Learning To Dance, Learning To Belong: Intergenerational Enculturation In Ajat Iban

Abstract

This article examines the intergenerational enculturation of Ajat Iban within the Iban community of Nanga Ibau, Kapit, Sarawak. Drawing on a qualitative ethnographic study, it explores how Ajat Iban is learned not only as dance technique but as an embodied cultural practice through which knowledge, values, social behaviour, and cultural identity develop across generations. Data were generated through participant observation, semi-structured interviews, and document analysis and analysed thematically. The findings show that learning occurs through observation, imitation, participation, repetition, guidance from elders and experienced practitioners, and community affirmation. These processes enable younger generations to acquire movement knowledge alongside confidence, respect for adat, social responsibility, cultural authenticity, and a sense of belonging. The article argues that the continuity of Ajat Iban depends not simply on preserving movements, but on sustaining the intergenerational social environments through which cultural knowledge remains embodied and meaningful