Reputed to be the most fearsome of Borneo's headhunters, it was not so long ago that the Iban celebrated the captured heads with a grand festival called Gawai Kenyalang (the Hornbill Festival). It was believed that the magical power of the heads would bring strength, virtue and prosperity to the longhouse. Thankfully the Iban no longer headhunt, and have adopted a peaceful agrarian lifestyle. Any modern day visitor to an Iban longhouse will testify that they are a generous, hospitable and placid people.

The Iban are the most numerous of Sarawak's ethnic groups forming 20% of the state's population, and are sometimes erroneously referred to as the "Sea Dayaks" because of their skill with boats. The Iban actually originated from deep within the Kalimantan hinterland. They first crossed into Sarawak in the mid 16th century - a mass migration of people that lasted until the early 1900s. The first Iban settlements in Sarawak were at Lubok Antu (approximately four hour's drive from Kuching). The Iban then settled in nearby river valleys such as Batang Ai, the Skrang River, Saribas, the Layar Basin. In a second wave of migration in the 1800s, the Iban settled on the Rajang River and the lower reaches of the Baram River. By the early 1900s the Ibans had migrated as far across the state as Limbang, Tatau and Kemena Rivers.

Although the majority of Iban are nowadays Christian, many traditional rituals are still practised, including the Gawai Dayak (harvest festival), Gawai Kenyalang (hornbill festival) and Gawai Antu (festival of the dead). The traditional Iban religion is a fusion of animistic and Hindu-Buddhist beliefs, and they worship a triumvirate of gods under the authority of Singalang Burung, the bird-god of war. Iban women are superb weavers, using the backstrap loom, while Iban men are excellent silversmiths, and are famous for their colourful ngajat dance and their majestic and imposing tattoos. The Iban have a strong tradition of hospitality, and a longhouse visit is an unforgettable experience.