LAKUH
 
Te' hang tam Kayan, usi kah lakuh nih nuno' en tam na awi tekna' dih. Aleng ek kelenghi te' hang tam, dalo' aleng nyanyi na' usi te dalo' nuno' haman metei leken na' alem dahun Kayan, en dalo' nyanyi alem dahun Melayu tua aleng kitak. Aleng ek nyineng, awi jam en tam ala men pantun daha' halok jam Lakuh nih, awi usi dih iha' asen te' itam. Dalo' aleng ek teng, nunan kah pelemana dalo' lahuh. Avin ha' em te' kalung marung anih, ek kuma' itam na Lakuh nih ngioh gaya' pantun, avin nunan gaya' dalo nyanyi na' aleng kitak. Daha' harin tam Kelabit dahin Berawen, te' lim kah Lakuh daha', bi daha' na alem dahun daha' kah, usi daha' nyanyi na' alem dahun halok. Daha' harin tam Kelabit, Lakuh nih awi nyanyi asen te' daha', leken daha' marung hadui-hadui daha' doh en daha' na alem leken Lakuh daha'.

Lakuh is a Kayan poetic singing tradition that may have roots in, or be influenced by, the Malay pantun. Although Lakuh has not been explicitly described in the literature as related to the Malay pantun, it appears, based on my observations, to share similar poetic and performative characteristics. Among the Kayan, Lakuh is performed through singing and is often rendered in Malay. This suggests a possible influence or convergence with the pantun tradition, a connection that remains underexplored in existing scholarship. Comparable forms of Lakuh are also found among other Indigenous communities, such as the Kelabit and Berawan, each with their own locally grounded variations. For example, Lakuh appears in Kelabit oral tradition collections as a short epic song about the deeds of women, normally sung by women in the Kelabit Highlands.