Miriek people (, Miriek: ''Jatti Miriek''), also spelled Meirek or Mirek are an

Austronesian Austronesian may refer to: *The Austronesian languages *The historical Austronesian peoples The Austronesian people, sometimes referred to as Austronesian-speaking peoples, are a large group of peoples who have settled in Taiwan, maritime Sout ...

ethnic group indigenous to

Miri Miri () is a coastal city in north-eastern Sarawak, Malaysia, located near the border of Brunei, on the island of Borneo. The city covers an area of , located northeast of Kuching and southwest of Kota Kinabalu. Miri is the second largest ...

in eastern Sarawak, Malaysia. They are the autochthonous people of the city of

and its surrounding areas.

Origins

According to Miriek folk story, the Mirieks originated from the territories of

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

around Kayan river between modern day

Kalimantan Kalimantan (; ) is the Indonesian portion of the island of Borneo. It constitutes 73% of the island's area, and consists of the provinces of Central Kalimantan, East Kalimantan, North Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, and West Kalimantan. The non-Ind ...

and Sarawak. The territorial expansion of the Kayans caused the Mirieks to migrate northwards into areas of Baram river before settled around Miri river (''Likoh Miraik'') on the northeastern coast of Sarawak in what is now modern day city of Miri.

Culture

Culturally, the Mirieks have close ties with their Malay neighbours and share many similar cultures and lifestyle, which is why the Mirieks are originally classified as Malays and were only recognized as a distinct ethnic group by the Sarawakian government in 2022. They are traditionally farmers and fishermen with strong ties to the land of Miri before rapid urbanization of the city due to the discovery of oil. The rapid urbanization of Miri caused the traditional lands of Miriek people becoming more threatened by developers.

Languages

The Miriek language (''Tuttot Miriek'') belongs to the Berawan-Lower Baram branch of the Austronesian language family and is closely related to

Berawan Berawan is an Austronesian language spoken in eastern Sarawak, Malaysia. Dialects # Lakiput # Narom # Lelak # Dali # Miri long teran # Belait # Tutong # Long Terawan # Long Tutoh # Mulu Caves Distribution # Baram (Tutoh-Tinjar) # Batu Bela ( ...

and Tutong languages. The language is considered endangered as younger generations prefer to speak Malay as their main language. There are efforts to revitalize the usage of Miriek and several books have been published in the language such as ''Bup Iddeh Itai'' and ''Panduan Bercakap Bahasa Jatti Miriek''.

Religion

Miriek people traditionally adhere to Sunni Islam due to its historical contacts with the Malay Sultanate of Brunei and played an important role in their ethnic identity. The Islamic elements of Miriek people can be seen in their clothes, culture and arts.

Ethnic subroups

There are two ethnic subgroups within Miriek people that is; * Miriek Bahut - Historically the Bahut Mirieks did not practiced mixed marriages and often live within their communities. * Miriek Permaisuri - according to a local folktale, Permaisuri Mirieks are said to be the descendants of a Bahut Miriek woman named Timah and Tahir who is the son of Ratu Permaisuri from

Sulawesi Sulawesi ( ), also known as Celebes ( ), is an island in Indonesia. One of the four Greater Sunda Islands, and the List of islands by area, world's 11th-largest island, it is situated east of Borneo, west of the Maluku Islands, and south of Min ...

. They are more open to mix marriages with other ethnic groups which surrounds them. The main difference between these two groups is mainly historical and today there is hardly any distinction between them.

References

External links

{{Ethnic groups in Malaysia Ethnic groups in Sarawak Austronesian peoples