Once a coastal people that originated from West Kalimantan, the Bidayuh are now most numerous in the hill country of Bau and Serian, within an hour's drive from Kuching.

Known as a peace-loving and easy going people, it was their gentleness that so enchanted the first White Rajah. They are also famous for their hospitality. The Bidayuh are reputed to be the best makers of tuak, or rice wine.

But it was because of their mild disposition that the Bidayuh were dislodged by the influx of new tribes. The Bidayuh retreated from the lowlands to seek refuge in the mountainous areas which were easier to defend. They built fortified longhouses which led Europeans to call them "Land Dayaks" to distinguish them from the Iban - the "Sea Dayaks.

The Bidayuhs' meekness belies their headhunting past. In their baruk, a roundhouse that rises about 1.5 metres off the ground, the Bidayuh store their skulls. The baruk also served as a gathering place for when the tribe were under attack.

Although all are of the same ethnic group, the Bidayuh speak a number of different but related dialects that to some extent are mutually intelligible. Some of the Bidayuh still practice traditional religions, but Christian missionaries have made converts among them.