The Kendayan (also known as Dayak Kenyan or Kanayatn) are an Indonesian ethnic group native to

Kalimantan Kalimantan () is the Indonesian portion of the island of Borneo. It constitutes 73% of the island's area. The non-Indonesian parts of Borneo are Brunei and East Malaysia. In Indonesia, "Kalimantan" refers to the whole island of Borneo. In 2019, ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

Borneo Borneo (; id, Kalimantan) is the third-largest island in the world and the largest in Asia. At the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, in relation to major Indonesian islands, it is located north of Java, west of Sulawesi, and eas ...

. The population of the group is around 366,000.

Language

Kanayatn languages has a high dialectal variety, it encompass the Brahe, Badame, Jare, and Bang App dialects. Socio-linguistically, it is very difficult to specify the language repertoire because it is used with various dialects and patois pronunciation. However, these languages are all considered a part of the

Malayic language The Malayic languages are a branch of the Malayo-Polynesian subgroup of the Austronesian language family. The most prominent member is Malay, which is the national language of Brunei, Singapore and Malaysia; it further serves as basis for Indon ...

family which also includes Indonesia's official language,

Malay Malay may refer to: Languages * Malay language or Bahasa Melayu, a major Austronesian language spoken in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore ** History of the Malay language, the Malay language from the 4th to the 14th century ** Indonesi ...

. The increased adoption of Indonesian words by the Kanayatn has drastically changed Dayak Kanayatn dialects for modern speakers. With many speakers of traditional dialects in the older generations, this change has resulted in communication problems between generations.

Weapons

The Tangkitn is a unique weapon to the Kanayatn people and was used as their primary

head-hunting Headhunting is the practice of hunting a human and collecting the severed head after killing the victim, although sometimes more portable body parts (such as ear, nose or scalp) are taken instead as trophies. Headhunting was practiced in his ...

weapon in the past. In the Salako language, the Tangkitn is also referred to as the Parang Pandat. The Kanayatn tribe employed shields to deflect attacks from swords. According to the Kanayatn people in

Mempawah Mempawah Regency (formerly the Pontianak Regency) is a regency of West Kalimantan Province of Indonesia. Since 2007 it covers 1,276.90 km2, and had a population of 234,021 at the 2010 Census and 301,560 at the 2020 Census; the official estimat ...

(Compaq-mem pa wah Hulu-mental-too-Sada Niang), there are two types of shields in Kanayatn culture: Gun amp and Jabakng. However, according to Kanayatn members in Landak (including sea Ambawang and Kuala Mandor), there is just one type of shield, namely Gun amp.

Religion

The original religion of the Kanayatn people is not the

Kaharingan ''Kaharingan'' is an indigenous animistic folk religion of the Katingan, Lawangan, Ma'anyan, Ngaju, and Ot Danum people native to the Central Kalimantan region in Indonesia. The word means something like ''Way of the life'', and this belief ...

as it is with the

Dayak people The Dayak (; older spelling: Dajak) or Dyak or Dayuh are one of the native groups of Borneo. It is a loose term for over 200 riverine and hill-dwelling ethnic groups, located principally in the central and southern interior of Borneo, each ...

. Kanayatn Dayak's indigenous religion is inseparable from their customs (Adat). It can even be said their customs assert their religious identity. In daily practice, Kanayatn Dayak people never mention religion as their normative, but Adat (custom). This religious system is not a

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

system. Kanayatn people refer to God as Juba. Juba is said to have passed down indigenous customs to the ancestors of Dayak Kanayatn located in Bukit Ba wang (now entering the district

Bengkayang Bengkayang Regency () is a Regencies of Indonesia, regency ("''kabupaten''") in West Kalimantan Province of Indonesia, (on the island of Borneo). The area was originally a part of Sambas Regency, but following the expansion of the population in tha ...

). In expressing belief in Jubata, they have a place of worship called "panyugu" or "padagi" (kadiaman). It is also important for the ''panyangahatn'' priest to become a liaison between man and God (Jubata). Today, many Dayak Kanayatn have embraced other religions, including

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

and

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...

. Kenanyatn people who have embraced another religion may no longer consider themselves as Dayak Kanayatn once they have abandoned their customary practices. Similarly, Kanayatn people who have embraced

will no longer regard themselves as Dayak, but as

Malay people Malays ( ms, Orang Melayu, Jawi: أورڠ ملايو) are an Austronesian ethnic group native to eastern Sumatra, the Malay Peninsula and coastal Borneo, as well as the smaller islands that lie between these locations — areas that are ...

Orang laut The Orang Laut are several seafaring ethnic groups and tribes living around Singapore, peninsular Malaysia and the Indonesian Riau Islands. The Orang Laut are commonly identified as the Orang Seletar from the Straits of Johor, but the term may ...

Ethnic origins (disputed)

The Kanayatn were grouped into the category clump Land Dayak-Kalimantan by H. J. Mallinckrodt; but according to C. H. Duman, they are part of the Kanayatn Dayak Ot Danum Clump- Maanyan- Ngaju. However, research completed by W. Stohr conflicts with C. H. Duman's theory. Stohr's research suggests that when considering aspects of the region, language and customary law, the Dayak Kanayatn group appears to be more closely associated with the

Land Dayak The Land Dayak languages are a group of dozen or so languages spoken by the Bidayuh Land Dayaks of Borneo. Languages ''Glottolog'' ''Glottolog'' classifies the Land Dayak languages as follows. *Benyadu-Bekati: Bekati (Bekatiq), Sara, Lara (Rar ...

-Kalimantan group than the Ot-Danum- Maanyan- Ngaju group. Landmark District names have been based on the majority Dayak community Kanayatn which is part of the clump

(or Land Djak in Dutch spelling). Kanayatn and

Salako Salako is a hat from Îles des Saintes (French Antilles). It appeared towards the end of the 19th century. It is made on Terre-de-Bas Island by some last craftsmen who still have the art and the technics of its making. Description Salako is the ...

are, in fact, one tribe and

people assume that "Kanayatn" is not the real name of this tribe.

Folk songs

* Kao Ada Ka Atiku * Tagila-Gila * Taringat Ka' Kao * Cintaku Ka' Ia * Pasatn Urakng Tuha * Batamu * Babalas Pantun * Gawe Panganten * Nunggu Kao Pulakng * Bakanalatn * Lupa Ka' Janji * Buah Atiku * Sayang * Bapantun * Kambang Bepanggel * Sayangku Ka Kao * Ka'o Ningalat'n * Malam Batabur Bintakng * Niat Idup Badua * 4 Tingkakok Nimang Padi

References

{{Portal, Indonesia Dayak people Ethnic groups in Indonesia