page_title: Lun Bawang
section_title: Origin
hierarchical_section_title: Lun Bawang / Origin
caption_attribution_description: Sarawak: four Trusan Murut tribesmen (left) and Land Dayaks of the Upper Sadong River (right). Photographs. Iconographic Collections Keywords: Tribe; Population Groups; Borneo; Tribal; Charles Hose; Anthropology; Malaysia; Ethnography
context_page_description: The Lun Bawang is an ethnic group found in Central Northern Borneo. They are indigenous to the highlands of North Kalimantan, Brunei, southwest of Sabah and northern region of Sarawak. In the Malaysian state of Sarawak, the Lun Bawang are officially recognised by the Constitution as native of Sarawak and are categorised under the Orang Ulu people; whilst in the neighbouring state of Sabah and Krayan highland in Kalimantan, they are sometimes named Lundayeh or Lun Daye. In Brunei, they are also identified by law as one of the 7 natives of Brunei, through the term Murut. Nevertheless, in Sabah, Kalimantan and Brunei, the term Lun Bawang is gaining popularity as a unifying term for this ethnic across all region. There are also other alternative names such as Lun Lod, Lun Baa' and Lun Tana Luun.
  Lun Bawang people are traditionally agriculturalists and practise animal husbandry such as rearing poultry, pigs and buffaloes. Lun Bawangs are also known to be hunters and fisherman.
context_section_description: The Lun Bawangs made up of one of the ethnic natives that occupied the Borneo Island for centuries. According to Tom Harrisson (1959) and S. Runciman (1960), the Lun Bawang Community is one of the earlier settlers in the mountainous regions of central Borneo and they are related to the Kelabit tribe. Both tribe are linked to a common lineage termed the Apo Duat or "Apad Uat" people, of which Apo Duat is the area consisting of the Krayan highland and Kelabit Highlands.
  One theory suggests that Apo Duat is the homeland of this common ancestor, and that they have expanded out to the coastal area. The migration of these people to the low lands and gradual spreading out might have been spurred by various waves of migration of the Lun Bawang people from different clans. The migration of Lun Bawang people from one clan to a region already inhabited by another clan, causes the latter to move to another region, despite them having similar culture and language. The strong clan identity of the Lun Bawang people is shown by their common tradition of identifying themselves based on their village or geographical location, for example, 'Lun Adang' who once resides the Adang river basin or 'Lun Kemaloh' who comes from the Kemaloh river. 
  One other theory suggests that these Apo Duat people were once natives of old Brunei, but were pushed upriver into the highlands by the invading tribes such as Kayan, Kenyah and Iban people. The ones that remained downriver (Lun Bawang people) were isolated from the ones who migrated to the highlands (Kelabit), causing their culture and language to slightly diverged.
  Another theory, on the other hand, suggests that the migration originated from the opposite side of Borneo (now East Kalimantan). It was suggested that the Apo Duat people were once farmers in the lowlands downstream of Malinau river, living closely with the Tidong people. However, attacks by Muslim raiders (Bugis and Tausug) probably in the 17th century, caused them to migrate to the Krayan highlands, whilst the Tidong people converted to Islam.
  Nevertheless, these theories have yet to be proven and there are no substantial evidence to trace the origin of the Lun Bawang people or to prove any of these theories.
caption: Four Lun Bawang tribesman from Sarawak, previously called Trusan Muruts, photos taken by ethnologist Charles Hose in 1896.
exif: {"Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)"}