Iban inequality

Abstract

INEQUALITY Appel1 (1978: 61) reflects the view of many social scientists when he points out that some of the Borneo societies practising swidden agriculture "have essentially egalitarian social systems, while others have highly developed systems of social stratification".I argue that the contrast between such societies has been overemphasized.In particular, the Iban have been seen as a paradigm of egalitarianism, but if we analyse their social structure, we can see that inequality is present to a significant extent, and that they are much more similar to the stratified societies of Borneo than is superficially evident.'The following argument5 have been presented to show that the Iban are egalitarian:1.The Eban are essentially in a state of anarchy: "Jurally, each bilekfamily [domestic unit] is a power unto itself, managing its own affairs and acknowledging no other family to be its superior, or master" (Freeman 1970: 129).2. "There is no institution of leadership" within the cornmunity (Preeman 1970: 129).(An Iban village consists of a single longhouse divided into apartments, one for each domestic unit or bilek.Iban longhouses contain on average 80 or 90 people; cf.Freeman 1970: 62;

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