The oral history of the Iban has traditionally been committed to memory in the oral forms of literature i.e. inchantations (timang or pengap) and genealogies (tusut), and some of these are recorded in a system of writing on boards (papan turai) as pneumonics by the initiated shamans, or lemambang. This includes elaborate genealogical records, which usually go back about fifteen generations, although some purport to go back up to twenty-five. These genealogies (tusuts) are essentially records of who married who and whom begat whom. Names of individuals with great achievements in life are accompanied by a short description, a praise-name (ensumbar) and the respective narratives of their accomplishments. So, this is how the Iban records their history in the oral form.

Some of the songs of the Iban people's oral history (such as the ritual pengap chant, sung during festivals) are mythological or historical accounts composing of key events, major milestones or famous names.