Ngajat Iban: A Cultural Study

Abstract

The Ngajat is a traditional dance which synonym with the ethnic of Iban in Sarawak. This dance is usually performed in festive such as the Gawai Dayak and matrimony. The purpose of the dance is to entertain and showing gratitude for the attended guest. In Iban’s culture, the Ngajat dance can be divided in two categories by referring to gender, which are Ngajat Indu (Female’s dance) and Ngajat Laki (Male’s dance). Other than that, the Ngajat dance have significant meaning and scared in the Iban’s culture depending on the ritual performed by the ethnic itself. Therefore, this is an ethnography study emphasized on the intangible culture of the Iban’s Ngajat. This study applied the qualitative method of exploratory research and exploring a concept of phenomena through conducting field work and interview with an expert in the Iban’s culture. The studies sites are located in Betong and Sri Aman which have the largest Iban’s settlement in Sarawak. The studies find the Ngajat dance still widely practised and there is an effort to conserve the traditional dance to prevent it from extinction.