Kenyah society in transition: a Baram case study
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Date
1977-03
Authors
Hong, Evelyne
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Universiti Sains Malaysia
Abstract
The purpose of the thesis is to examine the traditional
economic, social and political organisation of Uma Usun, a Kenyah
Longhou.se village community on the Baram River in the Fourth Division
of Sarawak, and the transformation of this organisation under
the impact of the communi ty1 s interaction with the modem market
economy. The direct economic effects of this interaction resulted
in a rapid increase intrade and monetisation and the introduction
of new crops and cropping systems, giving rise to changes in village
land use. A major premise in this study is that changes in the
system of production in the village have given rise to important
modifications in the traditional system of social stratification,
political leadership and beliefs related to the socio-cultural pattern
of the Kenyah way of life. Initially the thesis identifies the dominant features of
the traditional economy which was based primarily on swidden a.griculture.
The agricultural processes of the swidden cycle are thus
described. Within the traditional system of production there existed
a system of family labour, cooperative or community labour,
tribute labour, and slave labour which were expressive of certain
economic relations between social groups or classes in the society.
The rights and obligations connected to the labour process were the
basis for the traditional system of social stratification. Differences
in the level of command over the factors of production (mainly land and labo~) also gave rise to the differences in the quantity
of products which different individuals and groups could enjoy.
The aristocrat class, the keta eu, managed to control
the bulk of surplus produced; how this surplus was utilised is
also a subject of investigation. Members of the aristocracy formed
the majority among the kelunan latak, or village council responsible
for the making of the major decisions in the community, such as war,
agriculture and the judiciary process.
The social stratification and leadership system was sustained
by a world view known as Kenyah adet. The thesis attempts
to show how the social organisation was consistent with the basic
economic relations within the society, and how the moral order
was compatible with the economic system of production. ~ comprised
a philosophy of life covering economic, political and religious
aspects and it was the integrative mechanism for all social
interaction. This belief system also encompassed the supernatural
realm, hence constituting for the community a coherent world view
in both secular and sacred terms. This was further reinforced as
traditional Kenyah society was self-contained and insulated, with
trade playing only a minor role in the economic activity of the
village. The study traces changes in the organisation of the Uma
Usun community from the traditional period to the present. It
illustrates the increasing influence of a monetised market system
and the gradual breakdown of ~ as a result. The study deals
with economic, political and socio-cultural change where the traditional s,ystem of organisation is contrasted with the present
s,ystem. The changes that have taken place were mainly under the
catalyst of Brooke and later Colonial rule, and Sarawak 1s entr,y
into Mala:ysia. It was manifested in the introduction of rubber
cultivation and the production of other cash crops which altered
patterns of land use, land ownership, and the labour process.
These economic changes had important ramifying effects on other
aspects of the society, and these are examined in detail in the
thesis.
Description
Keywords
Traditional economic, social and political organisation