History

The Bidayuh community is one of the many indigenous tribes that live in the land of Borneo. International boundaries of Malaysia and Indonesia has divided the community into two 'international brotherhood', Bidayuhs of Sarawak, Malaysia and Bidayuhs of Kalimantan, Indonesia (they are still better known as Land Dayaks). This is similar in nature to the Malays of Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore, as well as the Siamese of Thailand and Malaysia.

History wise, the Bidayuhs of Sarawak were originated from Kalimantan, Indonesia. Hundreds of years ago, wars among the Dayak tribes caused the Bidayuhs to flee to better and safe places. Search of better living with fruitful farming land and countless food supplies was another factor of their migration.

Today, the Bidayuhs in Sarawak can be classified into 5 sub-ethnic according to their population area as below:

1. Bukar-Sadong - Serian District
2. Bidayuh Padawan - Padawan District
3. Bidayuh Penrissen - Penrissen District
4. Bidayuh Bau (Jagoi and Singhai) - Bau District
5. Bidayuh Selako - Lundu District

In terms of dialects, they speak different tongues. However, people from Padawan can still understand tongues of Bukar-Sadong and Penrissen. Nevertheless, Bidayuh of Penrissen and Bau has a lot in common. Here are some simple comparisons:

English	Bukar-Sadong	Padawan/Penrissen	Bau
Father	Amang	Sama`	Sama`
Mother	Andu	Sindu`	Sindo`
Grandpa	Babuk/Babeh	Babai	Babai
Grandma	Tayang/Tayung	Simuk/Sumuk	Sumuk
Rice	Sungkoi	Tubi`	Tubi`
Eat	Maan	Man	Man
Cat	Singau	Busing	Singau
Dog	Kesung	Kesong	Kosuong
House	Remin	Arun	Bori

 

Land Dayak & Sea Dayak

When Sarawak was ruled by the White Rajah (the Brooke Dynasty) the Bidayuhs were called Land Dayaks while the Ibans were known as Sea Dayaks. The names were given according to their natural geographical habitant. The Land Dayaks in the earlier days, lived in uphills and mountains deep in the jungle. The reason was to protect themselves from being attacked by enemies. The Sea Dayaks on the other hand, occupied river banks and seas of Sarawak.

 

Bukar-Sadong Bidayuh

It was believed that, the first group of Bidayuhs that migrated from Kalimantan, Indonesia, has settled down at Darud Sungkong (darud = mount), in the Tebedu area and was called Kampung Gahat (kampung = village). From there, the Bukar-Sadong Bidayuhs, splitted into groups in search of fruitful farming lands and opened new villages.