The Iban People of Borneo

Photographer

Haruka Kondo

Category

People Photography - Culture

Company

Submission Group

Amateur

Year

2026

Country / Region:

Japan

This series portrays the lives of the Iban people living in the rainforests of Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo. While the Iban remain the largest ethnic group in the state, most have moved to cities, leaving only a handful who continue to live according to the traditions of the jungle. The family portrayed in this series has watched relatives leave for work in cities and overseas, while the surrounding rainforest steadily gives way to expanding palm oil plantations. As the forest disappears, so too does a way of life that has endured for generations. Yet rather than resisting this reality, they embrace it with quiet dignity, continuing to protect and preserve the traditions that remain. Even so, they accepted this reality while quietly and modestly trying to preserve the life they had inherited.

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