The Rich Legacy of Iban’s Tattoo Motifs on Contemporary Craft
Keywords:
Cultural heritage, Identity, Contemporary Craftworks, Iban’s Tattoo MotifsAbstract
The Iban people, are one of the main ethnic groups in Sarawak. The Iban people have a unique tattoo culture. The influence of modernity and conflicting religious beliefs pose an increasing threat to this tradition, which is deeply rooted in the tattoo culture. However, the tattoo tradition will endure as people persevere in integrating tattoo motifs into contemporary handicrafts. The fashion industry, which includes both apparel and accessories, is a popular field that involves traditional tattoo motifs. Therefore, we view this study as a significant documentation endeavor, striving to preserve the cultural heritage that forms the core of ethnic pride in Sarawak. The study employs qualitative research methodologies, notably utilizing surveys and interviews with Sarawakians in different regions. The research also seeks to identify tattoo motifs incorporating traditional into contemporary craftwork. Through this study, it inspired local small businesses to increase their enthusiasm for creating and promoting modern crafts that incorporate traditional motifs. In addition, this study also encourages all ethnic groups, including young generations to persist in preserving their traditional cultures, customs, and traditions through contemporary craftwork that will be appropriate for remaining pertinent to the modern era. The enduring nature of traditional tattoo motifs can be utilized in several ways beyond their use on the skin.
References
Abdelsalam, O., Fethi, M. D., Matallín, J. C., & Tortosa-Ausina, E. (2014). On the comparative performance of socially responsible and Islamic mutual funds. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 103, S108–S128.
Abou Hashish, H., & El Zean, C. (2022). Innovative printed scarf designs utilizing crochet motifs. International Design Journal, 12(2), 185–195. https://doi.org/10.21608/idj.2022.222609
Alkaff, M., Khatimi, H., Lathifah, N., & Sari, Y. (2019). Sasirangan Motifs Classification using Scale-Invariant Feature Transform (SIFT) and Support Vector Machine (SVM). EDP Sciences, 280, 05023–05023. https://doi.org/10.1051/matecconf/201928005023
Asadi, S. (2023). Cultural heritage lost: case study of Isfahan, Iran. Multiculturalism and Interculturalism – Managing Diversity in Cross-Cultural Environment. https://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.110051
Awang-Kanak, F. (2021). Plant parts and preparation of edible plants by indigenous Sama-Bajau and Dusun people in Kota Belud, Sabah. IOP Publishing, 756(1), 012023–012023. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/756/1/012023
Churchill, Edward. (2023). Ratu Buri Borneo revives traditional costume, supports local artisans. The Borneo Post Online. https://www.theborneopost.com/2023/11/13/
Ernawati, E. (2024). Re-actualization of traditional themes in contemporary craft art through the concept of hybrid aesthetics. International Journal of Current Science Research and Review, 07(04). https://doi.org/10.47191/ijcsrr/v7-i4-12
Gaddi, R. (2023). Craft for care, design for life. Heritage contemporary enhancement and communication design tools as a resource for social changes, fostering diversity and inclusion. https://doi.org/10.26530/9789401496476-120
Gladys, T., Nurul S. T., & Nuraileen, I. (2020). The ‘kelingai motif’ in Iban’s tattoo motif; a case study of Kampung Gayau Ulu Pantu, Sri Aman Sarawak. Idealogy Journal of Arts and Social Science, 5(1), 8–16. https://doi.org/10.24191/idealogy.v5i1.180
Gravagnuolo, A., Micheletti, S., & Bosone, M. (2021). A participatory approach for “circular” adaptive reuse of cultural heritage. Building a heritage community in Salerno, Italy. Sustainability, 13(9), 4812. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13094812
Hartanto, C. (2023). Tattoos: art, symbol, and history in Dayak Salako. Mudra Jurnal Seni Budaya, 38(3), 269–276. https://doi.org/10.31091/mudra.v38i3.2293
Idris, M. Z., Mustaffa, N., & Yusoff, S. O. S. (2016). Preservation of intangible cultural heritage using advance digital technology: issues and challenges. Harmonia: Journal of Arts Research and Education, 16(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.15294/harmonia.v16i1.6353
Irwin, K. (2001). Legitimating the first tattoo: moral passage through informal interaction. Symbolic Interaction, 24(1), 49–73. https://doi.org/10.1525/si.2001.24.1.49
Islam, M. R., Wahab, H. A., & Anggum, L. A. (2020). The influence of leadership quality towards community cohesion in Iban community in Malaysia. Elsevier BV, 6(2), e03370–e03370. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e03370
Jerome, C., Ting, S., & Perry, E. J. (2022). Rethinking visions of “unity” and “belonging”: Insights into audience responses towards popular music of Malaysia’s indigenous ethnic communities – A case of Iban pop song. University of Science Malaysia, 40(1), 109–131. https://doi.org/10.21315/km2022.40.1.6
Joseph, S., Hipiny, I., Ujir, H., Juan, S. S., & Minoi, J. (2021). Performance evaluation of SIFT against common image deformations on Iban plaited mat motif images. Indonesian Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 23(3), 1470. https://doi.org/10.11591/ijeecs.v23.i3.pp1470-1477
Jumpo, S., & Bebit, M. (2020). A deconstruction of the traditional bunga terung tattoo and the sequence of its application among Iban men. Journal of Borneo Social Transformation Studies, 6(1), 77–86. https://doi.org/10.51200/jobsts.v6i1.2794
Kiki Hartanto, C., Praptantya, D. B., Restu Darmawan, D., Lusia, I., & Fridayanti, D. (2023). Tattoos: art, symbol, and history in Dayak Salako. Mudra Jurnal Seni Budaya, 38(3), 269–276. https://doi.org/10.31091/mudra.v38i3.2293
Law of Malaysia. (2006). National Heritage Act 2005 (Act 645). https://gtwhi.com.my/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/National-Heritage-Act-2005.pdf
Low, M., Hoong, W., Shen, Z., Murugavel, B., Mariner, N., Paguntalan, L., … & Aziz, S. (2021). Bane or blessing? Reviewing cultural values of bats across the Asia-Pacific region. Journal of Ethnobiology, 41(1), 18–34. https://doi.org/10.2993/0278-0771-41.1.18
Mohajan, H. (2018). Qualitative research methodology in social sciences and related subjects. Journal of Economic Development, Environment and People, 7(1), 23. https://doi.org/10.26458/jedep.v7i1.571
Nuraeni, N., & Putri, R. I. (2017). The international dimension of communal and traditional intellectual property rights protection in Indonesia. Intermestic: Journal of International Studies, 2(1), 74. https://doi.org/10.24198/intermestic.v2n1.6
Osman, M., Asri, A., & Hussain, S. (2021). Falsafah alam takambang jadi guru dalam kearifan tradisi masyarakat Iban: seni tatu. Asian People Journal (APJ), 4(2), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.37231/apj.2021.4.2.268
Qiu Qilu, Lilian Lee Shiau Gee, & Victor Pangayan. (2023). Implementing the Naxi ethnic clothing elements in modern outfit designs. Jurnal Gendang Alam (GA), 13(2). https://doi.org/10.51200/ga.v13i2.4747
Robinson, M. (2014). Kingdom of Sarawak: Kelingai Iban’s Sarawak tattoo. https://robinsonmike.blogspot.com/2014/08/kelingai-iban-sarawak-tattoo_31.html
Rosana, A. (2023). Symbolic interactionism on the creative message art of Mentawai tattoos as a subcultural identity. International Journal of Social Science, 3(3), 367–372. https://doi.org/10.53625/ijss.v3i3.1916
Sellato, B. (1992). Hornbill and Dragon – The Arts and Cultures of Borneo (2nd ed.). Singapore: Sun Tree Publishing.
Singh, P. (2024). A system design approach of gamification for disseminating intangible oral expressions of indigenous textile heritage. International Journal of Serious Games, 11(2), 3–26. https://doi.org/10.17083/ijsg.v11i2.727
Swaratama, E., Yamani, A., & Fauziah, E. (2020). Efektivitas perancangan typeface dengan metode ikonografi. Jurnal Bahasa Rupa, 3(2), 117–123. https://doi.org/10.31598/bahasarupa.v3i2.518
Wahed, W. J. E., Saad, N., & Yusoff, S. B. M. (2022). Academics’ perspectives of the visual complexity and community acceptance of pua kumbu textile. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 12(5). https://doi.org/10.6007/ijarbss/v12-i5/13186
Waldt, G. V. d. (2020). Constructing conceptual frameworks in social science research. The Journal for Transdisciplinary Research in Southern Africa, 16(1). https://doi.org/10.4102/td.v16i1.758
Xiao, L. (2022). Intangible cultural heritage reproduction and revitalization: value feedback, practice, and exploration based on the IPA model. Computational Intelligence and Neuroscience, 2022, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/8411999
Zulfa, Z., & Suraya, R. S. (2024). Exploring the role of tattoo discourse in Matotonan Village: Mentawai tattoo batik as an effort to preserve tradition in Mentawai. Journal of Pragmatics and Discourse Research, 4(1), 78–89. https://doi.org/10.51817/jpdr.v4i1.794
Zulkipli, Z., Aji, Y., & Suharto, D. (2022). Keluk: kelembutan dan kekuatan desain motif pucuk pakis sebagai tema karya tari. Joged, 20(2), 117–137. https://doi.org/10.24821/joged.v20i2.8201
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 UNIMAS Publisher
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Copyright Transfer Statement for Journal
1) In signing this statement, the author(s) grant UNIMAS Publisher an exclusive license to publish their original research papers. The author(s) also grant UNIMAS Publisher permission to reproduce, recreate, translate, extract or summarize, and to distribute and display in any forms, formats, and media. The author(s) can reuse their papers in their future printed work without first requiring permission from UNIMAS Publisher, provided that the author(s) acknowledge and reference publication in the Journal.
2) For open access articles, the author(s) agree that their articles published under UNIMAS Publisher are distributed under the terms of the CC-BY-NC-SA (Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License) which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, for non-commercial purposes, provided the original work of the author(s) is properly cited.
3) For subscription articles, the author(s) agree that UNIMAS Publisher holds copyright, or an exclusive license to publish. Readers or users may view, download, print, and copy the content, for academic purposes, subject to the following conditions of use: (a) any reuse of materials is subject to permission from UNIMAS Publisher; (b) archived materials may only be used for academic research; (c) archived materials may not be used for commercial purposes, which include but not limited to monetary compensation by means of sale, resale, license, transfer of copyright, loan, etc.; and (d) archived materials may not be re-published in any part, either in print or online.
4) The author(s) is/are responsible to ensure his or her or their submitted work is original and does not infringe any existing copyright, trademark, patent, statutory right, or propriety right of others. Corresponding author(s) has (have) obtained permission from all co-authors prior to submission to the journal. Upon submission of the manuscript, the author(s) agree that no similar work has been or will be submitted or published elsewhere in any language. If submitted manuscript includes materials from others, the authors have obtained the permission from the copyright owners.
5) In signing this statement, the author(s) declare(s) that the researches in which they have conducted are in compliance with the current laws of the respective country and UNIMAS Journal Publication Ethics Policy. Any experimentation or research involving human or the use of animal samples must obtain approval from Human or Animal Ethics Committee in their respective institutions. The author(s) agree and understand that UNIMAS Publisher is not responsible for any compensational claims or failure caused by the author(s) in fulfilling the above-mentioned requirements. The author(s) must accept the responsibility for releasing their materials upon request by Chief Editor or UNIMAS Publisher.
6) The author(s) should have participated sufficiently in the work and ensured the appropriateness of the content of the article. The author(s) should also agree that he or she has no commercial attachments (e.g. patent or license arrangement, equity interest, consultancies, etc.) that might pose any conflict of interest with the submitted manuscript. The author(s) also agree to make any relevant materials and data available upon request by the editor or UNIMAS Publisher.
