IBAN CULTURE

Do you know that Iban is one of the biggest ethnic in Sarawak? They are also known as the most fearless
headhunters on the island of Borneo. Today they are no longer headhunters, they are friendly, kind and
convivial. Back in 1840s British mistakenly named Iban as Sea Dayak because they were former pirates
and fishermen. They also speak a variety of dialects that are classified as a subgroup of the Malayic-
Dayak language family. Iban culture have a variety of traditions and heritage that have been continue
since decade. Iban culture is one of the creative cultures in Malaysia.

There are a variety of Iban traditional clothes. For example, the dress for Iban women is called
Marik Empang while for Iban men it is Kelambi and Sirat. Marik Empang is a decorative outerwear made
of beads and hand -sewn cotton. It is also usually red in color. The traditional Iban men's clothing consist
of sleeveless Kelamb, (Hays, J. (2008). Kelambi is woven with all kinds of beautiful motifs. There are
Kelambi decorated with beautiful stripes, and some are filled with figures of spirits and animals. Next,
the clothes worn by Iban women are worn at any time or their feast and for men are worn in certain
ceremonies. The traditional clothes worn by the Iban people whether men or women are not outdated
because their clothes are worn till now that is the generation young. In summary, Iban traditional
clothes form Iban cultures is something that make Ibans look beautiful always and proud of their
culture.

Secondly Iban handicrafts are one the masterpiece showing their creativity. The quality of the
materials used in the handicrafts make it long lasting. The handicraft is so creative because its 100%
handmade and using natural materials such as rattan and bamboo. With their creativeness they can
make the handicraft long lasting with good quality like factory made. Aside from that, they create
handcrafts using a range of materials to attract tourism. Iban handicrafts have their own set of
applications. For example, Tikai lampit It is a type of mat with tansy rope piercings and rattan that has
been thinly ripped. Tikai Kerupuk and Tikai Senggang, on the other hand, are mats fashioned from
Mengkuang and Senggang, respectively. (Rayami, 2015). In summary, handicraft from Iban culture are
something to be proud of.
 On another hand, Iban is not a creative culture in terms of tattoo tradition. This is because
tattoos have many bad and long-term impact which are unsuitable for one’s tradition. Tattoo is a
permanent mark on a body which is not suitable for kids because it will remain forever and cannot get
rid of. Other than that, tattoo piercing really hurts as bamboo splinters and animals bone shard are used
which is more painful than using tattoo maker machine nowadays. ( Sarah J.Harme.2019) Piercing
tattoo in Iban tradition is one of the ways of celebrating something that they achieved or won for an
example if they won a war they will pierce spear tattoo on their body. However, hurting oneself while
getting a tattoo is not a good way of celebrating. Piercing tattoo will not only hurt but there is other side
effect inside our body. It might affect our blood. Bloodborne Diseases are illness that will affect some
people having tattoo which will cause hepatitis B and hepatitis C. There will also have another risk such
as allergic reaction, skin infections and other skin problems. This is why having a tattoo for a tradition is
not creative for Iban culture.

Iban culture is one of the creative cultures in Malaysia. In Iban culture there is traditional attire,
Iban handicraft and Iban tattoo which are very creative in their own way and beliefs. As Malaysians, we
need to respect and appreciate their culture and tradition since it has been around for decades. Let us
together start to appreciate each Malaysian tradition and culture that we have.
 reference

( Sarah J.Harme.)(2019) The Fascinating History Of Iban Tattoos. Retrieved May 2022, from
https://www.therakyatpost.com/living/2019/12/06/the-fascinating-history-of-iban-tattoos/ )

(Rayami.(2015). Budaya kaum Iban di Sarawak. Retrieved Wednesday, May 2022, from
http://kamikongsiilmu.blogspot.com/2015/12/budaya-kaum-iban.html )

. (Hays, J. (2008). Borneo and Ethnic Group in Borneo: Iban. Retrieved May 2022 from
https://www.newsarawaktribune.com.my/sustaining-iban-traditional-costumes-in-modern-era )