Melanau people

Not to be confused with Maranao people or Melanesians.

  • Melanau people
  • Tenawan Melanau / A-likou
A-Likou
Total population
125,581 (2020 census)[1]
Regions with significant populations
 Malaysia
(Sarawak)
Languages
Religion
Islam 70%, Christianity 18%, Animism 12%[2]
Related ethnic groups

Melanau (Malay: Orang Melanau, Melanau: Tenawan Melanau) or A-Likou (meaning River people in Mukah dialect) is an ethnic group indigenous to Sarawak, Malaysia. They are among the earliest settlers[3] of Sarawak. They speak the Melanau language, which is a part of the North Bornean branch of Malayo-Polynesian languages.

  1. ^ "KEY FINDINGS POPULATION AND HOUSING CENSUS OF MALAYSIA 2020" (PDF). selangor.gov.my. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
  2. ^ "The Melanau". JourneyMalaysia.
  3. ^ 'The Report: Sarawak 2008 Oxford Business Group, 2008