Oral traditions of Sarawak
Pictographic wooden tablets (papan turai) served as memory aids for recitation by shamans (lemambang).
Other than the Malays and Melanau, who adopted the Arabic script upon conversion to Islam, the indigenous peoples of Sarawak never developed writing. Thus all literature was oral, and this formed the basis of their cultural practices. Similar themes are found throughout the oral literature of the various ethnic groups: the relationship of the people to their past, particularly their ancestry, and the spirit world, especially its influence on food production and health. Rituals often accompany the recitation of oral literature.
- Information in the full article includes
- Iban tales
- Bidayuh tradition
- Tales from northern Sarawak
- The Malay and Melanau traditions