MELANAU

Melanau
Total population	35,000
Regions with significant populations	Mukah, Sarawak
Language	Melanau
Religion	Islam & Christianity

The 'Melanau' are a people who live on the island of Borneo, primarily in Sarawak, Malaysia, but also in Kalimantan, Indonesia. They are among the earliest settlers of Sarawak, and speak a Northwest Malayo-Polynesian language.

Contents

Origins

Divisions

Culture & Economy

Religion

Notable Melanau people

References

Origins

The Melanau were in the 19th Century, settled in scattered communities along the main tributaries of the Rajang River in Central Sarawak. Melanau or Kajang speaking tribes such as the Sepan, the Rajang, the Tanjung and the Kanowits gradually moved and assimilated into Dayak migrations settling in the Rajang. The Punan Bah today are closely linked to the last riverine dwelling Melanau communities previously inhabiting the middle and upper Rejang tributaries. The Kajang language is kept relatively alive by the isolated Punan Bah communities in the Bintulu division of Sarawak.

Divisions

The Melanaus can be divided into six different groups which are: Melanau Mukah, Melanau Dalat, Melanau Oya, Melanau Matu-Daro-Rejang, Melanau Ba'ie(Bintulu) and Melanau Miri. Each group has its own characteristic dilect but they share the same cultural and lingual background (except for Melanau Bintulu "dilect" which can hardly be understood by the rest.Many linguists feel that it hardly fit into the Melanau language grouping) . The Melanau languages have been divided in the following eleven : Mukah,Balingian,Oya,Dalat,Daro-Matu,Rajang,Kanowit,Sibu,Bintulu,Seru and Tanjong. ^[1]

Culture & Economy

The Melanau were traditionally fishermen as well as padi and sago farmers.Some were skilled boat builders. They used to live in tall stilted and long houses, but today (2007) they live in kampong (separated houses in a village community) style. Because of religious similarity,the majority of Melanaus live socially and culturally like the rest of the Malays in Malaysia.It is one of the rare ethnic groups in Malaysia which hardly grows or increases in its population. This is because the Muslim Melanaus that have migrated to bigger towns in Sarawak have "automatically" become Malays especially during the National Census Operation as their names (and many times the language the elders use with their children at homes) are inseparable from the Sarawak local Malays. This has caused the Malay population to increase in the census. All the Melanaus have a `Bin' in their names similar to the Malays and definitely the Christian Melanaus too were designated as malays in the census. The current population statistics showed the Melanaus at about 96,000. However amongst the Bumiputera/ethnic groups in Sarawak,Malaysia, the Melanaus has the highest population growth the last 5 years. The continuous `cross-breeding' through inter-marriages between the Melanaus and other races in Malaysia has also caused the mysterious disappearance of the Melanau identity. Data from some private researches estimated that the actual population of Melanaus is more than 300,000 people. Being migrants in the early days, Melanaus are found almost everywhere in Sarawak. Sadly though their children knew their roots, they cannot speak or even understand their grandparents dialects but registered themselves as other races, mostly as Malays. The more extreme cases are parents, both Melanaus, speak to their children in the Malay or English dialect(s). This happens in the towns and cities in sarawak. There has been little efforts done to preserve the Melanau dialects and teach the current Melanau generation continuous usage of their own dialects. A local Melanau song composer/producer tried to produce an original Melanau Song Album in 2002. It took some time for the Melanaus to recognise it while many laughed at it as the greatest Melanau joke of the century! The gradual disappearance of the Melanau cultures and dialects is further intensified when it is noted that there is not even a Melanau staff handling the documentation on the Melanaus Cultures and history in the `Majlis Adat Istiadat'department in Sarawak. This department is involved in the preservation and documentation of the cultures and histories of the various ethnic groups in Sarawak. The Melanaus are slowly being emulsified into other cultures.The Melanau Kaul festival will only serve as a reminder of the Melanau Pagan ritual. Some people even joke that save the few Christian Melanaus, in not too distant future, the Melanau will become extinct!

Religion

While originally animists, the majority of the Melanaus are now Muslim, although some of them, especially among the Melanau Mukah, are Christian. Nonetheless, many still celebrate traditional rites such as the annual Kaul Festival.Despite their different beliefs and religions, the Melanaus, like the rest of East Malaysians (Sabah and Sarawak) are very tolerant of each other and they rightly feel proud of their tolerance.We would still come across a Melanau family with different child family members embracing Christianity and Islam while their parents still have strong animist belief.During the May 13th 1969 Incidence-when the different dominant races in Peninsular Malaysia were at each other's throat,especially the Malays against the Chinese-East Malaysians were spared of the trauma and looking at the racial infighting across the South China Sea with wonder,disbelief and sadness ^[2]

Notable Melanau people

#Abdul Taib Mahmud (also known as Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud) — The fourth and current longest serving Chief Minister of Sarawak
#Abdul Rahman Ya'kub (aka Tun Abdul Rahman Ya'kub) — The third Chief Minister of Sarawak, who preceded the current Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud and the Fourth TYT (Governor) of Sarawak.
#Abang Muhammad Sallahuddin Abang Barieng (aka Tun Sallahuddin) — The fifth and current TYT of Sarawak
#Mohd Effendi Norwawi (aka Dato Seri Effendi Norwawi) — Minister in The Prime Minister Department (Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's administration)
#Leo Michael Toyad (aka Datuk Dr Leo Michael Toyad) — Ex-Federal Minister
#Wahab Dollah (aka Datuk Wahab Dollah) — Member of Parliament
#Sulaiman Abdul Rahman Taib — the son of Abdul Taib Mahmud. Corporate figure
#Yusuf Hadi (aka Datu Prof. Dr. Yusuf Hadi) — Academician UNIMAS
#Sulaiman Hanapi (aka Prof. Dr.Sulaiman Hanapi) - Academician UNIMAS
#Rashid Abdullah (aka Datuk Prof. Dr Rashid Abdullah) -Academician UNIMAS
#Len Talip Salleh (aka Datu Len Salleh) — Forestry Expert (STIDC Sarawak)
#Aloysius Dris (aka Datuk Aloysius Dris)- Director,Sarawak Tourism Board
#Hamid Sepawi (aka Datuk Hamid Sepawi) - Corporate Leader
#Len Bubat - Melanau Song Composer/Producer (First Melanau Original Song Album 2002)
#Sahari Ubu (Staff Sargeant Royal Corps of Signal British Army 1962 Staff No 23895416)
#Rohani Abdullah (aka Prof Dr. Rohani Abdullah @ Josephine Yaman) Academician UPM
#Tufail Mahmud (aka Datuk Muhammad Tufail Mahmud)-Businessman and brother of Abdul Taib Mahmud

References