Courtship among the Ibans”Ngayap” Toms Note: To western observers, the term “Ngayap” often had a sexual connotation. This is not true and is an insult to the Iban people. The Ngayap is an Iban custom which they inherited from many different peoples several centuries ago. As the Ibans moved up the Kapuas river, and into […]
“Ngayap!” Iban Courting Read More »
Kumang Kidundung by Sunga Tom’s Note: This tale comes from the Bidayuh in the Serian district. Kumang, in the Dayak world, are spirits among the people. This story tells an interaction between one of those spirits, Antu Puah, and a Dayak named Kidungdung. Kumang Kidundung One day Kaleng went out to the jungle to shoot
The Expedition of 1934 The Kanowit Punitive Expedition One fine morning in June 1934, we left Sibu by way of the Chamois. A few hours later, we stayed at Kanowit to make arrangements for our forces. We changed into a small launch, took the Kanowit River, and stopped at a location a few stretches after Julau. We
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Comic Tales of Api Salui by Benedict Sandin Sarawak Museum Journal July-December 1960 Tom’s Note: The below story has been passed from generation to generation among the Ibans. It tells a tale of a wise wife with her stupid husband. The Malays in the kampongs across the river also have similar accounts. They tell of
The Mother of the Pleiades A Mythological Story of the Iban Almighty God made a golden stone in the eastern corner of the sky known as Tangkulas Batu Mas. Many years afterwards this stone changed into a very beautiful girl whose eyes and skin shone and glittered like a lump of gold. Her name was
Pleiades Creation Story by the Iban Read More »
Notes from Benedict Sandin Sources of Iban Traditional History published by the Sarawak Museum Journal 1994 Sumatra Suriani and I have maintained the Iban came from Sumatra. On page 140 n.2 “The question of where the Iban originated is largely unanswerable. On linguistic grounds, it has been frequently argued, that, as Malayic speaking people, the
Iban origins, floods and rules for sex, war and kitchens Read More »
According to Iban informants, the practice of tattooing was inherited from the Panngau, a group of superhumans who reside in Kalimatan (Indonesian Borneo). From these Panngau came a series of stories and legends featuring Keling and his wife, Kumang. They taught the Iban how to tattoo and find charms for successful hunting and warfare. The Ibans
The Batang Ai resettlement scheme moved 26 longhouses of Ibans to another area because of flooding due to the hydroelectric dam across the Batang Ai Wong Irup. The Iban received cash compensation and were given 11 acres of land consisting of five acres of rubber, three acres of cocoa, two acres of hill padi and
Iban and Batang Ai Read More »
Tom’s note: I own several pua kumbu, (cloth woven by Iban weavers) and have always wondered how the Iban ladies managed to turn out such beautiful and wonderful items. The Ladies One is not born into Iban society with a position. Rather he or she must earn it during their lifetime. Pioneering, opening jungle for
Wild and wonderful Iban Women Read More »
Toms Note: I continue with the history of the mission schools in Sarawak St. Mary’s In 1882, only one girl was being educated in St. Thomas, the Anglican school at Kuching. At the efforts of Mrs Hose, a day school was started in 1883. However, it was the efforts of the wife of the Archdeacon
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