Raising Awareness of Borneo's Indigenous Culture

Dr. Gregory Anak Kiyai @ Keai

Dean's Office, Faculty of Creative Arts

Area of Expertise:

Material Culture and Arts History > Indigenous Arts and Culture, Culture Storytelling (Material Culture, Museum Studies, Indigenous Arts and Culture)

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Origin & Identity: Growing Up Iban

Some scholars observe cultural artefacts from a distance as part of their work to preserve them. Dr. Gregory Anak Kiyai@ Keai, lives it. Growing up in the traditional Iban longhouse at Rumah Bujang, Rantau Kiran, Nanga Medamit, Limbang, Sarawak, has given him a unique viewpoint that informs all of his work as an academic, researcher, and cultural champion. The Iban longhouse communities, with their rich traditions and legends, have been the bedrock of his artistic identity and the inspiration for his life's work.

His life's narrative doesn't start in a museum or in a notebook. Dr. Gregory's passion for his heritage was ignited at a young age, realising that one's ancestry is more than simply their past; it is who they are. His upbringing in the arts, traditions, and legends of his community inspired him to make it his life's work to record, preserve, and disseminate the genuine and revered Bornean traditions.

Grants & Current Research (2024–present)

He has been successful in securing both domestic and international financing since enrolling at the Universiti Malaya in May 2024. With the help of the Iban longhouse communities and his RM43,700 BKP Grant for Young Researchers, he conducts immersive fieldwork to record and mapping pua sungkit themes in the Batang Ai and Lubok Antu areas. His research on the histories of Japanese ceramics at Malaysia's National, Sabah, and Sarawak Museums is being supported by the Sumitomo Grant 700,000 yen (about RM21,000+) from the Japan Foundation, which is another significant achievement.

Fieldwork under the BKP grant – Mapping the Sungkit Weaving Patterns of the Iban Community in Batang Ai: Efforts to Inventory Intangible Cultural Heritage – at Rumah Panjang Puso, Kerangan Mong, Batang Ai, Lubok Antu and Rumah Ngindang, Rantau Kemayau Manis, Ulu Engkari.

Dr. Gregory in The Sumitomo Foundation Project from Japan – a study on the Historiography of Japanese Ceramics in Malaysian Museums. This photo shows his fieldwork at the Department of Museums Malaysia.

Institutional Partnerships & Museum Work

Academic work like this does not occur in a vacuum. Among Dr. Gregory's many long-term partnerships is his one with the Sarawak Museum Department, which he has maintained since 2019. Heritage initiatives, such as Papan Turai: Memory of the World, UNESCO (The Iban visual script (askara) used by the Lemambang in preserving Iban oral traditions and poems serves as a medium of communication between the Iban people and Petara, the Iban Deity-God), a project aimed at preserving and promoting Sarawak's cultural heritage, and the Betting Maro War 1849 Research, a study on the historical significance of the Maro War, have been brought to life through their combined efforts. To ensure that exhibits accurately reflect the communities they aim to represent, he reviews articles for the Sarawak Museum Journal and offers guidance on curatorial text panels.

Dr. Gregory in the Sarawak Museum Department Project – Documenting the History of the Iban in Saribas and Skrang during the Battle of Beting Maro/Marau 1849.

Decolonising Lens & Research Philosophy

His work revolves around a decolonising perspective on legacy, which values indigenous knowledge systems, positions women and men as guardians of tradition, and views artefacts as carriers of living memory.

Dr. Gregory in the Sarawak Museum Project – Documentation of the Turai Boards as UNESCO Memory of the World.

This perspective challenges the dominant narratives that often overlook or marginalise indigenous cultures, instead seeking to empower these communities by recognising the value of their knowledge and traditions. As he conducted research for his dissertation on Iban artefacts, he discovered that they have Farimuch more than just historical significance; they also symbolise pride, identity, and the bond between generations.

"Heritage Is Lived”

"Heritage isn't just something to be preserved, it's something to be lived," Dr. Gregory frequently remarks. He believes that museums and researchers should not just observe communities but actively engage with them. In his view, everyone has a role to play in the redistribution of information and assets that promote cultural preservation.

“Heritage isn't just something to be preserved, it's something to be lived” - Dr. Gregory Anak Kiyai @ Keai

Digital Stewardship & Global Reach

Dr. Gregory's work is a testament to the power of digital technologies and global platforms in conveying indigenous heritage while maintaining authenticity at its source. His balanced approach, which promotes the use of digital technology during this period of accelerating globalisation, offers a hopeful perspective on the future of cultural preservation.

Vision & Next Step

His plans are straightforward: he wants to ensure that Borneo's cultural heritage isn't only preserved for posterity, but also that it thrives, is cherished, and is passed on to the next generation. This is more than just research for Dr. Gregory. It is passed down through generations.

#IbanHeritage #BorneoCulture #SarawakHeritage #IndigenousKnowledge #IndigenousStudies #OrangAsalMalaysia #DayakCulture #IbanIdentity #BorneoIndigenous #PuaSungkit  #EthnographicResearch #HeritageCrafts #ASEANCulturalHeritageMuseumStudies #CulturalPreservation #HeritageConservation #SarawakMuseum #UNESCOHeritage #HeritageDocumentation #UniversitiMalaya #UMResearchers #BKPGrant #ResearchWithImpact #CulturalResearch #SoutheastAsianStudies #ASEANResearch #DigitalHeritage

Researcher featured:

Dr. Gregory Anak Kiyai @ Keai

Dean's Office, Faculty of Creative Arts

https://umexpert.um.edu.my/gregory-kiyai

For inquiries, please contact:

E: gregory.kiyai@um.edu.my

T: 03 - 79673288

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3714-1347 0

Scopus Author ID: https://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.uri?authorId=58295956000

Author:

Ms Tan Wei Nie 

With a keen interest, Tan Wei Nie, a PhD candidate in law, enriches her studies by fusing science with narrative, uncovering connections between the two fields. Her passion for nature and staying active fuels her enthusiasm for life and learning, infusing her journey with unexpected thrills and excitement.

Copyedit:

Siti Farhana Bajunid Shakeeb Arsalaan Bajunid, Assistant Registrar, UM