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. Mukah Division is the tenth of the eleven administrative divisions in Sarawak, east Malaysia, on the island of Borneo. ... State motto: Bersatu, Berusaha, Berbakti State anthem: Ibu Pertiwiku Capital Kuching Ruling party Barisan Nasional  - Yang di-Pertua Negeri Abang Muhammad Salahuddin  - Ketua Menteri Abdul Taib Mahmud History    - Brunei Sultanate 19th century   - Brooke dynasty 1841   - Japanese occupation 1941-1945   - British control 1946   - Accession into Malaysia 1963  Area  - Total 124,450... For people named Islam, see Islam (name). ... Christianity percentage by country, purple is highest, orange is lowest Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Wycliffe Tyndale · Luther · Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Pope · Archbishop of Canterbury Patriarch... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Kalimantan. ... State motto: Bersatu, Berusaha, Berbakti State anthem: Ibu Pertiwiku Capital Kuching Ruling party Barisan Nasional  - Yang di-Pertua Negeri Abang Muhammad Salahuddin  - Ketua Menteri Abdul Taib Mahmud History    - Brunei Sultanate 19th century   - Brooke dynasty 1841   - Japanese occupation 1941-1945   - British control 1946   - Accession into Malaysia 1963  Area  - Total 124,450... Kalimantan is the Indonesian part of the island of Borneo. ... The Malayo-Polynesian languages are a subgroup of the Austronesian languages used by some 351 million speakers. ...

Origins

The Melanaus believe that they are a descendant of a group of people from the Philippines. They migrated to Borneo because of war in Mindanao in the 16th century.The ethnic population in Mindanao until today constitute a majority called `Meranau'. Because of the focus on sago production in Mukah and its surrounding areas which attracted international traders well before the 16th century,Sago exports were done by the Brunei government.The coastal areas from Brunei to Tanjung Po was once a Brunei territory. The Sultanate of Brunei then was known to the Chinese traders as `Po-ni' while Mukah was then internationally known as `Muka'. The empire of Sailendra, based at first in Java, succeeded that of Sri-Vijaya in the ninth century.In A.D.1368, Javanese records tell us the Majapahit forces in Brunei regularly sent tribute to Java.It was during these centuries that the `Meranau'sea-farers from the Phillipines landed in the coastal areas of the present Sarawak.The coastal areas from Sarikei to Baram was then inhabitated by a branch of the Kayan-Kenyah, Kejaman, Lahanan and Penan groups from the upper Rajang river.They had migrated to these areas after being plundered and raided by the Ibans from the Kapuas River in Indonesia and the Skrang river.Being headhunters, the Ibans attacked the Kenowits in Kenowit,plundered the Kayan-kenyah settlements in upper Rajang, and started to move down the coastal areas plundering and collecting heads as prized possessions.The Kayan-kenyah forces lost in these battles.The invading Ibans disrupted the sago production in the Mukah areas and caused a stop in the production of sago. The Chinese traders did not get their supply of sago and the Sultan of Brunei was infuriated by the disturbances.The Sultan of Brunei sent his soldiers to quell the disturbances but the Sultan's army was defeated by the Iban fighters.Facing the danger of losing control over his sovereign territory, the Sultan of Brunei seek the help of the neighbouring Sultan of Sulu and forces from the Phillipines archipelago to restore law and order in Mukah and its surrounding coastal areas. The Meranaus from the Mindanao island enlisted in the expedition against the invading Ibans were expert sea-farers and skilled craftsmen. They came in their big war-boats with the Brunei Sultan's forces and defeated the Ibans in one of the greatest war waged by the Brunei Sultan against the Iban invaders.Recognising their boat-building skills,fighting skills,strength and loyalty to their leader,the Brunei Sultan allowed the Meranau Leader and his forces to stay and protect the local inhabitants from further invader attacks in the Sultan's territories.Word then spread of the mighty fighting skills of the Meranaus and as peace reigned once more,the Meranau saviors were well accepted by the local ethnic groups and they slowly settled down through marriages with the local inhabitants. The majority of the sea-farers settled down with the Kayan-kenyah dwellers. The Chinese traders were able to trade again and the sago industry went on to be the top Brunei export to the world. The Chinese traders coming back to Mukah learned that the peace was due to the`Meranau sea-farers' who had came to help the Sultan and successfully quelled the disturbances. Their original settlements were on the Sarawak coast between Bintulu and Sarikei, in what is now Mukah Division.The Chinese then knew Mukah as `Muka' and perhaps when they tried to remember the Meranau, they pronounced them as `Melanau'.The current Melanaus in Sarawak do have similarities to the Phillipinos and Kayan-Kenyah both in dialects and their physique/looks.There are some words in Tagalog and Kayan-Kenyah dialects which are the same as the Melanaus.The Melanau are mostly peasant farmers,fishermen and hunters,all in one. They are not shifting cultivators like some other ethnic groups. The Melanaus are now well-known as boat-builders,fishermen, hunters and craftsmen.Perhaps the sea-faring Meranaus left their boat-building and fishing skills to the present Melanaus and so do the Kayan-kenyah hunters, who also left their hunting, handicrafts and weaving skills to the Melanaus. Mindanao is the second largest and easternmost island in the Philippines. ... Bintulu is a coastal town, and the capital of the Bintulu District (7,220. ... Website: http://www. ... Mukah Division is the tenth of the eleven administrative divisions in Sarawak, east Malaysia, on the island of Borneo. ...

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] Mukah is a town, and the capital of the Mukah District (2,536 square kilometers) in Mukah Division, Sarawak, east Malaysia. ... Dalat (pop. ... In Yoruba mythology, Oya, is the Goddess of the Niger River. ... Bintulu is a coastal town, and the capital of the Bintulu District (7,220. ... Location in Malaysia Coordinates: Country Malaysia State Sarawak Establishment Local Authority (Granted city status in 2005) Government  - Mayor Dato Wee Han Wen Area  - City 4,707. ...

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] In its most general sense, the term Animism refers to belief in souls (anima is Latin for soul): in this sense, animism is present in nearly all religions, including religions such as Christianity that see souls as distinct from bodies and as limited to humans. ... There is also a collection of Hadith called Sahih Muslim A Muslim (Arabic: مسلم, Persian: Mosalman or Mosalmon Urdu: مسلمان, Turkish: Müslüman, Albanian: Mysliman, Bosnian: Musliman) is an adherent of the religion of Islam. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Wycliffe Tyndale · Luther · Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Pope · Archbishop of Canterbury Patriarch of Constantinople Christianity Portal This box:      A Christian () is a...

Notable Melanau people

1. Abdul Taib Mahmud (also known as Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud) — The fourth and current longest serving Chief Minister of Sarawak
2. Abdul Rahman Yaakub (aka Tun Abdul Rahman Yaakub) — The third Chief Minister of Sarawak, who preceded the current Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud and the Fourth TYT (Governor) of Sarawak.
3. Abang Salehuddin Abang Barieng (aka Tun Salehuddin) — The fifth and current TYT of Sarawak
4. Mohd Effendi Norwawi (aka Dato Seri Effendi Norwawi) — Minister in The Prime Minister Department (Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's administration)
5. Leo Michael Toyad (aka Datuk Dr Leo Michael Toyad) — Ex-Federal Minister
6. Wahab Dollah (aka Datuk Wahab Dollah) — Member of Parliament
7. Sulaiman Abdul Rahman Taib — the son of Abdul Taib Mahmud. Corporate figure
8. Yusuf Hadi (aka Datu Prof. Dr. Yusuf Hadi) — Academician UNIMAS
9. Sulaiman Hanapi (aka Prof. Dr.Sulaiman Hanapi) - Academician UNIMAS
10. Rashid Abdullah (aka Datuk Prof. Dr Rashid Abdullah) -Academician UNIMAS
11. Len Talip Salleh (aka Datu Len Salleh) — Forestry Expert (STIDC Sarawak)
12. Aloysius Dris (aka Datuk Aloysius Dris)- Director,Sarawak Tourism Board
13. Hamid Sepawi (aka Datuk Hamid Sepawi) - Corporate Leader
14. Len Bubat - Melanau Song Composer/Producer (First Melanau Original Song Album 2002)
15. 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 Pehin Sri Dr. Haji Abdul Taib bin Mahmud (born 21 May 1936 in Miri, Sarawak, Malaysia) is the current Chief Minister of Sarawak of Melanau descent. ... Dato Seri Mohd Effendi bin Norwawi is a current Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department. ... Sulaiman Abdul Rahman Taib Sulaiman Abdul Rahman Taib or YBhg. ...

References

1. ^ Melanau Gordon, Raymond G., Jr. (ed.), 2005. Ethnologue: Languages of the World, Fifteenth edition. Dallas, Tex.: SIL International. Online version
2. ^ Stephen, Edward Subeng (26 April 2003) "Ten of Thousands Expected for Kaul Celebration in Mukah" Bernama The Malaysian National News Agency;

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Ethnic groups in Malaysia

Nationwide

Banjarese • Malay • Chinese • Indian • Bugis • Eurasian • Javanese Image File history File links Flag_of_Malaysia. ... Demographics of Malaysia is diverse. ... Banjar (or Banjarese) is the name of an interior and coastal native ethnic group which settled in the Banjar region and in Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, Indonesia, the fourth biggest city on the island of Borneo. ... // Tunku Abdul Rahman - First Prime Minister of Malaysia Abdul Razak - Second Prime Minister of Malaysia Abdullah Ahmad Badawi - Fifth Prime Minister of Malaysia Leftenan Adnan - military Hussein Onn - Third Prime Minister of Malaysia Mahathir bin Mohamad - Fourth Prime Minister of Malaysia Najib Tun Razak - Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia Parameswara... The Bugis are the most numerous of the three major linguistic and ethnic groups of South Sulawesi, the southwestern province of Sulawesi, Indonesias third largest island. ...

Peninsular Malaysia

Baba Nyonya • Malaccan Portuguese • Chitty • Malaysian Siam • Minangkabau • Orang Asli Peranakan, Baba-Nyonya () and Straits Chinese (; named after the Straits Settlements) are terms used for the descendants of the very early Chinese immigrants to the Nusantara region, including both the British Straits Settlements of Malaya and the Dutch-controlled island of Java among other places, who have partially adopted Malay... The Kristang or Cristão people are an ethnic group of people, mostly in Malacca (Malaysia) and Singapore. ... The Chitty caretaker of the Chitty museum. ... Malaysian Siam are Malaysian people with Siamese origin/ ancestry. ... The Minangkabau ethnic group (also known as Minang or Padang) is indigenous to the highlands of West Sumatra, in Indonesia. ... Orang Asli is a general term used for any indigenous groups that are found in Peninsular Malaysia. ...

Sarawak

Bidayuh • Bisaya • Bukitan • Iban • Lun Bawang • Kayan • Kedayan • Kelabit • Kenyah • Melanau • Penan • Punan • Selako • Ukit The Bidayuh (formerly known as Land D(a)yak) is one of the main indigenous ethnic groups now settled in areas of southwest Sarawak and the adjacent areas of west Kalimantan. ... The Bisaya are an indigenous people of northwestern Borneo, in Malaysia, concentrated around the Limbang river in northern Sarawak state. ... Bukitan (also known as Baketan) is small tribe living the state of Sarawak, East Malaysia. ... The Ibans are a branch of the Dayak peoples of Borneo. ... The Lun Bawang is of a Dayak tribe found in Central Borneo. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The Kedayan are an ethnic group residing in Brunei, Labuan, Sabah, and parts of Sarawak on the island of Borneo. ... The Kelabit, who have close ties to the Lun Bawang, are an indigenous race of the Sarawak highlands--the remotest and highest of Borneos mountains. ... The Kenyah are an indigenous peoples of Borneo, living in the remote Baram and Belaga regions in Sarawak, Malaysia and Kalimantan, Indonesia. ... The Penan are a nomadic aboriginal people living in Sarawak. ... Punan is an ethnic group distinct or a minority ethnic here in Sarawak specially, unrelated to the Penan and also the other so called Punan found both in Sarawak and Kalimantan part of Borneo. ... Selako is a branch of Dayak people from the Borneo island. ... The Ukit is a tribe found in Sarawak, Borneo. ...

Sabah

Bajau • Brunei • Dusun • Ida'an • Kadazan • Lotud • Murut• Orang Sungai • Rungus • Suluk The Bajau are an indigenous ethnic group residing in Sabah, eastern Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, the Philippines and parts of Sarawak. ... Dusun is the name of a tribe or ethnic and linguistic group in the Malaysian state of Sabah. ... The Idaan are an ethnic group of Borneo, residing primarily in the Lahad Datu, Kinabatangan, and Sandakan districts on the east coast of Sabah, Malaysia. ... The Kadazan is the largest ethnic group in Sabah (a state in Malaysia) making up about one third of the population. ... The Lotud are an indigenous ethnic group residing in Sabah, eastern Malaysia on the island of Borneo. ... The Murut are an indigenous ethnic group inhabiting northern inland regions of Borneo. ... This article needs translation. ... The Rungus are an ethnic group of Borneo, residing primarily in northern Sabah in the area surrounding Kudat. ... The Suluk, also known as Tao Sug, originated from the island of Sulu in the Philippines. ...