Iban History
The Iban trace their origins to the
Kapuas Lake region of Kalimantan. With a growing population, creating pressures
on limited amounts of productive land, the Iban fought members of other tribes
aggressively, practicing headhunting and slavery. Enslavement of captives
contributed to the necessity to move into new areas. By the middle of the
nineteenth century, they were well established in the First and Second
Divisions, and a few had pioneered the vast Rejang River valley. Reacting to
the establishment of the Brooke Raj in Sarawak in 1841, thousands of Iban
migrated to the middle and upper regions of the Rejang, and by the last quarter
of the century had entered all remaining divisions. The most dramatic changes
in the past three decades have been abandonment of longhouses and permanent
settlement in Sarawak’s towns and cities. Iban have lived near other ethnic
groups with whom they have interacted. The most important of these societies
have been the Malays, Chinese, Kayan and, during the Brooke Raj and the period
of British colonialism, Europeans. The dynamic relations between Iban and these
societies have produced profound changes in Iban society and culture.
For more Information:
No comments:
Post a Comment