People / group

Iban people

Also known as Sea Dayaks

The Iban are an indigenous people of Borneo, the largest ethnic group of Sarawak in Malaysia, also living in West Kalimantan and Brunei. Formerly called Sea Dayaks, they were rice farmers living in longhouses and were known for warfare and headhunting, which the Brooke rajahs suppressed while also recruiting Iban fighters. Their woven textiles and the harvest festival of Gawai remain central to Iban identity.

Iban people
Image: Song GK · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 1 state history

Raj of Sarawak

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Iban people. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/iban-people
MLA
“Iban people.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/iban-people. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Iban people.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/iban-people.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Iban people’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/iban-people (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻