The influence of animism on the customs and culture of the Iban community

This study is about the Iban race which is one of the largest ethnic groups in Sarawak where they can be found from Sri Aman, all the way up to Miri, Bintulu and Limbang. The Iban people are also known as Sea Dayaks due to their skills in hunting, farming and adherence to traditional customs. The villages of the Iban people are mainly located on river shores and hillsides. Thus, the objective of this study is to identify and discuss the aspects of how animism influenced the customs and cultures of the Iban people in Hikayat Keling Gerasi Nading (1998). This study uses text analysis methods and approaches based on Sociology of Literature, introduced by Alan Swingewood (1972) as a consolidation in this study. The findings showed that there are elements of animism in Hikayat Keling Gerasi Nading (1998) such as consorting with faith healers and witch doctors, beliefs in spirits of the dead and believing in premonition. Therefore, it is hoped that this study would be beneficial to researchers of anthropology to learn about the customs and culture of the Iban community