Kendayan Dayak and Land Dayak

Abstract

It is far from easy to obtain an insight into the linguistic geography of Indonesian Western Borneo. For the largest part of this area data are very scarce; moreover, they occasionally refer to a situation which lies already a century behind us. And we may take it for granted that the process of extension of those languages which resemble Malay — both structurally and as regards their vocabulary — at the expense of earlier languages, a process already referred to in ancient reports (97), must have created a completely different situation in the course of time. We have the impression that there is a great deal of truth in the statement by Von Kessel (98), that beside in Southern Sarawak, also in Sambas, Landak, Tayan and Sanggau the tribes which belong to what he calls “the Northwestern race” spoke a mainly identical language. From the vocabulary he published it is clear that the language of the tribes of these regions is identical with the language usually called Land Dayak by the British. If we possessed more recent data than we actually do, it might well become apparent that the area covered by Land Dayak in Indonesian Borneo is even larger than we are inclined to assume at present. Perhaps Elam’s statement that most of the Land Dayak are to be found in Indonesian Borneo would also be confirmed in that case (99).