Crossing The Rubicon? Maintenance and Change Among Today’s Iban in Sarawak

Abstract

Among communities reliant on subsistence agriculture as a means of production, transition to wage work may seem indicative of economic progress. In the 21st century, the Iban in East Malaysia utilise three production modes: subsistence rice farming; commerce; and, waged work, to support food requirements and satisfy consumer needs. Waged work is increasingly important, even replacing subsistence and commerce. This study considers perceptions of maintenance and change among the Iban in the Sri Aman Division of Sarawak. The purpose is to gain perspectives of heads of households about “maintenance” and “change”. Research was conducted qualitatively, via observation and interviews. Maintenance is reflected through ongoing use of the Iban language; the longhouse is seen as being of continuing importance for resident and non-resident relatives, even if no longer bound to ancestral longhouse territory. Changes include new technologies, the importance of money, reduced adherence to Iban traditions, and conversion to Catholicism, among the community studied here. Salience of these matters lies in Iban understanding of ways in which modernisation is occurring in their community, in a region known for its biological, cultural and linguistic diversity, providing a voice for community members, and their insights about the contemporary Iban world.