Kayau Dance, Traditional Dance From Central Kalimantan

Kayau or mengayau means to cut off the enemy's head. In Central Kalimantan society, especially in Iban Dayak tribe do kayau or mengayau is a traditional ceremony performed as a form of courage, masculinity and also power in protecting the existence of the tribe from the enemy threat. The headwaters used are the mandau weapons, the traditional weapons of the Dayak tribe. Not all people can mengayau, this is because there are rules who are allowed to mengayau.



From generation to generation, the ceremony with rich dance is headed down for the first time by Urang Lindau Lendau Dibiau Takang Isang, a brave man in his day. For those who get the enemy's head, they will be given a brave bachelor degree.



Today the rich dance is part of a ceremonial ceremony that presents the head of a person then replaced by a pig's head. There are three stages in this ceremony mengayau ie deliver offerings to the landscape, the home of Dayak tribal customs, second, down the span is to make headbands against the pig's head and the last is entering a house betang characterized by musical sounds.



In this ceremony, the equipment used is spear, shield, and mandau. In addition, other equipment that supports in this ceremony are big and small gongs, and also offerings. Likewise, for people who will perform this ceremony mengayau must follow the rules, one of the restrictions that must be executed is the pengayau must be clean, the pengayau are in the group and not dispersed and the last one is the offerings that should not be taken or stolen.



The ceremony is a symbol of power, courage, social responsibility, educational value, and awareness that headhunting is a self-protective activity and not a negative activity.