Kedayan
Kadayan women, c. 1908. Note the light tunic with rows of buttons. | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| est. 240,000 in Borneo | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Borneo: Brunei Malaysia (Sabah, Sarawak and the Federal Territory of Labuan) | |
| Languages | |
| Kedayan and Sabah Malay, Sarawak Malay, Standard Malay and English | |
| Religion | |
| Sunni Islam (majority) | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Bruneian Malay, Dusun (Brunei), Banjarese, Javanese, Lun Bawang/Lundayeh, Other Indigenous peoples of Brunei |
The Kedayan (also known as Kadayan, Kadaian or Kadyan) are an ethnic group residing in Brunei, Federal Territory of Labuan, southwest of Sabah, and north of Sarawak on the island of Borneo.[1] According to the Language and Literature Bureau of Brunei, the Kedayan language (ISO 639-3: kxd) is spoken by about 30,000 people in Brunei,[2] and it has been claimed that there are a further 46,500 speakers in Sabah and 37,000 in Sarawak.[3][4][5] In Sabah, the Kedayan mainly live in the southern districts of Sipitang and Beaufort, where they are counted as a part of the local Malay populace (and they are often considered as Bruneians owing to assimilation as well as mixed marriage factors).[5][6] Whilst in Sarawak, the Kedayans mostly reside in the towns of Lawas, Limbang and Miri (especially the Subis area).[5]
History
The origins of the Kedayans are uncertain. Some of them believe their people were originally from Java island,[1] which they left during the reign of Sultan Bolkiah. Because of his fame as a sea captain and voyager, the Sultan was well-known to the people of Java, Sumatra and the Philippines,[1] It is believed that when the Sultan arrived to the island of Java, he became interested in the local agricultural techniques.[1] He brought some of the Javanese farmers back to his country to spread their techniques. The farmers inter-married with the local Bruneian Malay people, giving birth to the Kedayan ethnicity.[1] Most Kedayans have adopted Islam since the Islamic era of the Sultanate of Brunei. They have also adopted Malay culture.[4] The Kedayans are recognised as one of the indigenous people of Borneo.[7] They are experts in making traditional medicines and various spiritual healings.[8] The Kedayans are well known for their cultivation of medicinal plants, which they grow to treat a wide range of ailments and to make tonics.[5]
Language
The Kedayan language is similar to Brunei Malay, and it has been claimed that as many as 94% of the words in the two languages are cognate.[9] The main differences in pronunciation are that Kedayan has initial /h/ while Brunei Malay does not, so Kedayan hutan (forest) is utan in Brunei Malay;[10] and Kedayan does not have /r/, so Malay rumah (house) is umah in Kedayan.[11]
The language of one of the indigenous tribes, the Banjar people in Kutai, East Kalimantan, Indonesia, is said to share more than 90% of the vocabulary with the Kedayan language, with the Banjarese separated from both the Brunei Malay and Kedayan for 400 years with similar adherence to Islam.[12][13] Both the Kedayans and the Banjarese are related, to a certain extent, because of the similarities in their languages.[14]
Notable people
Brunei
- Muslim Burut – Bruneian writer.[15]
Sabah
- Sapawi Ahmad – former Malaysian federal representative for Sipitang constituency.[16]
- Dr. Yusof Yacob – former Sabah state minister and Malaysian federal representative for Sipitang constituency.[17]
- Pengiran Ahmad Raffae – the second of Governor of Sabah (also of mixed Bruneian descent).
- Sr. Safar Untong – Sabah State Secretary since 2019, former Sabah Lands and Surveys Department director from 2014 to 2019.[18]
- Noki K-Clique – Sabahan famous hip-hop rapper.[19]
Labuan
- Bashir Alias – Malaysian senator for Labuan.[20][21]
- Rozman Isli – former Malaysian member of parliament for Labuan from 2013 to 2022.[22][23]
- Yussof Mahal – former Malaysian member of parliament for Labuan from 2008 to 2013.[24]
Sarawak
- Awang Tengah Ali Hasan – Deputy Premier of Sarawak.[25][26]
- Ahmad Lai Bujang – former Malaysian federal representative for the Sibuti constituency.[27][28]
Australia
- Omar Musa – Malaysian-Australian author, poet, rapper and visual artist.[29][30]
References
- ^ a b c d e Ibrahim, Siddique & Hussain 1985, p. 312.
- ^ Institute of Language and Literature, Brunei, Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports 2006, p. xi.
- ^ Zanko & Ngui 2003, p. 10.
- ^ a b Canagarajah 2005, p. 227.
- ^ a b c d Tiwary & Kumar 2009, p. 934.
- ^ King & King 1984, p. 359.
- ^ Skutsch 2013, p. 781.
- ^ Mohd Mokhtar et al. 2019, p. 38.
- ^ Nothofer 1991, pp. 151–176.
- ^ Institute of Language and Literature, Brunei, Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports 2011, p. 321.
- ^ Haji Rozaimee & Deterding 2019, p. 79.
- ^ Othman 2016, p. 4.
- ^ Lah & Ramakrishna 2019, p. 2004.
- ^ Tiwary & Kumar 2009, p. 216.
- ^ Hasan 1998, p. 122.
- ^ "Member's Biodata". Parliament of Malaysia. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
- ^ "Member's Biodata". Parliament of Malaysia. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
- ^ "Biografi Setiausaha Kerajaan Negeri" [Biography of the State Secretary of Sabah]. Sabah State Secretary (in Malay). Archived from the original on 19 June 2022. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
- ^ Che, Zaidi; Rahayu, MN; Shamshiri, Shah (13 March 2021). "Nuansa Baharu Hip Hop: Noki, Luca Sickta Dan Kmy Kmo" [New Shades Of Hip Hop: Noki, Luca Sickta And Kmy Kmo]. Getaran (in Malay). Archived from the original on 13 March 2021. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
- ^ Ismail, Mastura (7 August 2017). "Serap bahasa Kedayan dalam bahasa kebangsaan" [Absorb the Kedayan language into the national language]. Utusan Borneo (in Malay). Archived from the original on 13 March 2026. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
- ^ Djimin, Jainudin (17 October 2022). "Program "Siuknya Edidih Badudun Tah" tampilkan budaya dan bahasa tempatan untuk dihayati generasi muda-Bashir" ["Siuknya Edidih Badudun Tah" program showcases local culture and language for the younger generation to appreciate-Bashir]. Borneo Daily Bulletin (in Malay). Archived from the original on 13 March 2026. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
- ^ "Member's Biodata". Parliament of Malaysia. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
- ^ Djimin, Jainudin (20 February 2022). "Rozman kekal YDP Persatuan Kadayan Wilayah Persekutuan Labuan (WAKAL) sesi 2021-2022" [Rozman remains YDP of the Federal Territory of Labuan Kadayan Association (WAKAL) for the 2021-2022 session]. Borneo Daily Bulletin (in Malay). Archived from the original on 13 March 2026. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
- ^ "Member's Biodata". Parliament of Malaysia. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
- ^ Ismail, Mastura (23 April 2019). "Kekalkan identiti etnik kaum Kedayan: Awang Tengah" [Preserved the ethnic identity of the Kedayan people: Awang Tengah]. Utusan Borneo (in Malay). Archived from the original on 13 March 2026. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
- ^ "Hidupkan semula Persatuan Kedayan Sarawak" [Reviving the Sarawak Kedayan Association]. TV Sarawak (in Malay). 3 August 2025. Archived from the original on 3 August 2025. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
- ^ "Member's Biodata". Parliament of Malaysia. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
- ^ Ajang, Sudan (19 November 2017). "Manfaat potensi Kedayan" [Potential benefits of Kedayan]. Utusan Borneo (in Malay). Archived from the original on 13 March 2026. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
- ^ Brophy, Kevin John; Adetunji, Jo (14 March 2022). "Omar Musa blends words and the wood carving of Borneo to explore beauty, rage and history". The Conversation. Archived from the original on 13 March 2026. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
- ^ Khoo, Eddin (26 December 2025). "Australian-Sabahan poet Omar Musa's latest novel 'Fierceland' powerfully exemplifies the 'struggle of making'". The Edge. Archived from the original on 13 March 2026. Retrieved 13 March 2026 – via Options.
Bibliography
- King, Julie K.; King, John Wayne (1984). Languages of Sabah: A Survey Report. Department of Linguistics, Research School of Pacific Studies, Australian National University. ISBN 978-0-85883-297-8.
- Ibrahim, Ahmad; Siddique, Sharon; Hussain, Yasmin (1985). Readings on Islam in Southeast Asia. Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. ISBN 978-9971-988-08-1.
- Nothofer, B; et al. (Steinhauer, H.) (1991). "The languages of Brunei Darussalam". Papers in Austronesian Linguistics, Pacific Linguistics: 151–176. doi:10.15144/PL-A81.151. Archived from the original on 12 March 2026 – via Australian National University Open Research Repository.
Text is licensed by Australian National University under CC BY-SA 4.0
- Hasan, Mohd Yusof (1998). Novel Negara Brunei Darussalam, 1940-1992: suatu analisis kritis intrinsik-ekstrinsik [Brunei Darussalam Novel, 1940-1992: an intrinsic-extrinsic critical analysis] (in Malay). Institute of Language and Literature, Brunei, Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports. ISBN 978-99917-0-078-6.
- Zanko, Michael; Ngui, Matt (1 January 2003). The Handbook of Human Resource Management Policies and Practices in Asia-Pacific Economies. E. Elgar Pub. ISBN 978-1-84064-751-8.
- Canagarajah, A. Suresh (15 January 2005). Reclaiming the Local in Language Policy and Practice. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-135-62351-7.
- Kamus Kedayan-Melayu, Melayu-Kedayan [Kedayan-Malay Dictionary, Malay-Kedayan] (in Malay). Institute of Language and Literature, Brunei, Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports. 2006. ISBN 978-99917-0-434-0.
- Tiwary, Shiv Shanker; Kumar, Rajeev (2009). Encyclopaedia of Southeast Asia and Its Tribes. Anmol Publications. ISBN 978-81-261-3837-1.
- Daftar Leksikal 7 Dialek Brunei Darussalam [Lexical List of 7 Brunei Darussalam Dialects] (in Malay). Institute of Language and Literature, Brunei, Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports. 2011. ISBN 9-991-70814-6.
- Skutsch, Carl (7 November 2013). Encyclopedia of the World's Minorities. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-135-19388-1.
- Othman, Normala (2016). "Sejarah dan Latar Belakang Masyarakat Kedayan" [History and Background of the Kedayan Community] (PDF). Al-Hikmah (in Malay). 8 (2): 3–18. ISSN 1985-6822. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 May 2018 – via UKM Journal Article Repository.
- Lah, Salasiah Che; Ramakrishna, Rita Abdul Rahman (2019). Research Mosaics of Language Studies in Asia Differences and Diversity (Penerbit USM). Penerbit USM. ISBN 978-967-461-379-2.
- Haji Rozaimee, Siti Faahirah; Deterding, David (2019). "The Pronunciation of Kedayan" (PDF). Southeast Asia: A Multidisciplinary Journal. Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei: 78–85. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 March 2026 – via Universiti Brunei Darussalam.
- Mohd Mokhtar, Ros Aiza; Hakim Mohad, Abd; Abdul Latiff, Latifah; Sulaiman, Mashitah (2019). "Mandi Langir dan Kepentingannya dalam Masyarakat Kedayan serta Perspektif Islam Mengenainya" [The Importance of Langir Bath in Kedayan Community and the Islamic Perspective About it]. Sains Insani. 4 (1): 37–46. doi:10.33102/jsi2019.4.1.06. eISSN 0127-7871. Archived from the original on 6 June 2019 – via Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia.
Text is licensed by Sains Insani under CC BY 4.0
External links
Media related to Kedayan people at Wikimedia Commons