Iban Ethnic Group Migration Across Three Seasons

Google-generated map of Iban migration routes over three seasons, contextualized within the natural environment of that period. General mapping and creative adaptations by the DRC team.

Historical and Anthropological Analysis Based on Textual and Intertextual Sources

Independent Researcher: Masri Sareb Putra, M.A.
Release: June 5, 2025

Introduction

The migration of the Iban ethnic group in West Kalimantan represents a unique phenomenon, distinct from migration patterns of other ethnicities worldwide. More than a movement of people, this migration reflects deep social and cultural dynamics, rich with symbolic and mythological significance.

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This study analyzes the Iban migration from Tampun Juah across three seasons, integrating ethnological and historical literature, and verifying these narratives using textual and intertextual methods.

Primary sources include:

Dutch colonial literature (Van Loon, 1992)
Oral narratives (Ballai, 1967)
Iban folk poetry (Anak Osup, 2006)
Historical novels (Sareb Putra, 2015)
Contemporary Dayak studies (King, 1985; Taslim & Anak Osup, 2013)

1. Historical Background

The Iban are a subgroup of the Dayak, indigenous to Borneo—referred to by Dutch sources as binnenlander or land inheritors. The term “Land Dayak” was used by explorers like J.A. von Hogendorff in tthe 17th century to identify groups such as the Iban, Maloh, Kantuk, Taman, and Mendalam-Kayan, who settled along the Kapuas River and Sarawak border.

“Dayak” identity is globally recognized as native to Borneo, the world's third-largest island, spanning over 743,330 km² (Raffles, 1820).

While colonial works by Raffles and Van Loon documented general information about Borneo’s peoples for territorial interests, specific records of Iban migration are rare. This study seeks to fill that void by analyzing oral literature and intergenerational memory.

2. Patterns and Reasons for Iban Migration

The Iban migration from Tampun Juah—then considered the largest Dayak settlement—unfolded over three seasons. According to oral traditions (Ballai, 1967) and folk poetry (Anak Osup, 2006), this movement stemmed from:

2.1 Triggering Events

Attack by the "Dark Enemy"
Malevolent spirits caused rice to smell foul and become inedible. This “dark enemy” is interpreted as a metaphor for Majapahit invasions in the 14th–15th century (Reid, 1993; Sareb Putra, 2015).
Poisonous Mushroom Outbreak
A fungal spread caused mass poisoning, disrupting communication—likened to the Tower of Babel metaphor. This suggests social disintegration caused by external conflict (Taslim & Anak Osup, 2013).
Environmental Degradation
Tampun Juah became uninhabitable due to insecurity and ecosystem collapse (Wadley, 2002, Masri, 2024).

Read The Historical Significance of the Crocodile Monument in Long Mutan

2.2 Three Seasons of Migration

First Migration
Moved along the Kapuas River toward Ketungau and Batang Lupar river mouths. They later split into subgroups:
Kantuk, Undup, Gaat, Saribas, Sebuyau, Sebaruk, Skrang, and Balau (Sather, 1994).
Second Migration
Settled along the Ketungau River, forming smaller communities:
Bugao, Banyur, and Tabun (Ballai, 1967).
Third Migration
The Ketungau Tesaek group became lost at the Sekadau River estuary due to displaced navigation markers during floods (van Loon, 1992). They eventually settled along the Sekadau Riverbanks.

3. Intertextual Analysis and Verification

The Iban migration story is cross-verified through oral and textual materials:

Iban poetry and oral narratives (Anak Osup, 2006)
Elder interviews from Buah Kana (Sather, 1994)
Narrative of "Ndai Abang" (Taslim & Anak Osup, 2013)
Historical references to Lawai (Labai Lawai) in the accounts of Tomé Pires and Antonio Pigafetta (Pires, 1944)

These accounts describe Lawai as a Majapahit trade and military post, aligning with evidence of conflict-induced migration (Reid, 1993).

Geo-Historical Mapping

Maps trace Iban movements along the Kapuas River (Batang Lawae) system, through Ketungau, Batang Lupar, and Sekadau. Environmental features like:

The Karimata Strait
Java Sea tides and floods

Historical Verification Framework

Actors/Figures: Balun Balunan (wife of Apai Abang), tribal elders (Taslim & Anak Osup, 2013)
Time & Place: 14th–15th century, from Tampun Juah toward Batang Lupar and Sekadau (Van Loon, 1992)
Key Events: Attacks, poisoning, and forced displacement (Sather, 1994)

The migration of the Ibanic people differs greatly from that of the Israelites. However, there are also a few similarities, chief among them, the belief that the land they were heading to was fertile and promised a prosperous, safe, and peaceful life. In Javanese, this ideal is captured in the phrase “Gemah ripah loh jinawi, toto tentrem karto raharjo”, which roughly translates to “abundant natural wealth and a harmonious, peaceful society.”

Specifically, the migration of the Ibanic people, from Tampun Juah to Batang Lupar, and later to Simanggang (now Sri Aman), stands in stark contrast to the Israelites’ journey from Horeb (Mount Sinai) to Kadesh-Barnea in southern Canaan. In Ibanic migration, there is no concept of "from" and "to" as clearly defined points. Why? Because "to" implies a predetermined destination. That’s precisely what the Ibanic migration lacked.

We avoid using phrases like "from Labai Lawai to..." because the Ibanic people's movement was not driven by a fixed endpoint. It flowed naturally. Wherever they found better land, that’s where Ndai Abang and his group would settle and build a new life. Oral tradition recounts that these migrating groups traveled upstream along the Kapuas River in search of a place known as Idaman ati, the "desire of the heart."

Eventually, after tracing the Sekadau River and turning back upstream along the Kapuas, they discovered the Ketungau River. There, realizing they had reached a fitting place, they established a permanent settlement. Markan describes this as “muek umah bebatang panjang” the making of a longhouse settlement.

Nearly all Dayak ethnic groups in West Borneo, except for the Kanayatn—believe their origin traces back to Tampun Juah.

In this way, the migration of a people is a recurring social phenomenon throughout human history. Recognizing this, the World Bank has published an annual report titled Migration and Remittances Factbook every year since 2008. Likewise, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has issued its annual World Migration Report since 1999.

The third major migration of the Ibanic people, known as the migration to Ketungau Tesaek, is documented in van Loon’s 1992 account (pp. 5–6). He writes:

Tenslotte gingen ook wij op zoek naar een beter woongebied.
Degenen die vóór ons waren weggetrokken, zouden tekens achterlaten om ons de weg te wijzen. Op de plaats waar de rivier de Sai uitmondt in de Ketungau, hadden zij een stok schuin in de rivier gestoken om aan te geven dat wij stroomopwaarts verder moesten trekken.

Maar toen wij daar aankwamen, had het zwaar geregend, en de snelstromende rivier had de stok in de andere richting schuin gezet. Zo zijn wij hier terechtgekomen en hebben wij het contact met onze voorgangers verloren.

"Eventually, we too set out in search of a better place to live.
Those who had gone ahead of us were supposed to leave signs to guide our way. At the spot where the Sai River flows into the Ketungau, they had placed a stick diagonally in the river to indicate that we should continue upstream.
But by the time we arrived, it had rained heavily, and the fast-moving current had shifted the stick in the opposite direction. That’s how we ended up here and lost contact with those who had gone before us."

This seemingly small misinterpretation had profound consequences. The sign meant to guide the later group upriver had been altered by natural forces, redirecting them unknowingly and severing the link with earlier migrants. It reflects not only the vulnerability of oral and symbolic navigation methods but also the organic, unpredictable nature of Ibanic migration itself.

Unlike structured or militarized migrations seen in other parts of the world, such as the Israelite exodus, the Ibanic migration was shaped by rivers, weather, chance, and memory. It was less a march toward a promised land, and more a flowing, intuitive journey, one guided not by maps or manifestos, but by signs, instincts, and stories passed down through generations.

4. Conclusion

The three-season migration of the Iban from Tampun Juah is a pivotal moment in Bornean history. It intertwines:

Symbolism (dark enemy, poisoned rice)
Historical conflict (Majapahit expansion)
Ecological displacement (Wadley, 2002)

Through textual and intertextual methods, this research affirms the Iban as a distinct and resilient subgroup of the Dayak. Recognition of 24 Iban subgroups at Iban Summit II (2023) calls for further ethnographic monographs to complete the mosaic of Iban identity.

Read The Power of Literacy: Reclaiming Borneo’s Forgotten Civilizations

Acknowledgments

This research draws deeply from the voices of elders, academic works, and rich discussions at Iban Summit II, Tapang Sambas (March 24–25, 2023). Gratitude to all contributors who helped reconstruct this historical journey.

References

Anak Osup, C., 2006. Leka Main: Puisi Rakyat Iban — Suatu Analisis Bentuk dan Bunyi. Pulau Pinang: Penerbit Universiti Sains Malaysia.

Ballai, T., 1967. Tembawai Bejuah. Kuching: Borneo Literature Bureau.

King, V.T., 1985. The Maloh of West Kalimantan. Dordrecht: Foris Publications.

Pires, T., 1944. The Suma Oriental of Tomé Pires. London: Hakluyt Society.

Raffles, T.S., 1820. The History of Java. London: John Murray.

Reid, A., 1993. Southeast Asia in the Age of Commerce, 1450–1680. New Haven: Yale University Press.

Sareb Putra, M., 2015. Historical Novel: Keling Kumang. Jakarta: Lembaga Literasi Dayak.

Sareb Putra, M., 2021. Dayak Ketungau Tesaek: Dahulu, Kini, dan Masa Depan. Jakarta: Lembaga Literasi Dayak.

Sather, C., 1994. The Iban of Sarawak. Kuala Lumpur: SIRD.

Taslim, Y. & Anak Osup, C., 2013. Ensera Ayor. Pulau Pinang: Penerbit Universiti Sains Malaysia.

Van Loon, H., 1992. Borneo in the Dutch Colonial Records. Amsterdam: KITLV Press.

Wadley, R.L., 2002. Histories and modernities in West Kalimantan. Borneo Research Bulletin, [online] Available at: https://www.borneoresearchcouncil.org