Learning through visual culture: Heritage education from the Batuh Narit Pa’ Ukat carvings

This article examines how visual ethnography can inform art education through an investigation of the Batuh Narit Pa’ Ukat rock carvings in the Kelabit Highlands of Sarawak, Malaysia. Grounded in arts-based research, the study integrates sensory ethnography, contextual visual analysis and digital documentation to interpret the carvings as pedagogical objects that reflect Indigenous identity, ritual and symbolism. Field engagement with the Kelabit community uncovered motifs such as hornbills, dragons and ancestral faces that encode cultural memory, spirituality and governance. Digital tools, including three-dimensional scanning and vector-based reconstruction, enhanced preservation and interpretation, support heritage education and wider accessibility. Findings indicate that combining sensory and digital approaches in art education fosters critical thinking, empathy and cross-cultural understanding. By proposing a Living Heritage Framework that connects Indigenous visual heritage with culturally responsive pedagogy, this study contributes to decolonial art education and offers a transferable model for engaging with living heritage in diverse contexts.