CHAPTER V 



THE SOCIAL SYSTEM 



The Kayans constitute a well-defined and homo- 

 geneous tribe or people. Although their villages 

 are scattered over a wide area, the Kayan people 

 everywhere speak the same language and follow 

 the same customs, have the same traditions, beliefs, 

 rites, and ceremonies. Such small differences as 

 they present from place to place are hardly greater 

 than those obtaining between the villagers of ad- 

 joining English counties. Although communication 

 between the widely separated branches of the 

 people is very slight and infrequent, yet all are 

 bound together by a common sentiment for the 

 tribal name, reputation, tradition, and customs. 

 The chiefs keep in mind and hand down from 

 generation to generation the history of the migra- 

 tions of the principal branches of the tribe, the 

 names and genealogies of the principal chiefs, and 

 important incidents affecting any one branch. At 

 least fifteen sub-tribes of Kayans, each bearing a 

 distinctive name, are recognised.^ The word Umay 

 which appears in the names of each group, means 

 village or settlement, and it seems probable that 



^ The sub-tribes are the following: — Uma Pliau, Uma Poh, Uma Semuka, 

 Uma Paku, and Uma Bawang, chiefly in the basin of the Baram ; in the 

 Rejang basin — the Uma Naving, Uma Lesong, Uma Daro ; in the Bintulu 

 basin — the Uma Juman ; in the Batang Kayan — the Uma Lekan ; in the 

 Kapuas — the Uma Ging ; the Uma Belun, the Uma Blubo scattered in 

 several river-basins ; and one other group in the Madalam river, and one in 

 the Koti. 



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