Nature: Closeness can be enmity
The ancients often believed a celestial event like an eclipse to be a bad omen, that the sun or the moon vanishing from the sky was a harbinger of disaster, a sign of devastation or destruction to come. — Jenna Wortham, American journalist There is still some remnants of paganism in the Iban community, especially […]
First iban mom to survive childbirth
Having a baby is painful in order to show how serious a thing life is. — Lisa See, American writer In ancient times, the Ibans had a very crude knowledge of managing childbirth. Those were the days when they still lived in caves and were very close to nature, to its flora and fauna and demons […]
HAVE SALT, WILL TRAVEL
Salt is the difference between eating in Technicolor and eating in black and white. — Jay Rayner, award-winning writer, journalist and broadcaster. For the average Iban family in a longhouse or at their farm, salt is a “must-have item”. This is parallel to my modern day family whereby our two sons have made chilli sauce […]
Iban goes global on TVS
BY VOON YIH BOON KUCHING: The Iban community will be featured in Sarawak’s new TV station, TVS, through an Iban Global talk show. The 30-minute segment is the first in the world to showcase the views and perspectives of top leaders from the Iban community. Sarawak Media Group (SMG) chief executive officer Suhaimi Sulaiman said […]
Song in perspective
Early history According to the history of Sarawak, the Kayan people – who once migrated from one place to another, as they practised nomadic farming – were the first people to explore Song. At the same time, the Ibans also began to migrate from the Indonesian border through Sungai Kapuas and several other rivers (to […]
Searching for dead lover in Sebayan
Stories, especially that of Iban folklore, sometimes have unexpected, surprising plots, twists and turns, even unusual ending. Perhaps this could be because in the olden days, Iban elders were still close to nature and were in contact with the spirits surrounding them, day and night. They were able to “communicate” with the spirits and some […]
A unifying force for ages
Nothing can rival the longhouse as a unifying factor for Iban community since time immemorial. Apart from that, the community dwelling is the institution that decides the customs and traditions pertaining to agriculture pursuits, especially that of shifting cultivation, the traditional means of growing the subsistence crop of rice; related beliefs and practice of animism; […]
Borneo Barbies – Preserving cultures through creative designs
Anang enda ingat ke penatai diri taja jauh bejalai ke menua urang (do not forget our roots even though we have travelled far) — that’s the advice of his mother that Wesley Juntan holds dear whenever he goes to other places. Maintaining the authenticity and details According to 33-year-old Wesley Juntan, his mother’s brief advice […]
