THE KENYAH AND THEIR MUSIC
Introduction:
The Kenyah are an indigenous group dwelling in the mountainous plateau region and the upper reaches of four major rivers of Borneo (Baram and Balui rivers in Sarawak, and the Kayan and Mahakam rivers in Kalimantan). Despite living in relative isolation, mainly as subsistence farmers and migrating numerous times over the past two centuries, they have nurtured refined forms of the performing arts. Among these art forms are the music of the sape and a sophisticated choral singing tradition featuring homophonic harmony.
