Iban Culture’s Threads and the Art of Pua Kumbu

A proud Iban lady carries forward the legacy of her ancestors to the new generations.

In the heart of Kapit, Sarawak, an orang Iban learned the ancient art of Pua Kumbu at age 5 under her grandmother’s guidance. Now, at 65, she bears the responsibility of passing this legacy to the 4th generation. The intricate weave, born from ancestral dreams, shapes the lives of the Iban community, from birth to death. Pua Kumbu serves as more than a ceremonial textile; it is a cradle for newborns, a shield against mosquitoes, and an integral part of rituals. It becomes traditional dress, safeguard during celestial events, and a symbol of status. Recognized by figures like Nurul Izzah and ThinkCity CEO, Pua Kumbu’s preservation faces challenges as the weaver strives to inspire a return to traditional methods. This story unfolds at the launch of IKAT 2.0, an initiative spotlighting Borneo textiles, aiming to preserve Malaysia’s rich textile heritage.

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“At school I have a friend who’s my age who got pregnant and has stopped school.”

“I’m 17 years old, and at form 5. I want to be a primary school teacher teaching Maths one day. At school I have a friend who’s my age who got pregnant and has stopped school. She’s too young to have an abortion. But then after that she divorced from her husband, because the baby was not his, it was someone else’s. That man later ran away, and the husband divorced from her. Now she’s trying to make a living as a single mom. I think she might have been desperate when she cheated. I hope to go to Kuala Lumpur one day,and go to one of the islands on the peninsular, once I have the money. I’m looking for a man who works, I don’t mind the age. And he has to be responsible.”

 

“Most people here marry at the age of 26 or 25 or 20 something.”

I am 13 years old. I am Ibanese, studying SMK Metamin. During my school holidays I would go out and play. I’d play volleyball. Apart from playing volleyball, we would go for a jog or play football with other kids. We rarely go to the stream and play. I think I would marry after I start working at the age of 20 something. 26 or so, after I finish my school. Most people here marry at the age of 26 or 25 or 20 something. 

“It’s easier to go to the city to get medical attention than here because the city is much easier.”

How often does the Klinik Kerajaan come and visit?

Every 3 months. I’d prefer if they come more often, that would be nice. Their visits are very helpful as we are able to get a full-body check-up; to see how high or low is our blood pressure, our sugar levels and such. Thankfully nothing bad has turned up for my health screening. If we have any problems before they can come and visit, we would go to the nearest clinic and have it checked in Limbang. A hospital in Limbang is about 40 mins from here. We have another Klinik Kesihatan around here. Maybe 2km from here? I’m not sure. But it’s a bit far if we are going by boat. They are open every day except for Sunday.

But we’d rather go to the clinics in the city than the Klinik Kesihatan nearby here – because there’s a market there. And the road to the Klinik Kesihatan is not that great. It’s easier to go to the city to get medical attention than here because the city is much easier. The quality is also better. The people from the Kampung would rather go to the city to seek medical attention whereas the fishermen or smaller villages further deep in the jungle would go to the Klinik Kesihatan.

“Our generation and our mother’s generation are very different.”

Saya sudah cerai. Tak sama haluan. (I’m divorced, our paths were not the same). I’m 27. Not many people from this kampung get divorced, it’s rare.  Our generation and our mother’s generation are very different. They had 5 kids. I don’t know how many kids I’ll have. They had more sehaluan, more. balance. Last time it wasn’t difficult for them to find their way through life, now its hard, because even the men are lazy, and it’s them who wants to stay at home. That’s the difference. Back then, it’s the husbands who wants to and go to work. Now, today, its the reverse, they don’t want to work and mereka suruh isteri kerja (they ask their wives to work), but they don’t go to work. That’s how it’s like around here. It’s weird. Like this grandmother here, her children work 0- but her husband stays at home. The grand takes care of the kids. Of course, she gets angry. 

There’s no arranged marriage, they still choose who they’d get married. They also wear their traditional outfits. Iban people marry at the longhouses, and sit on top of the ‘gong’. They call it the gong tawak. Then we make them wear ayam – as in they take the live chicken, and move it around. Its their adat. 

‘I want to be a teacher when I grow up’

‘Why do you want to be a teacher?’

‘Because I want to be smart!’

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– Humans of Kuala Lumpur went with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA Malaysia) into the jungles of Sarawak, where they were helping out underprivileged Sarawakians and orang asal in their mission to deliver a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person’s potential is fulfilled.

Photostory by Mushamir Mustafa

Do you have a story? Let us know here: https://forms.gle/ht4HsvbxgSgcKS5h8

 

(This post was first published on July 12th 2018)

“What do you want to be when you grow up?”

‘I want to be a policeman! A policeman in Peninsular Malaysia’.

“Why do you want to be a policeman?”

‘So I can catch the bad guys!’

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– Humans of Kuala Lumpur went with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA Malaysia) into the jungles of Sarawak, where they were helping out underprivileged Sarawakians and orang asal in their mission to deliver a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person’s potential is fulfilled.

Photostory by Mushamir Mustafa

Do you have a story? Let us know here: https://forms.gle/ht4HsvbxgSgcKS5h8

 

(This post was first published on July 12th 2018)

“I’m 90 years old. I was there during the Japanese occupation. I remember things here and there. I was in Sibu when they came to Malaya…”

“I’ve been living here for 30 years. Before that I was in Brunei and was born in Sibu. I worked as a labourer – lifting cement and bricks.

There’s a lot of health problems here. Many do not understand what diseases that they have. Mostly because they are far from the city.

Maybe in the city a lot of young people have sex before marriage. Here, if you like someone, you would marry first before initiating anything else. Some things in life don’t change”. 

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– Humans of Kuala Lumpur went with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA Malaysia) into the jungles of Sarawak, where they were helping out underprivileged Sarawakians and orang asal in their mission to deliver a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person’s potential is fulfilled.

Photostory by Mushamir Mustafa

Do you have a story? Let us know here: https://forms.gle/ht4HsvbxgSgcKS5h8

 

(This post was first published on July 6th 2018)

“I have a heart condition. Sometimes, I’d be in the hospital for a week then I will be sent home…”

“A few days later, I am back again at the hospital for another 1-2 weeks. One day the District Administration office sent a letter for me to go to a heart institute in Kota Samarahan. They inserted a tube to check my heart and found that I had a blockage in my heart.One of the arteries was blocked and… I’m not entirely sure what happened next. I was unconscious. I’m fine now. I realised that the Ibanese rice we eat has a lot of cholesterol. I can eat them still but I must control the amount that I eat. And I’m only 24 years old”.

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– Humans of Kuala Lumpur went with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA Malaysia) into the jungles of Sarawak, where they were helping out underprivileged Sarawakians and orang asal in their mission to deliver a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person’s potential is fulfilled.

Photostory by Mushamir Mustafa

Do you have a story? Let us know here: https://forms.gle/ht4HsvbxgSgcKS5h8

 

(This post was first published on July 8th 2018)

“In Iban culture, if you ‘touch’ a lady of young age, you have to marry her before doing anything…”

“In our traditions and belief, if for example, someone impregnated the girl and ran off, the growing child in the mother’s womb is a pig”.

We need to touch on topics that are considered taboo like sex before marriage to the young people here. We have cases whereby teenagers of ages 13 and 14 are having sex. Roughly 60-70{eb97150a49149dc6c9e8165e90f1c9129bb6172e02a598b4264a1fc329d7d5bc} of these teenagers of this age bracket are having sexual relations. 

We need to raise awareness in them of the dangers and repercussions of having sexual relations at a young age”. 
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– Humans of Kuala Lumpur went with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA Malaysia) into the jungles of Sarawak, where they were helping out underprivileged Sarawakians and orang asal in their mission to deliver a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person’s potential is fulfilled.

Photostory by Mushamir Mustafa

Do you have a story? Let us know here: https://forms.gle/ht4HsvbxgSgcKS5h8

 

(This post was first published on July 8th 2018)