Kenyah people

File:Kenyah mural painting.jpg

The Kenyah people, traditionally being swidden agriculturalists{{cite book|author=Bagoes Wiryomartono|title=Perspectives on Traditional Settlements and Communities: Home, Form and Culture in Indonesia|year=2014|publisher=Springer Science & Business Media|isbn=978-98-145-8505-7|page=170}} and living in longhouses (uma dado'),{{cite book|author=Reimar Schefold, P. Nas & Gaudenz Domenig|title=Indonesian Houses: Tradition and transformation in vernacular architecture|year=2004|publisher=Singapore University Press|isbn=99-716-9292-9|page=318}} is an umbrella term for over 40 sub-groups that mostly share common migration histories, customs, and related dialects. Kenyah people lived in longhouses a small communities. Each longhouse consists of families who choose their own leader (headman). When they have an event or celebration such as harvest festival, they will normally use the longhouse verandah (oseh bi'o) to gather and deliver speeches to guide their youngsters. Normally this harvest festival celebration (tau bio Ramay o o Ajau, pelepek uman) is a major festival because most of them are still farmers.

Kenyah people are very creative. They compose their popular songs and melody such as Lan e Tuyang, Kendau bimbin, Ilu Kenyah Kua Lo Te'a, Pabat Pibui, Atek Lan, and Leleng Oyau Along Leleng. Popular traditional Kenyah musical instruments are such as jatung utang (wooden xylophone),{{cite book|editor=Terry Miller & Sean Williams|title=The Garland Handbook of Southeast Asian Music|year=2011|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-11-359-0155-4|page=412}} sampe (a type of guitar),{{cite book|author=Margaret J. Kartomi|title=Musical Instruments of Indonesia|year=1985|publisher=Indonesian Arts Society|isbn=09-589-2250-0|page=51}} sampe bio (single-stringed bass), lutong (a four- to six-string bamboo tube zither){{cite book|title=Musicworks, Issues 73-78|year=1999|publisher=Music Gallery|page=12}} and keringut (nose flute).{{cite book|title=The Sarawak Museum Journal, Volume 40, Part 3|year=1989|publisher=Sarawak Museum|page=132}}

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Christianity is the predominant religion of Kenyah people, with the majority belonging to the Evangelical Protestanism. Before the arrival of Christian missionaries, the Kenyah people practice a traditional form of animism called 'Adat Pu'un'. During the initial introduction of Christianity by Christian & Missionary Alliance and Borneo Evangelical Mission, traditional beliefs and practices were revitalized and this form was called 'Bungan Malan Peselong Luan' movement. Today, there are only a small number of Kenyah people who still practice the Bungan faith.{{Cite web|last=Cristina Eghenter, Bernard Sellato, G. Simon Devung|date=2003|title=Social Science Research and Conservation Management in the Interior of Borneo|url=https://www.cifor.org/publications/pdf_files/Books/SocialScience.pdf|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=|website=Center for International Forestry Research}}{{Cite web|last=Lake' Baling|date=2002|title=The Old Kayan and the Bungan Religious Reform|url=https://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/4021/1/The%20old%20Kayan%20religion%20and%20the%20Bungan%20religious%20reform.pdf|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=|website=Universiti Malaysia Sarawak Institutional Repository}} It is believed that a person will ascend to Alo Malau (seven heavens) with their ancestors (tepun) after death.

Statistical figures, based on the Indonesian and Malaysian national censuses collected in 2000, recorded a total of 44,350 Kenyah people in East Kalimantan, Indonesia and 24,906 in Sarawak, Malaysia.See 2000 National Census, Jawatan Perangkaan Malaysia, 2000 and 2000 Population Census /Sensus Penduduk 2000, Central Bureau of Statistics Indonesia, 2000

The Kenyahs traditionally inhabit the remote Baram Lio Matoh, Long Selaan, Long Moh, Long Anap, Long Mekaba, Long Jeeh, Long Belaong, Long San, Long Silat, Long Tungan, Data Kakus, Data Surau, Data Senap, Long Dungan, Long Busang, Long Beyak, Tubau, Bintulu, Miri, Apau Koyan resettlement for Bakun Dam, Long Bulan, Long Jawe, Dangang, Long Bangan, Long Sah B(Uma Kelep), Long Urun, Sambop Long Semutut, Long Tebulang, Long Lawen, Long Unan and Belaga regions in Sarawak, Malaysia and the remote Apau Kayan, Bahau (Bau), Benua Lama, Benua Baru and Mahakam regions in North Kalimantan and East Kalimantan, Indonesia.

Kenyah people are divided into various lepo'/lebo' (tribes/clans) including the Uma Bakah, Lepo Anan, Lepo Tau, Lepu Jalan, Lepo' Tepu, Uma Kelep(Lebuq Timai), Uma Ujok, Uma Pawa', Seping, Sebop, Badeng, Jamok, Lepo Agak, Bakung (Long Singut), Uma Kulit, Uma Alim, Lebuq Timai, Uma Lasan, Lepo Ma-ut, Sambop, Lepo Ke', Lepo Ngao, Ngurek, Long Ulai, Long Tikan, Long Sabatu, Lepo Ga, Lepo Dikan, Lepo' Bem, Lepo' Embo' and Lepo Pua.

Within the boundaries of Samarinda, Borneo's most populous city, the Kenyah people reside in the village of Budaya Pampang, North Samarinda. They migrated from Bulungan since 1967, and the village has been declared by East Kalimantan government as a cultural village in 1991.{{cite web|url=https://news.okezone.com/read/2019/08/05/340/2088056/berkenalan-dengan-dayak-kenyah-suku-tradisional-yang-tinggal-dekat-pusat-kota-samarinda?page=all|title=Berkenalan dengan Dayak Kenyah, Suku Tradisional yang Tinggal Dekat Pusat Kota Samarinda|website=news.okezone.com|date=5 August 2019 |access-date=2025-04-04}}

File:Tari Tani Dayak Kenyah 180618.JPG, Samarinda, East Kalimantan, Indonesia]]

File:Languages of Kalimantan.svg and East Kalimantan are being labelled as Wahau Kenyah (66) and mainstream Kenyah (73)]]

The Kenyah people are also divided into various sub-ethnic groups such as:-{{cite web |url=http://www.indonesianhistory.info/map/borneolang.html?zoomview=1 |title=Languages of Borneo |publisher=Digital Atlas of Indonesian History |access-date=2015-01-07 |archive-date=14 November 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121114055255/http://www.indonesianhistory.info/map/borneolang.html?zoomview=1 |url-status=dead }}

• Kenyah Badeng or Madang
• Kenyah Bakung
• Kenyah Jamok
• Kenyah Lepo' Abong
• Kenyah Lepo' Aga
• Kenyah Lepo' Anan
• Kenyah Lepo' Bam
• Kenyah Lepo' Gah
• Kenyah Lepo' Jalan
• Kenyah Lepo' Ke'
• Kenyah Lepo' Kulit
• Kenyah Lepo' Maut
• Kenyah Lepo' Sawa'
• Kenyah Lepo' Tau'
• Kenyah Lepo' Tepu
• Kenyah Lepo' Timai
• Kenyah Long Ulai
• Kenyah Long Sebatu
• Kenyah Long Belukun
• Kenyah Long Tikan
• Kenyah Uma' Bangan
• Kenyah Uma' Baka
• Kenyah Uma' Kelep
• Kenyah Uma' Lasan
• Kenyah Uma' Lung
• Kenyah Uma' Pawa'
• Kenyah Uma' Sambop
• Kenyah Uma' Tukung
• Kenyah Seping
• Kenyah Lirung (Long Nuah)

File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Het graf van een dochter van een Kenja Dajak vorst TMnr 60005442.jpg

The Usun Apau (aka Usun Apo) plateau (in the Plieran River valley) or Apo Kayan Highlands (a remote forested plateau in Malaysian and Indonesian border) in the present-day Indonesian province of North Kalimantan and Malaysia's Sarawak is believed by the Kenyah people to be their place of origin;{{cite book|author=Hugo Steiner|title=Sarawak: people of the longhouse and jungle|year=2007|publisher=Opus Publications|isbn=978-98-339-8701-6|page=77}} which was the largest concentration site of Kenyah populations between the late 19th century to the early 1980s.

The Kenyah languages are a small family of Austronesian languages. Their language is called Kenyah.

• Leleng-Leleng{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_DF305WEwA |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120721013708/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_DF305WEwA&gl=US&hl=en |archive-date=2012-07-21 |url-status=dead|title=LELENG-LELENG |publisher=YouTube |access-date=2014-11-29}}
• Leleng{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5jQYZU9nrs |title=Leleng |publisher=YouTube |access-date=2014-11-29}}
• Ake' Mimbin Iko' Tuyang{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AUE9oWX914|url-status=dead|title=Ake' Mimbin Iko' Tuyang|publisher=YouTube|access-date=2014-11-29|archive-date=18 March 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220318015946/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AUE9oWX914&feature=related}}
• Pabat Pibui{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqkST0XuqNA |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211214/RqkST0XuqNA |archive-date=2021-12-14 |url-status=live|title=Pabat Pibui |publisher=YouTube |access-date=2014-11-29}}{{cbignore}}
• Daleh Lenca dalem bada{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TO_e0CmHcSk |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211214/TO_e0CmHcSk |archive-date=2021-12-14 |url-status=live|title=lagu kenyah - daleh lenca dalem bada|date=23 October 2014 |via=www.youtube.com}}{{cbignore}}
• Ayen Palo boka tai mutu leto{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WP2rk4iA73o |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211214/WP2rk4iA73o |archive-date=2021-12-14 |url-status=live|title=Ayen Palo Boka Tai Mutu Leto Kenyah.mp4|date=12 January 2012 |via=www.youtube.com}}{{cbignore}}

• Francisca Luhong James - Miss Universe Malaysia 2020 and a part-time model. She is of mixed Kayan, Kenyah and Iban lineage.{{Cite web|title=|url=https://www.pressreader.com/malaysia/utusan-borneo-sabah/20160815/282574492474563|access-date=2020-08-22|via=PressReader}}
• Yurnalis Ngayoh, Governor east Kalimantan
• Jacob Dungau Sagan, former Member of the Malaysian Parliament, former Deputy Minister of International Trade and Industry of Malaysia, and member and Senior Vice-President of the Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP)
• Joseph Kalang Tie, professional footballer and Malaysia National Team representative. He hails from Long Ikang, Baram and is of Kenyah-Malaysian Chinese parentage.{{cite web|url=https://www.pressreader.com/malaysia/utusan-borneo-sarawak/20170223/281629600039548|title=PWK perlu kreatif pelbagaikan ekonomi tingkatkan pendapatan pekebun kecil|author=|publisher=Utusan Borneo (Sarawak)|access-date=4 February 2020|date=23 February 2017}}
• Larissa Ping Liew, Miss World Malaysia 2018. She is of Malaysian Chinese-Kenyah parentage.{{cite web|url=http://dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=127033|title=Sarawakian lass crowned Miss World Malaysia|publisher=The Daily Express|access-date=13 September 2018|date=11 September 2018}}{{cite web|url=http://www.theborneopost.com/2018/09/02/up-close-and-personal-with-local-beauties/|title=Up close and personal with local beauties|author=Jeremy Veno|publisher=The Borneo Post|access-date=13 September 2018|date=2 September 2018}}

• Lerby Eliandry

• View of the tiger

{{Reflist|30em|refs=}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20100222033103/http://www.tribalarts.com/feature/borneo/ Into the Art of Borneo: The Kenyah-Kayan Tradition]
• [http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9045126/Kenyah Encyclopædia Britannica: Kayah]
• People of the same heart: The social world of the Kenyah Badeng. Rita Armstrong, 1991. PhD Thesis, Dept of Anthropology, University of Sydney

• {{commonscatinline}}
• [http://ourworld.unu.edu/en/forbidden-forest-of-the-dayak/ United Nations University's Our World 2.0 "Forbidden forest of the Dayak people" Digital Video: In Setulang village, near the Malay-Indonesian border, lives the "Oma'lung" tribe — a particular sub-group of Kenyah Dayak, East Kalimantan, Indonesia, on the island of Borneo]
• Kaipuleohone's Robert Blust collection includes [https://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/handle/10125/33115 written notes on many different varieties of Kenyah].

{{Ethnic groups in Malaysia}}

{{Ethnic groups in Indonesia}}

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Category:Ethnic groups in Indonesia

Category:Dayak ethnic groups