CULTURE OF IBAN

    Iban is one of the Dayak clumps found in Sarawak, West Kalimantan, Brunei, and Tawau Sabah. The Ibans have a population of 1,000,000 which is 40% of Sarawak's population. The Ibans are the largest ethnic group in Sarawak and the fourth largest ethnic group in Malaysia after the Malays, Chinese, and Indians.

a group people of iban 

    Before the colonial era, the main religion practiced by the ibans was largely animism, that is, all living things are believed to have their own spirit (Chong, 2016). In modern times, Christian are already the majority, followed by practitioners of traditional religion, Islamic religion, etc. At the same time still retain the customary values and cultural characteristics that are emblematic of the traditions of the iban community.

    The culture of the Iban has a wide variety of delicious traditional side dishes and is derived from iban culture such as chicken pansuh and cake penganan cooked by the Sarawak community such as the iban, dayak and bidayuh(Bernama,2015)In the Iban community, 'chicken pansuh' is known as 'manok pansuh'.This Manok Pansuh is a chicken cooked in bamboo along with the leaves of tubers as an aroma enhancer.Cake penganan is made from rice flour and some other ingredients before being made into a dough to fry.

Cake Penganan

Manok Pansuh

    Gawai Festival is celebrated by the Iban and Bidayuh communities in Sarawak to celebrate the end of the paddy harvest. The Gawai festival is also known as Gawai Dayak. Gawai festivals are usually celebrated at the end of May or the beginning of June each year. Gawai festivals in Sarawak are celebrated with celebration in the cities and villages with dance performances, 'rice wine' harvest drinks, and fun. The Gawai Festival in Sarawak has been celebrated on a large scale since 1964.

Iban's people celebrating Gawai Festival known as Gawai Dayak

    Each race has its own cultural foundation, such as religion and celebration. Malaysia is unique due to the presence of various ethnic and ethnic groups.