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PREFACE.
The language of the so-called Sea Dyaks of Sarawak is a dia-
lect of the wide spreading Malay language intermixed with words
borrowed from Kayan and, it is surmised, other primitive Bornean
races with whom the Dyaks have come in contact.
It cannot yet be said that the language is that of a Nation.
It is the language of a number of tribes who may be conveniently
grouped as follows : —
i (Balau. o (Saribas. ^BatangAi.
^Undup. ~ j Skarang. (Lemanak.
(Sabuyau. (UluAi.
4 (Bugau. ^Engkal^i [ see Daya ].
These different tribes are, with the exception of the Saribas and
Bugau, inhabitants of the Batang Lupar River and its tributaries,
and from these tributaries they mostly derive their tribal names
such as Sabuyau, Lemanak, Skarang, Undup. It is however ne-
cessary to state that in recent years some of these tribes have so
increased and spread beyond their ancient limits that there are
now said to be as many, if not more, Dyaks living in the Rejang
river than in the whole Second Division (a tract of land which with
the Batang Lupar includes the Saribas and Kalaka rivers and the
area drained by these three rivers).
Each of these tribes has some peculiarities of dialect, and some
make use of words quite unknown to other tribes, but we doubt
if these peculiarities are as striking as the difference between the
speech of a man from Yorkshire and one from Sussex.
The Balau Dyaks, who derive their tribal name from a ridge
of low hills about twenty-five miles up the Batang Lupar river,
have adopted many words in common use by the Malays and this
is not to be wondered at when we call to mind that about half a
century ago large numbers of this tribe were gathered together and
lived with many Malays upon Banting Hill for the sake of mutual
protection against a common foe (Saribas and Skarang Dyaks),
and that they have always lived in close proximity to Malays, and
further that a large portion of the regular force (the Sarawak
Rangers) has been and is still recruited from them. This fact has
also no doubt, in some measure, given an additional impulse to
their “knowledge” of Malay. The Undup Dyaks, who have always
been allied with the Balau tribe in their tribal wars, and who have
frequently intermarried with them, certainly possess less knowledge |
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