It's school holidays----- and do you know what does it means???

Hello guys, I'm back!

Phewwww....time flies so fast and we are now reaching towards the end of the year 2018. Life-- as we know it, with its ups and downs, prevented me from getting myself from being actively involved in this blogging activity. My blog site has been dormant for almost a year, a moment before I managed to log in this page to write my latest post, I even forgot my password and I needed to reset it via email!! That's almost close! 

To date, I'm counting my days as my students will sit for their Biology paper next Monday. For two consecutive years, I was given the responsibility to take up the challenge to teach examination classes; Form 3 for PT3 and Form 5 for SPM. I will try my best to keep you guys updated---learning about other people's culture and their language is my passion! Though not an anthropologist myself, being raised in a conservative Iban family always intrigued me about the origins of my own people-- how they are related to other ethnic groups; culturally and biologically.

Once I managed to collect enough materials for my next post, I will let you know!

The rise of the Mummy: I am back, can't you believe that??

             Hello, guys! It has been for quite a long time..years perhaps since my last post. I just can't recall the issues that I had posted in the previous years. By the way, I am still around despite the hectic days dealing with datelines, academical work and other impending tasks waiting for me ahead. Many things happened in my life before and indeed I always learn a lot of things especially on Feng Shui and folk beliefs that became integral in my daily undertakings.  

               As usual, my passion is always on the "New Age" stuffs.  Itchy palms??? Superstitions?? It's the 21st century but yet there are certain things that remain regardless in which era we are living. I always stay positive and regardless of the challenges that might waiting for me out there, I am always sure..at the end of the tunnel, there will a ray of hope that shines through and dispel the darkness. I will keep updating my blog, so guys, I am back!

 

My Latest Update for The Year 2016: Yes...I am still alive and kicking!

Hi, there! It has been for a very..very long time since the last time I post something in my blog. Yeah...life has been so hectic nowadays, with tonnes of paperwork and impending assignment. Teaching profession a half-day duty???? Nope, I strongly disagree.

Nothing much to say for now since I need to prepare myself with countless tasks--- I'm now looking ahead for my next big project; the School Sports' Day. Next, Science Practical Mock Test, in-house training, staffs' meetings, assessing students' work...and well...needless to say, they're all teacher's routine.

I'm thinking of another big story that I would like to share with the rest of you here; especially the ones that are related with my language and culture. There's no need to say about myself; my previous posts clearly described my cultural and language background.Actually, I have something big in my mind right now but it seems that due to certain circumstances, I'll be unable to share with you the layout of my next big thing.

Okay, here's the clue: It is closely related to my career as a Biology teacher, not as the by-the-book type of knowledge, but a real one, the one that puts the knowledge into practice: Learning Biology through Fieldwork!

I hope that you will have the patience to wait for my new posts this December.

The Iban People and Their Language:- Dialectical Comparison between the "Standard" and "Local dialects" of the Iban Language

English word	Saribas Iban	Rejang Iban/Lemanak
You	Nuan	Dek
Not yet	Apin	Bedau/Empai
Cooking	Nyumai	Manduk lauk
Tapioca	Ubi/Jabang	Empasa
Red fern “Midin” (Malay)	Rambai (What??? I thought it is some kind of fruit!! LOL!)	Kemiding
Cradle (the spring type)	Uyut (In our dialect, an “uyut” is a woven basket made from rattan/water reed) carried at the back to bring vegetables/fruits; not babies..haha)	Nyut
Cultivated Rambutan (also in Malay)	Kemantan	Kemanti/Remutan
To dry sth (under a sunshine)	Jembui (very simple; just add “u” to any verbs that end with (i), I guess…but it doesn’t means rari change into rarui..or kusi becomes kusui..	Jembi
To tell sth.	Tusui	Tusi
Prepare a mixture (usually a drink like coffee or chocolate drink)	Tunyau (This is also another funny word; for us this word means to pound on something aimlessly like mud or dough!!)	Ngaga ai kupi/Milo (no specific word for that)

The list could be longer but that is enough to show some of the vocabulary differences which to some, doesn’t bother them so much when it comes to casual conversation. I had one funny moment with my Uncle from Betong who described about an agricultural tool called (tungku’; glottal at the end) and at the end of the conversation, I asked ‘Did you cook something on it??” referring to the tungku’ as a cooking tripod in my Rejang dialect. He suddenly stopped and realized that I had perceived what he had told me earlier in a totally different way. To my embarrassment (since I was in their territory that time, I wouldn’t dare to put it into question) I still don’t get a clear picture about the said tool. I just kept my mouth shut till this day..hahaha! In our dialect, the word simply means a tripod shaped hearth used for cooking or a technique used to separate the paddy seeds from their stalk using feet. That’s how the same word could have two different meanings!

Contrary to popular belief, the Saribas Iban dialect was chosen as the standard literary Iban not because it is a more “polite, soft-spoken” version compared to the other dialects but it was the most well-studied dialect; just like the Bundu-Liwan of the KadazanDusun people. It is true that the Saribas accent sounds “polite and soft” to the ear of the Westerners, especially when it comes into the manners shown in expressing emotions. The heavy usage of archaic expressions in the Saribas oral literature such as poems and stories proves that this dialect was held prestigious by the people themselves. The Saribas Ibans are the first Iban tribe who made contact with the Westerners and they are also the ones who were exposed to formal education. 

It can be compared with Kadazan language which was only spoken by a minority of the Kadazan people in Penampang and Papar which first encountered the British colonials. Long considered as a standard literary languange among the KadazanDusun tribes of Sabah; it is now has been replaced by the Bundu-Liwan dialect. The same thing goes to the modern Iban Language nowadays. Despite endless debate on which dialect that should be used as a standard Iban language; more and more words from different dialect groups are added into the modern Iban Dictionary (e.g The Iban "Bup Sereba Reti" compiled by the Tun Jugah Foundation)

The Anglican missionaries brought the Good News to the Ibans and thus began a new era of peace and reconciliation between once a hostile tribe with the civilized world. While the remaining Iban tribes in the interiors were so intoxicated with their aggression campaigns against the ruling Brooke Dynasty, the Saribas Iban began to learn a lot from them instead. I have seen pictures of my paternal ancestors wearing the modern English suit instead of the traditional loincloth, and that was almost 100 years ago!

Besides civilization, the missionaries also played a very important part in spreading the message of salvation to those who never heard God’s words. The Church of England missionaries concentrated in the Batang Lupar and Saribas areas while the Roman Catholic Mill Hill missionaries ventured out to the Lower Rejang Basin and beyond. Meanwhile, the American preachers, together with the influx of Fuzhou Chinese brought together the Methodist faith to Sibu, Sarikei and also to the Ibans in Kapit and Balleh. During the Second World War, Australian Evangelical missionaries who came along with the Commonwealth army boldly faced the enraging waters of the upriver to spread the message of God to Belaga, Upper Baram and the Kelabit Highlands bordering Indonesia. This is what we known today as the Borneo Evangelical Missionary or famously known as Sidang Injil Borneo (SIB).

The Rejang Ibans; as they are popularly known are actually descendants of the Lemanak, Skrang and Ulu Ai Ibans to whom they shared a lot of linguistic and cultural similarities. The dialect is also spoken by the Ibans who went for further migration to Oya, Mukah, Balingian, Tatau, Kemena, Miri, Brunei and Limbang. In short, it is the most widely spoken dialect in terms of the number of speakers and geographical distribution. Moreover, the Iban music industry is dominated mostly by the Rejang Ibans who are definitely proud with their unique accents despite being different from the ‘standard’ version of the spoken language. Unlike the Bidayuhs and Melanaus that have distinct and unintelligible dialects, any Ibans from Sarawak from Lundu to Limbang can converse with each other without any difficulties. The westerners who made extensive researches on the Iban language also acknowledged that differences between the Iban ‘dialects’ can be compared like “the Yorkshire English accent with the one spoken in Liverpool”. No wonder why they called the Ibans as a homogenous society due to this fact.

The Iban People and Their Language:- My Personal View

Life has been busy for the past few months. However, it doesn’t means that I have to stop doing the things that I really love to do. Blogging is one of them and I am always passionate about the things that are within my area of interest. I tried to fit myself with my current situation where I need to rush on datelines, tones of paperwork and clerical activities. Teaching is always my passion and at the same time I will be able to have an endless input of ideas for my blog page.

The fearless Iban warriors of Borneo posed proudly in front of the highly-prized head trophies (Disclaimer: Picture is not owned by the blogger but downloaded from the internet)

For those who have read my previous posts, they will realize that I shared a lot about how I learnt the KadazanDusun language. It’s pretty interesting right??? New cultures, lifestyles and people that dress differently from our own create a more mind-stirring situation that would evoke our typical, routine-based life. As I began to learn other people’s culture, I also started to appreciate the uniqueness of my own culture and language.

Being an Iban myself, I am always astonished to learn about my own culture and language. At the same time, I always wondered whether other cultures had similar practices with our own. The curiosity grew as I was also an Iban from two different “dialect groups” (or more correctly, accents, since I can hardly find any major differences between the so-called “dialects” as proposed by the linguists). First and foremost, I have to admit that I am still an infant in this field. I never assume myself as a linguist or anthropologist. Rather, my small researches are largely based on my personal interest plus some of the reading materials that I had read many years before. In other words, I am no professional neither I am trying to write an academically-styled essay.

The linguists clearly classify the Iban language as a branch of the standard Malay language despite the claims by the Iban themselves that consider the language as unique and taught by the gods.

My father hailed from Betong, Saribas while my Mom is a Batang Rejang Iban from Kanowit (actually, the term “Rejang” is not accurate since my maternal ancestors came from Lemanak and Engkari in Sri Aman during the 1800s. Historically, there were no Ibans occupying any part of the Rejang Basin before late 18^th century; 1800-1899.). as a matter of fact, the said territory was predominantly occupied by the Kajang-Melanau tribes such as Kanowit, Tanjong, Lugat, Seduan, Beliun, Sihan, Kejaman, Sekapan and others. After the invasion of Batang Rajang by the Ibans who prefer their way to the fertile Rajang Basin, they were pushed downriver from their homeland to the Rejang Delta. Some of them went upriver to Belaga and Balui River. If I elaborate and study my parentage in detail, I would find out that I am not only a descendant of the said dialect groups but it could be more than that. It is not considered as an excessive and pungent statement if I say that I would have all the Iban dialect ancestries in my blood right now! I have the Saribas, Skrang, Engkari and Lemanak ; who were once rivals! 

According to the linguists (most of them were Westerners, just like the rest of the Oriental tribes and communities who would dedicate their life to study the language and culture of different tribes) the Iban language falls under the Malayic-Dayak group; in other words, closely related to the Malay language. We are much closer to the Malays rather than to the Bidayuhs, Melanaus or Kayan/Kenyahs. I am not ardent researcher, since my hands are already full with endless tasks and clerical works. Fortunately, the internet serves as a useful source if information despite its unreliability and impreciseness. To be honest, I won’t spend my precious time to go to the Ethnological Library and turn every page in the super-thick books; each with its own theories and most of them never agree with the others.

A standard traditional Iban longhouse. Nowadays, it is very hard to find a traditional-style longhouses. Most of them have been replaced by modern-designed; urban-oriented longhouses.

According to one theory (sorry, I am unable neither to name the person who proposed the idea nor to cite which books that said so), the Ibans were one of the diasporic Malayic groups that fled from Sumatra after the Islamic conquest around 14 A.D. They were once local Hindu-Buddhist adherents who later incorporated the religion into folk religion and shamanism. Until this day, some areas of the Iban beliefs system retains Hinduism and Buddhism doctrines such as giving food offerings, circumambulation of holy relics (stupa), recitation of mantras, terminologies such as “Petara” (Avatara) and “Biku” (Bhikku, Buddhist High Priest) are still prevalent. The Iban’s Keling and Kumang legend also largely resembles the Hindu Rama-Sita epic.

Before migrating to Sarawak, the first Iban settlers lived along the major rivers in West Borneo (Dutch Borneo) such as the Kapuas and Merakai rivers. Nowadays, these areas belong to the Indonesian government. However, there are still a large number of the Ibanic groups who still maintain their ethnological identity despite coexisting with the other native groups of Borneo. The Ibans also had a very interesting version of the “Tower of Babel” which is locally known as “Beji Nangga Hari” (Beji’s Ladder).

The language tree proves it all then, despite facing disapproval from the Ibans themselves. They believed that the Iban language was taught by the gods; handed down to our first ancestors whom later passed the knowledge to the latter generations. Due to this reason, they considered the language itself as exotic and always regard the sole-proprietor of this language as the Ibans themselves.

The Ibans were also known as 'Sea Dayaks" despite the fact that the majority of them live deep in the interiors of Borneo.

Unlike the isolated languages like Japanese, Korean or Ainu; which are still under debate whether these languages can be classified under a larger family language group. Further, there are also other ‘Ibanic’ languages which are closely related to the ‘standard’ Iban, which are the Melikin (Remun), Kantu, Seberuang, Air Tabun and other dialect groups that mostly inhabit the Upper Kapuas River in Indonesian Borneo territory. I haven’t encountered any of these people so far, but I believed that their language might be intelligible to the Sarawakian Ibans to some degree. 

The linguists themselves even considered the Iban people as a “homogenous society” since their “dialects” are mutually intelligible. Even most of their traditional beliefs and practices are not as diverse as the other Dayak groups; like the Bidayuhs or Orang Ulus. From Lundu to Limbang, the Ibans are scattered all around the Land of the Hornbill, concentrating their settlements around the central areas of the main river basins. They can be largely found in their “traditional homeland” which is Sri Aman (Batang Lupar, Skrang, Saribas and their tributaries) and the “New World” Rejang River from which the migration expanded further north heading to Mukah, Bintulu and Miri.

            The Iban migration can be divided into three main waves; the first one being the great migration from their ancestry homeland in Upper Kapuas River in the neighbouring Kalimantan. Some of the older generation still remembered that their ancestors came all their way long from the Upper Kapuas via Bukit Tiang Laju; the most prominent landmark in Sri Aman which is prominent from the Pan-Borneo Highway. Since that most of the historical accounts are passed from one generation to another through oral transmission, their reliability are highly doubted, but it seems that it told us one similar event:- that the Ibans migrated from their ancestry homeland in what we called now as the West Kalimantan vicinity to the major rivers of Batang Lupar and Skrang in Sarawak.

The north-easternly migration of the Iban people for the past 400 years.

The main reason for the great migration is diverse; from expanding agricultural areas to avoiding Islamization by the Pontianak Sultanate. Anyway, the topic is still open for discussion among historians and anthropologists. One thing was for sure then, that inter-tribal wars between different Iban groups were so rampant that it spread across the island of Borneo. Definitely, the Dutch Borneo colonials in Kalimantan and the Brunei Sultanate had lost control over this situation and the conflicts worsened from time to time. As the White Rajahs started to expand their territory by asking the Brunei Sultanate to hand over the northern part of Sarawak to them, they also managed to put an end to the merciless headhunting parties once and for all. They started to assemble different ethnic groups that supported the Rajahs and attacked the strongholds of the rebels. The most famous example is of Libau; or famously known as Rentap where the Rajah and his army of Skrang Ibans traditional foes attacked the Sadok Fort and forced Rentap to retreat to Upper Kanowit till his death.

The sexy belles of Borneo adorned themselves with heavy silver corsets 

There were also ‘small migrations’ done by a small group of Ibanic people known as the Melikin or more famously, the Remuns. They are believed to be the first Iban settlers who first came to Sarawak; long before the other Iban tribes made their first journey from Upper Kapuas River to the Great Rivers. They are mainly concentrated in areas bordering the Iban-Bidayuh BukarSadong area; namely Simunjan, Balai Ringin and near the Serian town. Their language somehow is an archetype of the “modern” Iban language but it is still yet to be proven since the Remuns can only be found in Sarawak and not elsewhere in Dutch Borneo. Their numbers are far smaller than the other larger Iban groups and studies had found limited evidence to show that the claim was true.

The ‘Serian Ibans’ are not related to the Remuns since they were originally the Iban settlers that hailed from the neighbouring Batang Lupar/Undup areas. 

So, the topic is now open for debate among the linguists. The “Balau” and “Sebuyau” groups are much closer to the Central Iban language, since their language is largely similar to the “standard” Iban and their vocabulary is a mixture between typical Iban and Sarawakian Malay loanwords. These two groups mainly inhabit the near-coastal areas of Batang Sadong, Sebuyau and Lupar rivers, where the chance of them to mix around with the local Malays and adapt to their language and culture is not an unlikely event. Historical inter-tribal wars complicated this matter even more since each tribal group claimed that their ancestors are superior to the others and to prove their worth, they launched headhunting parties to the neighbouring Iban tribes. The reigning Rajah during that time even took advantage of the existing enmity between the different Iban tribes to expand the Sarawak’s territory further into the interior.

Under the ‘Skrang Iban’ group, the Iban language is further divided into smaller sub-dialects; the Ulu Ai/Engkari, Lemanak, Skrang and Saribas (Betong/Saratok/Roban). The Rejang Ibans are actually an offshoot of the Lemanak and Ulu Ai/Engkari Ibans who settled in the Rejang Basin about 200 years ago. Now, they become the largest group of Ibans in Sarawak as they moved further north. My late grandmother always referred herself as a Lemanak Iban since her grandmother came from Lemanak River. It seems that I am now a fifth-generation Lemanak Iban that resides in Batang Rejang. There were also a small number of Saribas Ibans that migrated to upper Julau, Pakan and Bintangor which are actually the tributaries of the Rejang River. Unlike the domineering Lemanak/Ulu Ai Ibans that conquered most of the Rejang Basin, the latter group only managed to settle in the swampy, less fertile areas of the Lower Rejang River. It is also very noticeable since they still retain the original Saribas accent despite their migration to an area which is dominated by the Rejang Ibans.

A very rare picture showing the ancient Iban ritual of "Naku Antu Pala". The last time I saw this kind of ritual was when I was only 12 years old.

The third wave happened during the late 20^th century (1900-…) when the Ibans began to expand their territories northeasterly to Batang Oya, Mukah, Balingian, Tatau, Kemena, Suai-Niah and finally to Miri and Limbang. Different groups of Iban from Batang Rejang, Skrang, Saribas and Lupar ventured their ways to the uncharted upper reaches of these rivers; driving away the local natives to the coastal areas and opened up new farmlands and longhouses.

Many Ibans and non-Ibans agreed that the Saribas Ibans have a very “polite and soft-spoken” accent which attracted the westerners to study the language and as a result, the Saribas Iban became the “standard literary language” among the Ibans. The Iban Bible and primary schools’ Iban text books produced by the Borneo Literary Bureau used Saribas Iban as a standard. It is largely understood by the other Ibans from any parts of Sarawak; just like the Bundu-Liwan dialect of the KadazanDusun people. Somehow, to certain degree, I can compare the Rejang Iban and the Saribas Iban accents like the American and the British English. Here, I include a table which briefly describes some of the differences between the Rejang (Lemanak/Ulu Ai) Ibans (which is the predominant dialect spoken by most Iban population) and the Saribas (Betong/Saratok/Roban) Ibans (which has been accepted as the “standard” literary form of Iban used in schools, government offices and news broadcast). Please take note that despite the differences, the Ibans from these two dialect groups can converse with each other without any difficulties.

Part Three: A Brief Background on the KadazanDusun Language

Ohhh..where did I stopped just now? I’m here to share my views about how I came about to learning the KadazanDusun language. The Iban language is distantly related to the KadazanDusun language itself and communication between any people from these two tribes are normally conducted in Malay or English. The Sabahan Malay, a variant of the standard Malay language is largely understood not only by the KadazanDusun people themselves, but also by the other natives and foreigners who come to work in Sabah. Their Peninsular friends could understand the Sabahan accent far easier than or Sarawakian Malay which is a completely different dialect which may took at least a year to be mastered.

Like the Iban language, there are also other ‘Dusunic’ languages which can be found throughout Sabah and in small areas bordering Sabah-Sarawak-Brunei. 

The KadazanDusun belles of Land Below the Wind. Like other Borneo tribe ladies, they are always associated with fair and smooth complexion. (Picture Copyright is from web sources)

The Bisayas (in Beaufort, Kuala Penyu), Rungus(Kudat, Kota Marudu), Sungai (Kinabatangan) are considered as close relatives to the Dusun language itself despite no mutual intelligibility could exist between any of these languages. The standard variant of the KadazanDusun language is the Bundu-Liwan language; which is widely used in textbooks and also in formal means of communication such as news and public speech. The Bundu-Liwan people mainly live in the “Heartland of Sabah” which is Tamparuli, Ranau, Tambunan and Keningau. Other related tribes such as the Kiulu Tamparuli, Tindal Kota Belud/Tenghilan, Lotud Tuaran, Tobilung Kota Belud/Marudu, Kimaragang, Labuk Beluran, Kuijau and Gana Keningau and Tatana Kuala Penyu (quite unintelligible)  can understand the standard Dusun language without much difficulty.

The Kadazans are more concentrated in “coastal areas”, as they are traditionally designed by the anthropologists (despite the fact that most of them just like the Dusuns, lived far from the coastal area, some of them even live bordering the Dusun areas. In fact there are Dusun villages in the vicinity of Penampang and Papar) in the lowlands of Penampang and Papar unlike their Dusun counterparts that preferred to live deep in the mountainous terrain. They are linguistically and culturally similar with the other Dusunic tribes in Sabah. Like the Rungus, Tatana and Bisaya, the Kadazans preferred their culture and language to be separated from the rest of the Dusunic tribes.

I would like to refer from the *Wikipedia on the origins of the term “Kadazans”.

“The Kadazans are an ethnic group indigenous to the state of Sabah in Malaysia. They are found mainly at Penampang on the west coast of Sabah, the surrounding locales, and various locations in the interior. The Kadazan is the term being used referring to Dusun Tangara which most of them lived in town area. The term "Kadazan" first being used during Tun Fuad Stephens era”.

Regarding the main differences between the Kadazans and Dusuns; the* Wikipedia further explains:-

“Kadazans and Dusuns share the same language and culture albeit with differences in dialect. Many consider their traditional geographical influences as the major difference between the two ethnic groups. Kadazans are mainly inhabitants of the flat valley deltas, conducive to paddy field farming, while Dusuns are traditionally inhabitants of the hilly and mountainous regions 

common to the interior of Sabah.”

*(Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kadazan_people)

   Part Three: The Sino-Kadazans and the Tale of Mount      Kinabalu)

Part Two: The Journey Continues: I Fell in Love with the KADUS culture

My exposure to their culture intensified as I began to mix around with more and more KadazanDusun friends after I became a member of the Catholic Students’ Society and ultimately I lived my life with them under one roof for almost four years. I have to admit that the Sabahan Christians, unlike their Sarawakian counterparts, were very staunch and dedicated believers who had strong ties with each other and also with the local church authority. They were so vocal in expressing their ideas and the bond between them reached an exceptional level. I really saluted their kinship spirit!

The Nunuk Ragang Monument near Ranau, Sabah. 

As a matter of fact, I learned a lot from them; from the “sumazau/sumayau” dance, traditional food and beverages such as “tapai”, ‘tuhau’, ‘bambangan’, ‘lihing’, ‘bahar’ and more. Hahaha…don’t ask me if I ever tried any of the listed above…you won’t be able to say “NO” to any of the Sabahans if they offered you a glass of “tapai” for you to take a sip. It was still far from mastering the language itself but anyway, a good introduction. Something is better than nothing, isn’t it?? Sabahans are definitely Sarawakians best pal since the dawn of Malaysian formation, so it is not a strange thing to find them working closely to each other. It is a very common thing, especially in the Peninsular where these two races become minuscule. Moreover, both races can be found in quite a large number in industrial cities where most of them earn their living by working in the factories. In fact, they are much open-minded and their religious toleration is an exceptional example to their Peninsular counterparts. It is not a new thing if you find a Dusun family that consists of both Christian and Muslim members living under one roof. Well, this is truly the spirit of unity practiced long before we were introduced to the 1Malaysia concept.

The beautiful belles  from four of the many KadazanDusun tribes in Sabah

I was explained by one of my housemates the reason

why they would prefer to speak in Sabahan Malay 

instead of their native KadazanDusun language. One of 

the reasons was because they were so used to be

that way. It was not only practiced in their family 

but also in their community; despite the absence of any other non-KadazanDusun tribes in their area. The older generation is very fluent but when it comes to the younger ones, the problems started to arise. They started to mix around with other races as they started to leave their homeland to the greener pastures. They started to interact in Malay and as a result, the younger generation forgot their own roots and becoming assimilated with the urban environment. This is not something strange since all cultures around the world are suffering the same fate despite with a different degree.

The descendants of the Nunuk Ragang in their trademark costume

I shared with my housemates that the scenario won’t happen to the Ibans since the inability to speak in our native language was considered as a humiliation and definitely the ones who will be blamed first are their parents. Yes, it is true that there are a small number of educated Ibans who are suffering from inferiority complex; acknowledging that the Western culture is superior to their own and as they are afraid to expose themselves as coming from a race that is considered by the former as “uncivilized, barbaric and living their lives like cavemen”. Far from truth, the Ibans are one of the well-studied people by the Westerners; from the Rajah Brooke’s era where the Christian missionaries paved their way to spread the message of God’s salvation to the savage tribes of Sarawak to late 1960’s right before the formation of Malaysian Federation. Together with the other tribes that experienced the same encounters with the British colonials such as the Zulus and Maoris, the Iban culture is not something new to the eye of the Commonwealth countries since numerous records and studies had been carried out by both local and foreign professionals. 

(The story doesn't here, though....see you again in my next entry!)