Converting Cultural Capital into Living Heritage: Community Governance of Gendang Pampat among Urban Iban in Miri, Sarawak, Malaysia

Abstract

Community participation is essential to safeguarding intangible cultural heritage, yet the organisational processes that convert inherited knowledge, material resources and public recognition into sustainable practice remain insufficiently understood. This article examines how the Dayak Association Miri safeguards Gendang Pampat, an interlocking Iban drum tradition, in urban Sarawak, Malaysia. A qualitative single-case study was conducted between October 2025 and May 2026 using semi-structured interviews with ten Iban participants aged 29-76, field observations, and organisational and media documents. Thematic analysis was interpreted through Bourdieu's embodied, objectified and institutionalised forms of cultural capital. The findings reveal a conversion cycle in which practitioner expertise is transformed into structured classes and ensemble roles; instruments, ceremonial attire and digital recordings support repeated practice; and certificates, the Munsang Labang ensemble and public performances institutionalise competence and recognition. These mechanisms have expanded participation to nearly 30 course graduates and strengthened youth and public engagement. However, dependence on one principal instructor, costly instruments, informal archives and unstable funding create significant bottlenecks. The article proposes a community cultural-capital conversion model that explains safeguarding as the continuous organisation, circulation and reinvestment of cultural resources rather than the static preservation of a cultural form.