Orang Ulu ("people of the interior" in Malay) is an ethnic designation politically coined to group together roughly 27 very small but ethnically diverse tribal groups in northeastern

Sarawak Sarawak (; ) is a state of Malaysia. The largest among the 13 states, with an area almost equal to that of Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak is located in northwest Borneo Island, and is bordered by the Malaysian state of Sabah to the northeast, ...

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

with populations ranging from less than 300 persons to over 25,000 persons. ''Orang Ulu'' is not a legal term, and no such racial group exists or is listed in the

n Constitution. The term was popularised by the Orang Ulu National Association (OUNA), which was formed in 1969. The Orang Ulu tribal groups are diverse, they typically live in

longhouse A longhouse or long house is a type of long, proportionately narrow, single-room building for communal dwelling. It has been built in various parts of the world including Asia, Europe, and North America. Many were built from timber and often rep ...

s elaborately decorated with murals and woodcarvings. They are also well known for their intricate

beadwork Beadwork is the art or craft of attaching beads to one another by stringing them onto a thread or thin wire with a sewing or beading needle or sewing them to cloth. Beads are produced in a diverse range of materials, shapes, and sizes, and vary b ...

detailed

tattoo A tattoo is a form of body modification made by inserting tattoo ink, dyes, and/or pigments, either indelible or temporary, into the dermis layer of the skin to form a design. Tattoo artists create these designs using several tattooing ...

s, rattan weaving, and other tribal crafts. The Orang Ulu tribes can also be identified by their unique music - distinctive sounds from their

sapes Sapes ( el, Σάπες) is a town and a former municipality in the Rhodope regional unit, East Macedonia and Thrace, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Maroneia-Sapes, of which it is the seat and a munic ...

, a plucked boat-shaped lute, formerly with two strings, nowadays usually with four strings. They also practice ''Kanjet'', a form of traditional dance. A vast majority of the Orang Ulu tribes are

Christians Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words '' Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ ...

, but old traditional religions are still practiced in some areas.

Orang Ulu classification

There are about 27 small

Dayak people The Dayak (; older spelling: Dajak) or Dyak or Dayuh are one of the native groups of Borneo. It is a loose term for over 200 riverine and hill-dwelling ethnic groups, located principally in the central and southern interior of Borneo, each w ...

groups that are classified as Orang Ulu such as:- * ''

Apo Kayan people The Apo Kayan people are one of the Dayak people groups that are spread throughout Sarawak of Malaysia, East Kalimantan and North Kalimantan of Indonesia. The earliest Apo Kayan people are from the riverside of the Kayan River, Bulungan Regency ...

'' **

Kenyah people The Kenyah people are an indigenous, Austronesian-speaking people of Borneo, living in the remote Baram Lio Matoh, Long Selaan, Long Moh, Long Anap, Long Mekaba, Long Jeeh, Long Belaong, Long San, Long Silat, Long Tungan, Data Kakus ...

*** Kajang **** Kajaman **** Lahanan **** Sian ***

Penan The Penan are a nomadic indigenous people living in Sarawak and Brunei, although there is only one small community in Brunei; among those in Brunei half have been converted to Islam, even if only superficially. Penan are one of the last such pe ...

*** Sebop **

Kayan people (Borneo) Being an indigenous tribe in Borneo, the Kayan people are similar to their neighbours, the Kenyah tribe, with which they are grouped together with the Bahau people under the Apo Kayan people group. The Kayan people are categorised as a part ...

** Kendayan ** Ukit people *

Murut people The Murut are an indigenous ethnic group, comprising 29 sub-ethnic groups inhabiting the northern inland regions of Borneo. The Murutic languages are a family of half a dozen closely related Austronesian languages. The Murut can be found mainl ...

** Tagol *

Punan Punan Bah or Punan is an ethnic group found in Sarawak, Malaysia and in Kalimantan, Indonesia. The Punan Bah people are distinct and unrelated to the semi-nomadic Penan people. Their name stems from two rivers along the banks of which they hav ...

** Lisum * ''Apo Duat'' **

Kelabit people The Kelabit are an indigenous Dayak people of the Sarawak/North Kalimantan highlands of Borneo with a minority in the neighbouring state of Brunei. They have close ties to the Lun Bawang. The elevation there is slightly over 1,200 meters. ...

***Berawan **** Kiput **

Lun Bawang The Lun Bawang (formerly known as Trusan Murut or Southern Murut) is an ethnic group found in Central Northern Borneo. They are indigenous to the southwest of Sabah (Interior Division), and the northern region of Sarawak (Limbang Division), high ...

Sa'ban people The Sa'ban, Sa'baan or Saban people, are an indigenous Dayak people of Sarawak, Malaysia and East Kalimantan, Indonesia. They are categorised under the Orang Ulu groups in Malaysia and have a close ties with the Kelabit people. With a popu ...

Notable people

Baru Bian Baru Bian (born 9 September 1958) is a Malaysian politician. He has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Selangau since May 2018 and Member of the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Ba'kelalan since April 2011. He also had se ...

References

External links

Orang Ulu at Visiting Longhouses

Orang Ulu at Virtual Malaysia

Punan Community website
{{Asia-ethno-group-stub Indigenous peoples of Southeast Asia Dayak people

Orang Ulu classification

Notable people

See also

References

External links