In the Malaysian state of Sarawak, the Lun Bawang (through the term Murut) are officially recognised by the Constitution as a native of Sarawak[6] and are categorised under the Orang Ulu people; whilst in the neighbouring state of Sabah and Krayan highland in Kalimantan, they are sometimes named Lundayeh or Lun Daye.

Lun Bawang people are traditionally agriculturalists and practise animal husbandry such as rearing poultry, pigs, and buffaloes.

[10] The name Murut might have been derived from the word "Murud", a mountain located near an old Lun Bawang settlement, hence might have just meant 'mountain men' or 'hill people' but was instead used by the colonist to identify this ethnic group.

In addition to that, ethnologist found that the classification under the name Murut is confusing as the term is used differently in Sabah, Sarawak, and Brunei, that is whilst in Brunei and Sarawak it is used to describe the Lun Bawang people, in Sabah it is used to identify an ethnic group that is linguistically and culturally different from the Lun Bawangs.

According to Tom Harrisson (1959) and S. Runciman (1960), the Lun Bawang community is one of the earlier settlers in the mountainous regions of central Borneo and they are related to the Kelabit tribe.

The ones that remained downriver (Lun Bawang people) were isolated from the ones who migrated to the highlands (Kelabit), causing their culture and language to slightly diverged.

However, attacks by Muslim raiders (Bugis and Tausug) probably in the 17th century, caused them to migrate to the Krayan highlands, whilst the Tidong people converted to Islam.

[20] Lun Bawangs and Kelabits (Muruts) are of royal descent from the House of Bolkiah, as they use titles such as Dayang, Sultan, Agong, and Pengiran, names used by their ancestors in the past.

The earliest European written account of the Lun Bawang people is probably by Thomas Forrest during his voyage to New Guinea, the Moluccas, and Balambangan in 1776.

[26] Sir James Brooke in his journal written on 24 December 1850, described the oppression that the Lun Bawang (then called Limbang Muruts) people faced by Brunei aristocrats, and where some had fought against this tyranny.

Partly due to this, drinking burak had been an important (and also notorious, as is deemed by the Christian missionaries and the Brooke government) custom of the Lun Bawangs, but now the rice wine production has significantly dwindled due to effort done by the Christian missionaries and Brooke government to encourage prohibition of alcohol amongst the community in the early 20th century.

As for the women, they wear pata on their head, beret on their waist, bane around the neck, and gileng or pakel is worn as ornaments on their hands and wrists.

[38] This festival is traditionally a celebration of the rice harvest, but now it showcases a variety of Lun Bawang culture and events such as Ruran Ulung (beauty pageant contest) and ngiup suling (bamboo musical instrument band).

In Sipitang district of Sabah, Sabahan Lun Bawangs and Lundayeh celebrates the harvest festival (Kaamatan) biennially during the Festival of GATA (Gasing and Tamu Besar), during which traditional dances and costumes are being showcased along with those of other native ethnics in the district such as the Murut, Kedayan and Brunei Malay people.

Before the rule of the White Rajahs, the Lun Bawang tribe was in a deplorable state; frequently involved in tribal wars, headhunting, and excessive alcohol consumption.

The low standard of living led to a severe outbreak of diseases (cholera and smallpox) amongst the community, and the population significantly dwindled to the point of near extinction in the 1920s.

[44] Whilst many Lun Bawangs attained a higher level of education in nearby towns such as Lawas, Limbang, and Miri, and in Sabah, Sipitang and Beaufort; and subsequently furthering their studies in the state capitals or in Peninsular Malaysia, there is still relatively little development of schools in Lun Bawang settlement in the interior, such as Long Pasia or Ba' Kelalan.

Therefore, many Lun Bawang youth in the interior travel a distance from their home to pursue education, sometimes via river transport or gravel road.