Kayan Language Legacy Project
Short sentences
Kayan-English
Conversation about Kayan migration as told to me by Jau Anyi (Taman Harun):
Asen tam Kayan nih kurin daha', men Kalimantan ha' Indonesia hitih tam nih ney. Ney bulak kurin daha'. Te' kah tavit na' kurin daha' bi itam ney bulak avan tam ilo urip kah aleng lan na' nih pa.
Accordingly, we are said to be originated from Kalimantan in Indonesia. They said we migrated. There were many reasons, but it would seemed we moved here to build new life for ourselves.
Usi itam bulak atih itam pasan daleh, alem daleh Borneo anih loh kah itam te' kereh. Pelitah tam aleng dep areh pa, daleh tam nih daleh Kayan.
It's not that we migrated (to a different country), we are still in Borneo. It's our government(s) that are different, we are in our Kayan country.
Aring tam ney ha' beji hinih, ha' Tubo hitih tam te'. Daha sepun tam menuna' hitih daha' na uma. Bi ney nah daha' bulak ha' beh Telangusan hinih, daha' ney ilo tana avan daha' na luma'.
At the beginning of their migration to this side (of Borneo), our ancestors settled in Tubo (an area in Belaga, Bintulu district). Later they decided to move to this part of the Telangusan (a district in the Baram) to look for fertile land to farm.
Te' kuri-kuri duman itam uh ney bulak ha' Sarawak nih. Te' loh kah daleh tam ha' Kalimantan tih, bi usi nah te' kelunan tam hinih. Awi tam tey ilo daha' ju te' kah kepa, bi usi nah itam nuno' jam la'an avin itam uh dara em te' hitih.
We have migrated here to Sarawak since a long time ago. We still have our country there in Kalimantan, but our people are no longer there. If we did go and look for them, maybe we will find them, but we would not know who because we have not returned for such a long time since.
Usi kah itam nuno' jam lung nuno' tam ney bulak nih avin usi te' kelunan aleng ngalung na' men itam. Uh kahum lepet nah itam aleng bulak anih pa, 4-5 lepet nunan kurik. Daha' aleng dekaya' men itam Kayan ha' Sarawak nih, usi pah daha' lim nuno jam avin nganak hinih lim daha', ure' kah hinan taman, sepun daha' lahuh. Te' kah uk lung-lung kitan daha' bi usi nah daha' nuno hituk. Aleng kurin daha' men'a dih, avin itam ilo tana avan tam na' luma'.
We do not really know the history of our migration because there was no written record of our migration. There would have been many generations ago, perhaps 4-5 generations ago. Those amongst us who are old, our elders, they would not know much as well because they were born here. Their parents too, and even grandparents were born here. They may know some stories, but vaguely. But as I said just now, its was most likely due to their need for fertile land to farm.
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My conversation with Jau Anyi (Taman Harun) about Kayan migration to Sarawak. Lung marung tam bulak ne' ha Sarawak.
Roselind: Ha hino ka' nganak? Where were you born?
Taman Harun: Ha uma dipah, At uma dipah ("uma dipah" means the house on the other side of the river) this is a term for the old longhouse that was built at the opposite side of the river from where the current longhouse is situated).
Roselind: Duman kuri? What year?
Taman Harun: Je'eh. Duman jaka' perang Jepun. Don't really know. Around the time of the Japanese occupation.
Roselind: Kuri nah umun ka' re? How old do you think you are?
Taman Harun: Sayak pulu nunan lo. Maybe 80's
Roselind: Nun lung aleng kitam marung itam Kayan bulak hinih? Do you know any stories about how we migrate here?
Taman Harun: Kurin daha' tih avin kelunan lap jaka' daha' pekayo. They said the people left because of the *civil unrest.
Roselind: Daha' hi pekayo? Who were fighting?
Taman Harun: Daha' kelunan hitih. Te' lung kurin daha' marung nuno tuk itam lap. The people there, then. They had a story about how we left.
Roselind: Nuno lung atih? What is the story?
Taman Harun: Marung pekayo' anan kah. Bi sala leti daho' aleng daha' kelenghi atih.About the fighting (at the time). But they misheard the word.
Roselind: Daho' nun? What word?
Taman Harun: payo' payo' (deer). (They were in fact saying) deer, deer.
Roselind: Payo'?
Taman Harun: Ee. Daha' uli ngaso' pah. Payo' payo' ken daha'. Daha' bara kelan dalo' ngaso' atih. Yes. People were coming back from hunting. They said, payo' payo'. They were telling people they caught payo' (deer).
Roselind: Payo' kelan daha' ngaso' nan pa. Oh I see. They caught payo' (deer) from the hunt.
Taman Harun: Avin piyah daho' atih. Daha' menuna pekayo' kurin daha. Because the sound (of the two words) are similar. In the past, they fought each (ngayo').
Roselind: Payo' dahin ngayo' anan pa. Payo' and ngayo' do sound the same.
Taman Harun: Ee. Jadi saru' nah daha'. Daha' kuma' kelunan ne' ngayo' daha'. Yes, so they were mistaken. They thought the enemy came to hunt/ fight them.
Roselind: Bi daha' kuma daha' ala payo' kum. But actually they were telling people they caught deer.
Taman Harun: Iha' kah. Yes, indeed.
Roselind: Bo nuno nah sekah? So what happened?
Taman Harun: Bei ha' kah daha' tempurung tua lap. Yes, indeed. Everyone scuttered (run) away.
Roselind: Hino' daha' tempurung lap? Where did they run?
Taman Harun: Te' ji jabatan avan daha' tey lawat hunge'. There was one bridge that they use to cross the river.
Roselind: Unge' nun? What river?
Taman Harun: Je'eh. Ji unge' titih kah atih pa. Hunge' Kayan anan kah kurik. I don't know. There was a river there. It might be the Kayan river.
Roselind: Ee. Hunge' Kayan kah anan kurik. Yes. It could be the Kayan river.
Taman Harun: Hunge' Batang Kayan kurin daha'. They say the Batang Kayan river.
Roselind: Nuno nah daha' uh tempurung lawat jabatan anan? What happened when they crossed the bridge?
Taman Harun: Pehile' daha' tih pa. Daha' takut, avin daha' kuma kelunan ney ngayo' daha'. They were fighting to cross the river as they thought the enemy were coming to kill them.
Roselind: Nun jadi te' daha'? What happened to them?
Taman Harun: Kahum daha' tih pa jadi tasa' nah jabatan anan. Legak nah bale' kelunan. Because they were many of them so the bridge couldn't hold them. Some of the people fell in the river.
Roselind: Pasi lan. It's so sad.
Taman Harun: Te' nah bale' aleng lebo dipah hunge' anan, daha' nah aleng ney ha' Sarawak hinih. Some of them who managed to cross to the other side of the river, they were those we came to Sarawak.
Roselind: Daha' anan nah aleng ha' Sarawak kere' nih kum. So these are the people that now settled in Sarawak.
Taman Harun: Ee. Iha' nah itam anih. Daha' sepun tam aleng lawat anan deh. Yes, they were those that came, our ancestors who crossed the river.
Roselind: Te' nah daha' bale' melak ha' Kalimantan hitih yah? So some were left in Kalimantan?
Taman Harun: Daha' anan nah aleng Kayan ha' Kalimantan. They are the Kayan of Kalimantan.
Roselind: Ju te' kah panak tam ha' hitih yah? Do we still have relatives there?
Taman Harun: Ju te' kah pa bi ita' nah em jam avin dara lan nah itam em tey hitih. There might be so, but we won't know them because that was a long time ago.