I love “it” when people ask me, “Where are you from?”. I would always say I am from Sarawak, but I’m also mixed Sabahan, my mother is also mixed — she’s mixed Iban and Dusun, while my father is Bidayuh, so that makes me Bidayuh, Iban, and Dusun. The following question would always strike me so deep, I could not help but feel ashamed. “Do you speak any of those languages?” I was not just silent but SILENCED. I mean, I understand those languages to a very large extent, but I do not speak a single word of them and that still does not answer the question. I may have ‘a lot of mix’ but I am a Bidayuh at heart and also my birth certificate apparently. My identity has always been shaped by both personal experience and state classification. Although I am mixed Iban, Dusun, and Bidayuh my birth certificate lists me only as Bidayuh — a label that simplifies and undermines the other parts of my heritage. This system of identification shapes how I present myself; I would just say I am Bidayuh because what is on the certificate is what people usually want to hear. I was born in Sarawak, raised by my grandmother who spoke little Malay and cared for by my aunt who used Bidayuh at home — my daily life reflected Bidayuh culture more than Dusun or Iban influences. My upbringing highlights how language operates as a crucial marker of cultural identity. While I was surrounded by Bidayuuh speech in my childhood, I’ve noticed that its use is declining among younger generations. This connects to broader conversations about linguistic and cultural revitalisation, the efforts that seek to protect not only a mode of communication but also a way of life and worldview.

Bidayuh is the common name for some indigenous groups in Sarawak, Malaysia and West Kalimantan, Indonesia, on the Borneo. Originally, when Sarawak was ruled by a hereditary monarchy of the Brooke family, Bidayuh was widely known as Land Dayak for the convenience of the colonisers, but it does not accurately describe the group. Therefore, today, this indigenous group is widely known as Bidayuh, meaning ‘inhabitants of the land’. In Sarawak, the Bidayuh community is mainly concentrated in Kuching, Serian, Bau, and Lundu. Despite sharing the same name ‘Bidayuh’, the language has approximately 25 dialects, like Biatah, Bukar Sadong, Singai, Jagoi, and more. 

The regional variation of Bidayuh makes it difficult to standardize the writing system of the language because this group alone has four major dialects. It was not until 2003 that the Bidayuh language finally had its own orthography, whereas the Iban language had theirs in 1962. A standardized writing system is needed to produce a Bidayuh language dictionary allowing more people to be able to learn the language in school. The standardized orthography of the Iban and Dusun language made it easier for it to be included in the education system as Pupil’s Own Language (POL), and both of the languages can be taken for Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM). In addition, today’s society views English as an obligatory skill to have to climb up the social ladder and economic advancement, making native languages like Bidayuh no longer relevant to be spoken in some households. Globalization has made English the key to education, employment, and global connection. As people strive to succeed in a globalized world, many prioritise learning English, often at the expense of their native languages. Over time, this mindset leads communities to associate progress with English fluency, causing indigenous languages like Bidayuh to fade from everyday use.

One of the parties that is actively participating in the efforts of developing the Bidayuh language is the Dayak Bidayuh National Association (DBNA). DBNA is an association that was introduced in the 1950s aiming to unite the Bidayuhs as they were separated by dialects, distance,  and religions. The founders of this association were afraid that a fragmented Bidayuh Community would allow external entities to easily exploit this community and be left behind in the development. DBNA has come up with revitalising initiatives like Bidayuh Language Development (BLDP) in collaboration with the Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL). DBNA and SIL organised numerous workshops to achieve the aspirations and values like Learning that LASTS (LtL), where they train Bidayuhs to use the language in writing, compiling, publishing, and distributing materials. Besides that, there is also a Curriculum Development Seminar to construct a curriculum and produce teaching and learning materials to introduce the Bidayuh language in schools. 

Besides that, DBNA has signed a contract with UNESCO in 2006 to organize a Multilingual Education (MLE) pilot project to empower Bidayuh children to excel in widely used languages without having to neglect their own language and culture. This project was started at playschools in villages in districts like Bau, Serian, Kuching, and Lundu. The lessons in these playschools are conducted in Bidayuh except Bahasa Melayu, following the logic that Bidayuh children will perform better in their mother tongue while gradually introducing Bahasa Melayu and English as they advance further in their formal education. . First Language-Based Multilingual Education (FLB MLE) supports students by allowing them to learn new concepts through the comfort of their own familiar language and cultural framework, gradually connecting these to new languages and ideas. This approach enables children to develop cognitive and literacy skills using the language they already use for thinking and understanding. It builds upon their existing vocabulary and literacy foundation, then introduces equivalent terms and concepts in a second language.

The revitalization of the Bidayuh language is not merely about communication—it represents the preservation of identity, culture, and heritage. With continued collaboration, education, and community engagement, the Bidayuh language can continue to thrive and strengthen the cultural roots of future generations.

Despite not being able to speak any of my mother tongues, I can speak Bahasa Melayu Sarawak (yes, the ‘kamek kitak’ language). I never learnt it until I was 4 years old, when I started kindergarten, where most of my friends were Malays. I had to learn it to be able to communicate with others. If I can bring myself to learn Bahasa Melayu Sarawak why can’t I do the same with Bidayuh? I would like to thank my late ‘sumbuk’ (means grandmother in Bidayuh Bau) for always speaking in Bidayuh to me despite my replies being in Bahasa Melayu, she trained me to AT LEAST understand the language. Coming to France, made me realize that not even Malaysians ‘know’ that Bidayuh exists, some people would generalize us as ‘Dayak’ which is not wrong but each group has its own customs, languages, and cultural identity. This is one of the reasons I wanted to study overseas. I want people not just Malaysian but people all over the world to know my culture. I want to show them that the people that are deemed as ‘rural’ and ‘underdeveloped’ can go so far in life and achieve so many things. I also want to be an inspiration to the younger generations of Sabah and Sarawak that no matter where we come from, it cannot stop us from standing in the eyes of the world. The world should hear our voices, and witness our capability. 

Sources: 

1. Rensch, C., Rensch, C., Noeb, J., & Sulis, R. (n.d.). The Bidayuh Language Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow Revised and Expanded. https://www.sil.org/system/files/reapdata/14/22/41/142241791248658274840881242401680083100/ebook_33_Bidayuh_6_21_12_rev.pdf
2. ‌Riget, P. N., & Campbell, Y. M. (2020). Examining Language Development and Revitalisation Initiatives. Journal of Modern Languages, 30(1), 101–121. https://doi.org/10.22452/jml.vol30no1.3
3. ‌Dayak Defined And Redefined | Sarawak Tribune. (2023, November 6). New Sarawak Tribune. https://www.sarawaktribune.com/dayak-defined-and-redefined/
4. Smith, J. A., & Smith, J. (2017). Indigenous language development in East Malaysia. International Journal of the Sociology of Language: Language Planning and Multilingual Malaysia, 244, 119-135.
5. Joyik, I. P., Siam, J., Tan, G., Bongarra, M., & Simpson, S. E. (2017). The Bidayuh first language based multilingual education programme. In M. Bongarra, M. Arritt & F. G. Kayad, (Eds.), Selected papers of the Bidayuh language development and preservation project (2003 2017) (pp. 67-78). Kuching, Malaysia: Dayak Bidayuh National Association.