The Dayak or Dyak are the native people of borneo. It is a lost term for over 200 riverine and hill-dwelling ethnic subgroups. Located principally in the interior of borneo. Dayak languages are catagories as part of the austronesian languages in asia. They live in groups in mountain, outbacks and they are such a terrestrial group, a group who live in land, not in marine zone.
Dayak of west kalimantan has been inhabited since thousands of years ago and consist of 350 sub-tribes. Dayak is now estimated migran from yunan ( china eastern ) is major migration around 3500-3000 BC and arrived in the archipelago, including in west kalimantan.
Gawai dayak is one of the dayak festifal. It startson evening of 31st may. The celebration my last for several day, but the next on. 1st june the homes of day opened to the public. The festifal held both a religious and social occasion. The dayak would visit their friends and relatives on the this day.
Tari Gantar, Tari Hudok Aban, Tari Belian Bawo, Tari Ngelawai are some of the dayak tribes dance in kalimantan that you can find or you can learn. Such as Tari Gantar descibes about gladness and joy in plant paddies/rice, Trai Hudog Aban describes to chase away the crop pets and bad/evil spirit which annoying, Tari Belian Bawo is one of the dayak tonyooi and dayak benuaq tribes to cure ill people, and Tari Ngelawai usually brought as a welcome dance.
