Dayak

[ dahy-ak, -uhk ]

noun

, plural Day·aks, (especially collectively) Day·ak.

1. a member of any of several Indigenous, Austronesian-speaking tribal peoples of Sarawak and Indonesian Borneo.

Dayak

/ ˈdaɪæk /

noun

1. a variant spelling of Dyak

Word History and Origins

Origin of Dayak¹

First recorded in 1830–40

Example Sentences

The Dayak peoples are indigenous to the Indonesian part of Borneo, known as Kalimantan.

From National Geographic

Many forest-dwelling Dayak have been fighting to preserve their homes from the encroachment of agriculture and commercial logging.

From National Geographic

We were walking along a trail when the 43-year-old forester stopped and slid a mandau, the machete-like knife carried by the Indigenous Dayak people, from a sheath at his waist.

From National Geographic

The same is true of the Dayak fruit bat, which can only be found in southeast Asia's Sunda Shelf.

From Salon

His family has lived deep in the rainforest for eight generations, and the 62-year-old has been involved in multiple legal actions as the secretary general of the Sarawak Dayak Iban Association, an Indigenous rights group.

From Seattle Times