Culture

Why So Many Ibans ?

Why so many Ibans? The author of this article attempts to explain why there are so many Ibans compared to other groups. He says the Ibans, relative newcomers to Sarawak, predominate in the State. Increase in children does not explain the phenomena. The Iban are below average in natural fertility. They have fewer babies per […]

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Melanau Healing

For many generations now, the healings of various dukuns, bohmohs, Chinese medicine men and others have been relegated to the antique shops and their cures to historians like myself. Modern doctors and nurses have taken their place as most everyone is within reasonable traveling distance to modern medical care. There are very few people people,

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Iban Whetstone Feast

This summary condenses twenty printed pages from the Sarawak Museum Journal July-December 1962 written by Benedict Sandin. My sincere apologies if things were left out or written in error. Probably one of the most unusual of Iban gawai rights is the whetstone feast. A whetstone is used for sharpening knives and farming tools. Why one

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