Orang Ulu, Sarawak

About Orang Ulu

Orang Ulu is a tribe in Sarawak. In fact it is an umbrella term that groups about 27 disparate minor tribes of Sarawak. The name Orang Ulu, which means "remote people" is not a racial group. Among the component tribes are as listed below:

Kayan Kelabit Kenyah Klemantan Lun Bawang Punan Ukit Penan The name Orang Ulu is adopted by these minor tribes when they formed the Orang Ulu National Association in 1969. In June 2009, there was a proposal to rename the Orang Ulu as Lun Daya, but this proposal was rejected by prominent Orang Ulu leaders as well as many within the various components tribes.

The Orang Ulu live in the interiors of Sarawak. They make up 5.5 % of the state's population. The Kelabit and the Lun Bawang live in the highlands such as at the Kelabit Highlands near Kalimantan. Apart from the Penan, most of the Orang Ulu tribes are no longer nomadic, having made homes, usually on stilts and beside rivers. The longhouse of the Orang Ulu stand on tall stilts that can be as high as 30 feet above ground. The columns are made of hardwood such as berlian. A flight of ladder made of notched logs lead to a common platform. From here, doors leads to individual units, one per nuclear family comprising the parents and children.

Due to the loose grouping of Orang Ulu, different tribes may have specific characteristics unique to them. To learn more about the different tribes, please click to enter the individual pages of the tribes listed above.

Orang Ulu longhouse, Sarawak Cultural Village (2 October 2004)


Interior of the Orang Ulu longhouse (2 October 2004)

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