Murut people
The Murut are an indigenous people of Malaysia's Sabah state. They live in the interior of northern Borneo, especially in the districts of Keningau, Tenom and Nabawan Pensiangan, along the rivers and Sapulut Padas. Murut can be translated as mountain people.
The Murut are divided into two subgroups, the Tagol ( plains) and Timugon (Highlands). They speak Murutsprachen, which belong to the Austronesian language family. The Tagol Murut serves as a common language.
Way of life
The Murut were the last of Sabah's peoples who abandoned headhunting. Similar to the Iban in Sarawak, gathering heads of the enemies in the animistic beliefs of the Murut played a major role. A man could only marry for example, when he least could produce a head of his future wife's family.
The Murut operate slash-and- build mountain rice and tapioca to. Your diet to supplement it by hunting with the blowpipe and occasional fish. They live in community longhouses, usually near a river, which they use as a thoroughfare. Many have adopted a fundamentalist Christianity, which has led to some losses in their customs.
The traditional clothing of the men consists of a jacket made from the bark of the breadfruit tree ( Artocarpus Tamaran ), a red loincloth and one with the feathers of the Argus pheasant ( Argusianus argus ) decorated headdress. The women wear a black sleeveless blouse and sarong, which extends below the knees. Like most other indigenous peoples of Sabah Murut adorn their clothing with beaded jewelry patterns and adjust belt of silver coins forth. Another type belt that was made of reddish-brown glass beads and yellow and blue beads is worn loosely around the waist.
The wedding celebrations of the Murut can take several days. Ancient Chinese vases or jars occupy a significant place in their customs. Vases are also regarded as the place of ghosts and larger were formerly used as coffins.
Murut of Sarawak
The term Murut is sometimes also used for another ethnic group of Borneo, namely the mainly living in Sarawak Lun Bawang. However, since they have nothing in common culturally and historically with the Murut of Sabah, is gone increasingly adept in the recent past, no longer to use the term for them, but to call it only as Lun Bawang. Nevertheless, this makes for occasional confusion.