Abstract
The Sea Dayaks, better known as the Ibans, inhabit nearly the whole of Sarawak. The Ibans belong to the Proto-Malay groups and historically, they were from the Kapuas Valley in West Kalimantan, Indonesia. They migrated to Sarawak about fifteen generations ago in the mid 16th century (the 1630s). They went to the state through the Kumpang Valley and inhabit Batang Ai and then split to several places in Sarawak (Morgan, 1968). Although the Ibans have a social status in their traditional belief, they do not have a hierarchy of social status such as the Orang Ulu. However, they have elevated the status so-called Pengulu, Tuai Rumah, Tuai Burung, Lemambang, Manang, Beliau, Tukang Sabak, dan Indu Takar. The era of modernization has led to changes to the knowledge of the young generation, especially the younger generation of the Ibans who lack knowledge about the function and role of each rank status in their communities. Therefore, this study was conducted qualitatively through an interview with expert informants, observation, and documentation. This research was hoped to contribute to the general knowledge of the Iban community and other communities in the preservation of the function and role of each social status in the Iban community.
Highlights
The Iban or known as the Sea Dayak is the largest ethnic group in Sarawak
According to Jensen(1), in a meeting between the Tuai-tuai rumah, Lemambang, Tuai Burung, and Penghulu of Batang Lupar, Batang Ai, Saribas, and Batang Krian held in Harden (Sri Aman) in 1961 to discuss the customs, culture, and ritual of the Iban, they found that they agreed on many things with regard to customs, stories, and oral literature even during the time they were separated by distance and time and never met to discuss matters concerned
The majority of the young informants only knew the names of social ranks and did not have the knowledge about the function and role of each social rank status
Summary
The Iban or known as the Sea Dayak is the largest ethnic group in Sarawak. Almost the entire state is inhabited by the Iban community. The majority of this community live in groups in the Iban longhouse, typically located near the waterfront and close to the highway to facilitate daily activities and communicate with each other. There are four main settlements of the population distribution of the Iban community in Sarawak, namely Sungai Saribas, Skrang River, Sungai Batang Lupar, and Rajang River. When James Brooke first came to Sarawak in 1839, most Iban people lived in the Second Division. People who are similar to the Iban community in terms of language, religion, culture, and customs are the Muallang Dayak and Dayak Desa located in Kalimantan, Indonesia
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