The Ngaju people (also Ngaju Dayak or Dayak Ngaju or Biaju) are an indigenous ethnic group of

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 ea ...

from the Dayak group. In a census from 2000, when they were first listed as a separate ethnic group, they made up 18.02% of the population of

Central Kalimantan Central Kalimantan ( id, Kalimantan Tengah) is a province of Indonesia. It is one of five provinces in Kalimantan, the Indonesian part of Borneo. Its provincial capital is Palangka Raya and in 2010 its population was over 2.2 million, while the 20 ...

province. In an earlier census from 1930, the Ngaju people were included in 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 w ...

count. They speak the

Ngaju language Ngaju (also Ngaju Dayak or Dayak Ngaju) is an Austronesian language spoken along the Kapuas, Kahayan, Katingan, and Mentaya Rivers in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southea ...

Sub-ethnic groups

Based on river stream regions, the Ngaju people are divided into:- * Greater Batang Baiju - Greater Baiju River * Lesser Batang Baiju - Lesser Baiju River Based on language, the Ngaju people are divided into:- * Dayak Ngaju (Ngaju Kapuas) people * Dayak Kahayan (Ngaju Kahayan) people * Dayak Katingan (Ngaju Katingan) people * Dayak Mendawai people (

) * Dayak Bakumpai people ( South Kalimantan) * Dayak Meratus people ( South Kalimantan) * Dayak Mengkatip people (

) * Dayak Berangas people ( South Kalimantan, which is said to be no longer identifiable and their language is no longer in existence as of 2010 due to assimilation into the mainstream Kuala Banjar people) * Dayak Beraki (Bara-ki) people (no longer in existence)

Culture

Traditional folk songs

* Sinta Takalupe Lunuk * Karungut, Kal-Teng Membangun * Yang Mahakasih (religious song)

Food

* Kopu, fermented cassava root. Usually eaten by mixing with shredded coconut meat * Karuang or Kalumpe by the

Ma'anyan people Ma'anyan (colonial spelling Maanjan or Meanjan), Dayak Maanyan or Eastern Barito Dayak people are a sub-ethnic group of the Dayak people indigenous to Borneo. They are also considered as part of the east Barito Dusun group with the name Dusun Ma ...

, a pounded

Cassava ''Manihot esculenta'', commonly called cassava (), manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America. Although a perennial plant, cassava is extensively cultivated ...

leaf salad mixed with eggplant, lemongrass, onion and garlic. * Juhu Umbut Batang Undus, coconut sprout salad eaten with

sambal Sambal is an Indonesian chilli sauce or paste, typically made from a mixture of a variety of chilli peppers with secondary ingredients, such as shrimp paste, garlic, ginger, shallot, scallion, palm sugar, and lime juice. ''Sambal'' is an ...

and often served during thanksgiving or wedding ceremonies.

Notable Dayak Ngaju people

* King Maruhum, the fourth Muslim Banjar king. * Nyai Undang, Kutah Baguh queen of Tanjung Pematang Sawang kingdom. * Raden Labih, head of the Dayak Ngaju Sei Apui people. * Nicodemus Djaija Negara, a Dayak Ngaju head district of Pulau Petak. * Damang Batu, a Dayak Ngaju Tumbang Anoi Kahayan leader and chairman of Dayak Tumbang Anoi. * Damang Anggen, a Dayak Ngaju leader and head district of Mendawai Katingan. * Soera Djaja, a Dayak Ngaju head district from Kampung Rawi and a

freedom fighter. * Damang Pijar, head of the Dayak people * Batur, a Dayak Bakumpai commander, Barito War veteran. * Wangkang, a Dayak Bakumpai commander, Barito War veteran. * Hausman Baboe, a prominent figure in the

press and founder of the first daily ''Suara Dayak'' Indonesian newspaper. * Tjilik Riwut, a

National Hero of Indonesia National Hero of Indonesia ( id, Pahlawan Nasional Indonesia) is the highest-level title awarded in Indonesia. It is posthumously given by the Government of Indonesia for actions which are deemed to be heroic, defined as "actual deeds which can b ...

, founder of

, a writer, a

freedom fighter and former governor of

. * Mahir Mahar, founder and business leader of

. * Agustin Teras Narang, a

governor and president of the National Dayak Customary Council.

References

External links

Ngaju people
Ethnic groups in Indonesia Dayak people {{Asia-ethno-group-stub