(This glossary of wedding-related Kayan terms has been compiled from information obtained in the Adet Kayan-Kenyah 1994, Majlis Adat Istiadat Sarawak, and from interviews with various Kayan community members)
Agung:a type of brass gong which is shallow, with a flat surface and a small knob in the centre; it is considered to be a valuable and prestigious item, used in significant social transactions such as settling the bride price and resolving disputes.
Amin:a room or an apartment unit in the longhouse containing all members of a household and their belongings.
Atep hawa (or Atep doh):engagement tokens given by the man to the woman to denote and confirm their engagement.
Bah':male loincloth beautifully decorated with beads.
Bakin:a spear made from temehah with a sharp pointed end of metal; it is one of the items used in significant social transactions such as settling the bride price and resolving disputes.
Basong:a blouse constituting the top part of the bride's wedding attire.
Beliling jaya:full moon.
Bilang inu':a sash worn across the chest, as part of the bride's wedding attire.
Bura':rice wine.
Butit halap:2/3 moon.
Dara atep doh:the period of wedding engagement.
Dapi:packets of meat wrapped in leaves.
Dayong:a female shaman who is usually responsible for performing various ceremonial rites at the longhouse.
Dinuh:traditional Kayan rice "cake" which is deep-fried.
Dipen:in the olden days the slaves owned by the Maren constituted the Dipen, the lowest class in the overall Kayan social stratification; the position of slave was traditionally hereditary. This particular social class does not exist anymore in present times.
Hong inu:a sunhat usually decorated with traditional Kayan motifs, and sometimes also including feathers, used as engagement token, as marriage gift, and for other important social transactions.
Inu (as in Inu pa'un, Inu beranei):a bead or beads used as engagement token, as marriage gift and for other social transactions.
Jai:demands made during the wedding ceremony when the couple is stopped or blocked by the bride's family along the way back to the bride's amin.
Jako':traditional cigarettes made from wild jungle tobacco rolled in dry wild banana leaves. These cigarettes can only be prepared by the women of the longhouse.
Je't tesa':a belt that forms part of the bride's wedding attire.
Kaja amin:marriage gifts to the bride's family from the groom's family after the wedding, when the groom first brings the bride into his own amin.
Kelebit:a wooden shield decorated with traditional Kayan motifs and designs.
Ketubong surat:a particular type of black or green bead.
Kivan:marriage gifts to the bride's family from the groom's family after the wedding, when she takes up permanent residence with the groom's family.
Ladong:wooden bench.
Lavang:a particular type of opaque yellow bead, usually very old.
Lavung dok:male headgear decorated with beads, animal hair and hornbill feathers (it may sometimes also include peacock and ostrich feathers).
Lavung se' doh':female headgear decorated with beads and animal hair.
Lukut (as in Lukut bla, Lukut halo', Lukut sekala'):the name of a special class of beads, used as engagement token, as marriage gift and for other social transactions.
Malat:a multi-purpose working knife, commonly known in Sarawak as "parang", used as marriage gift or in other social transactions; it is also an item usually given by the offender to the injured party as payment or fine for a breach of customs.
Malat buk:a ceremonial sword, commonly known in Sarawak as "parang ilang", used as marriage gift or in other social transactions; it is also an item usually given by the offender to the injured party as payment or fine for a breach of customs.
Manuk tingang:hornbill.
Maren:the highest stratum in the overall Kayan social stratification; the Maren are considered as the upper ruling class of the longhouse.
Maren Uk (or Hipui):the stratum immediately below the ruling Maren class in the overall Kayan social stratification; the Maren Uk are considered as the "lower aristocrats" or "middle class" of the longhouse.
Maren Uma:the headman of the longhouse.
Mebang:a small brass gong.
Melah sapet:short engagement solemnisation ceremony officiated by the Maren Uma.
Musit:crescent moon.
Ne'na':songs filled with stories, advice, requests, blessings, hopes and praises, sung by women at various stages of the wedding ceremony.
Ngivan:the taking up of a residence by the newly-married couple, either with the bride's family or with the groom's family, depending on the outcome of Pekivan.
Panyin:the stratum below the "middle class" Maren Uk in the overall Kayan social stratification; the Panyin are considered as the "commoners" of the longhouse.
Pehelut jaki:the process whereby a couple to be married is temporarily separated if a bad omen is detected during the Te' kaka ritual.
Pekivan:the decision-making process which determines where the post-marital residence should be, that is either with the bride's family or with the groom's family.
Pelah hawa:the solemnisation of a marriage by the Maren Uma.
Peng' hud:a traditional decoration made from the process of shaving wood from the rubber tree.
Peteng doh:a man's formal request for a woman's hand in marriage.
Pitoh:rice "cake" made using sugar, sticky glutinous rice flour and rice flour.
Ruai:open corridor of the longhouse.
Sang:yellow bamboo leaves to wrap food.
Sape:a guitar-liked instrument.
Selapa':an offering of betel nuts and leaves to the groom by the bride's representatives during the wedding process.
Selukong:glutinous rice wrapped in yellow bamboo leaves in a triangular shape.
Sip:a type of palm leaves known in Malay as daun nyirik.
Sunong:a war jacket made of goat skin and decorated with hornbill feathers; the jacket is also decorated with beads of particular patterns (especially snakefish, dragon or tiger) and completed with a seashell. It is used as engagement token or as marriage gift.
Ta'a:long skirt constituting the bottom part of the bride's wedding attire.
Tabin:a seat mat decorated with an intricate bead design, usually used by the groom during the wedding process.
Tapai kanen:cooked rice wrapped in palm leaves.
Tawak:a type of brass gong which is deep and has a prominent knob in the centre; it is considered to be a valuable and prestigious item, used in significant social transactions such as settling the bride price and resolving disputes.
Te' kaka:in the olden days, a ritual conducted during the wedding ceremony requiring the couple to go into the forest to collect firewood.
Tebara:literally means advice or giving advice.
Temehah:a particular type of hardwood commonly known in Sarawak as "kayu ara".
Uma jako':a wooden structure (which can be passed from generation to generation and re-used in other weddings) usually decorated with jako'.
Uma pitoh:a doll-house structure decorated with pitoh.