Page "Totemism" Paragraph 15

Among the Iban of Sarawak, Malaysia, individual totemism has been the tradition.

Particular persons dream of a spirit of an ancestor or a dead relative ; this spirit appears in a human form, presents himself as a helper and protector, and names an animal ( or sometimes an object ) in which he is manifested.

The Iban then observe the mannerisms of animals and recognize in the behaviour of the animals the embodiment of their protector spirit ( ngarong ).