Kayan, Sarawak

About Kayan

Kayan is a tribe in Sarawak. They are a component of the group of indigenous people collectively known as Orang Ulu, and today number about 27,000. They traditionally live in settlements with several huts and longhouses within a same place. This is different from a related tribe, the Kenyah, which usually live within a single longhouse.

Like the many indigenous tribes of Sarawak, the Kayan are ferocious headhunters. They are believed to have come to Sarawak originating in the area along the Kayan river in Kalimantan, Indonesia. Their arrival in Sarawak resulted in frequent warfare with the Iban and other tribes. They settled along the Baram river, the Bintulu and the Rajang rivers.

The Kayan are noted for their elaborate tribal designs which is employed in their tattoos. The Kayan tattoo designs have been adopted by other Sarawak tribes, and have also inspired modern tattoo designs around the world. Tattoos is not only an adornment. To the Kayan women especially, tattoo is believed to illuminate their path into the next life, and to enter the afterlife without any tattoos will cast them into darkness.

Kayan men wear bead nechlaces that they highly value. They also usually have big ear lobes. To these lobes the men wear their prize kills. Young men who have never gone to war or hunts may only wear wooden disks whereas those who had experienced battles are allowed to wear the canine teeth of the tiger. Finally, those who have brought back heads could wear miniature skulls fashioned from the beak of the helmeted hornbill. Often the Kayan wear brass rings to their ear lobes, some weighing as much as two pounds.

When going to battle, the Kayan arm themselves with a shield with an ornate design, along with a sword and some times a spear. These items are often adorned with the hair from their past victims.

The musical instrument of the Kayan is the sape, a sort of lute with two strings.

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