A paradigm shift: Lun Bawang musical styles - a case study in Lawas District, Limbang Division, Malaysia

Abstract

Lun Bawang literally means "people of the land" or "people of this place" which the Lun Bawang of Sarawak preferred to be called. They are found in four political states in the island of Borneo with an approximate total population around 42,000. They are distributed as follows in East Kalimantan (Kapupaten Bulongan)- 25,000, Brunei (Temburong District)- 300, Sabah (Sipitang District)- 2,000 (Crain: 1978) and approximately 15,154 in Sarawak (Department of Statistics, Malaysia, 2000). In the state of Sarawak, ninety per cent of the total population of the Lun Bawang tribe lived in the Lawas District of Limbang Division. Presently, most of them can be found in Trusan Valley, the Lawas Damit Valley and the Merapok area in Lawas District. The rest are found in mid Lim bang and Mendamit areas in Limbang District, located at the North- west of the island of Borneo. (Fig.1.1 : Map of Sarawak)