Grouping-wise, the Melanaus can be classified into the followings;
- Melanau Mukah
- Melanau Dalat
- Melanau Oya
- Melanau Matu-Daro
- Melanau Belawai-Rajang
- Melanau Rejang
- Melanau Balingian, and
- Melanau Miri.
The largest being the Matu-Daro group. Each group has its own characteristic dialect but they all share the same cultural and lingual background (Exception would be the Melanau Bintulu dialect which can hardly be understood by the rest. Many linguists feel that it hardly fits into the Melanau language grouping). The Melanau languages have been divided in the following eleven dilects: 1)Mukah, 2)Balingian, 3)Oya, 4)Dalat, 5)Matu-Daro, 6)Rajang, 7)Kanowit, 8)Sibu, 9)Bintulu, 10)Seru and 11)Tanjong.[2]
Another Melanau group worth mentioning and inclusion is the Melanau Igan. They live in kampungs by Igan River (example : Kampung Skrang, Kampung Tengah, Kampung Hilir.) that borders the Mukah - (Matu-Daro) district. The main language is Melanau. However some speak local Malay dialect. This group of Melanau is probably all Muslims. They mainly adopt the Malay culture even though some of the Melanau cultures are still being maintained.It's believed that this group was originally Malays who settled in the area. However, mixed intermarriages with the Melanaus over generations produced new generations who considered themselves Melanaus.
Similar to the Igan Melanaus ancestral beginnings, many Melanaus who had migrated to different areas in Sarawak experienced the same transformation. A group of Matu Melanaus settled in Bintawa area in Kuching after World War 2. However their offsprings, even though mostly Melanaus by blood, normally do not speak the language. They are considered as Malays. However as a point of interest, the new secondary school built in Bintawa Kuching in 2007 is named SMK Matu Baru. Many areas in Kuching notably Petra Jaya, Lundu and Santubong do have a significant Melanau population. Miri the oil town, Bintulu the gas town, Sibu the riverine town are also places where there is a significant Melanau population. However the 'Bin' which mean "son of" and 'Binti', meaning "daughter of" factors in all their names (be they are Muslim, Christian or "Likou") had probably confused the census workers (read the following paragraph). One of the reasons the Muslim Melanau 'migrated' to become Malay is that during the registration of birth of the newborns, they will automatically being assumed as Malay if the parents don't inform the Birth&Death Registration officer of their racial preference .
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