Semiotics of Continuity: Cultural Resilience and Hybrid Identity in Urban Iban Tattooing in Sarawak

Abstract

This study explores the semiotic and cultural significance of contemporary Iban tattoo motifs within urban communities in Sarawak, Malaysia. Historically, Iban tattoos serve as ritualistic markers of achievement, spiritual protection, and social identity. However, urbanisation and globalisation have transformed these practices, leading to the reinterpretation of motifs within modern identity frameworks. Using qualitative methods, including semi-structured interviews and visual observation, this study analyses prevalent motifs, such as, Bunga Terung, Ukir Rekung, found in urban Iban tattooing in Kuching. Semiotic analysis was conducted through Charles Sanders Peirce’s Triadic model and Roland Barthes’s myth theory, enabling interpretation of tattoos as layered signs that extend beyond aesthetics. Findings reveal that contemporary Iban tattoos function as hybrid expressions of heritage and modernity, simultaneously preserving ancestral symbolism while generating new cultural myths of identity, resilience, and cosmopolitan belonging. The study concludes that tattoos remain dynamic forms of cultural expression, serving both personal and collective functions in negotiating tradition and modern urban life.

Highlights
• Examines contemporary Iban tattoos as evolving semiotic signs in urban Sarawak.
• Applies Peircean and Barthesian theory to interpret tattoo motifs beyond aesthetics.
• Shows how traditional motifs are reworked to express modern Iban identity.
• Reveals tattooing as a site of cultural continuity and identity negotiation.