. (2012). The Bidayuh Language Yesterday , Today and Tomorrow Revised and Expanded. https://www.sil.org/system/files/reapdata/14/22/41/142241791248658274840881242401680083100/ebook_33_Bidayuh_6_21_12_rev.pdf
Zohrabi, M. (2013). Theory and Practice in Language Studies. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 3(2).