Iban Art

About

The Iban, the largest Indigenous group of Sarawak in Malaysian Borneo, with communities across the border in West Kalimantan, traditionally lived in river longhouses where ritual, farming and weaving shared one roof. Their best-known art is pua kumbu, a cotton cloth patterned by warp ikat: women bind sections of the threads before dyeing, so the design is already present when the warp goes on the backstrap loom. Deep rust reds from the roots of the engkudu tree dominate, with black and cream. Patterns of crocodiles, spirit figures, plants and interlocking hooks were considered powerful, a master weaver's standing was likened to a warrior's, and large cloths were hung for rites and festivals.

Men carved wood, including stylised hornbill figures raised on poles for the Gawai Kenyalang festival, as well as shields and charms. Tattooing is another visual language, with the rosette called bunga terung often placed on the shoulders.