Huminodun

The Mystical Origin of the Kadazandusun People

This is another legend of the mystical origin of the Kadazandusun People in Sabah;
refer also to our feature Pesta Ka'amatan and Nunuk Ragang

Sources: after a text by Benedict Topin (Kadazandusun Cultural Association), and

with excerpts from Traditional Stone and Wood Monuments of Sabah, by Peter R
Phelan

First, there was nothing but Kinoingan and Sumundu . Together, they created man
and the universe, the earth, and everything seen and unseen, known and unknown.

In the beginning, all was well in the Heavens, and the world was pure and beautiful.
But one day, Ponompulan, Kinoingans son, rebelled against his divine father, and
he corrupted the hearts and minds of the humans on earth.

Disappointed and angry, Kinoingan banished Ponompulan from the Heavens and
cast him to Kolungkud . Then, to punish mankind for their sinful ways, Kinoingan
sent seven plagues. The last plague was a severe draught, and famine threatened
to destroy every living being on earth.

But at last, the people on earth realised their sin, and turned back to Kinoingan, to
ask for forgiveness. Ponompuan, Kinoingans only daughter, entreated her fathers
mercy to forgive the people of the world and consented to Kinoingan's proposal that
she be sacrificed, as a symbol of the greatest love of all.

Kinoingan sacrificed His only daughter so that the people could have food. Her body
parts were planted as seeds and became the food resource of the world: rice.
Ponompuans spirit dwells in the paddy, and is the seven-in-one Bambaazon
(Bambarayon), the spirit of the paddy. Red rice is the most sacred of all, because it
was from the flesh of Ponompuan.

Ponompuan, who is often called Huminodun, is in essence the soul of the paddy.
During harvesting time, the Bobohizans (Bobolians) usher the seven-in-one soul of
Bambaazon to dwell in the Tangkob (Toguruon), at home, until the next planting
season is due.

Bambaazon is embodied in every part of the paddy and its related products. During
the course of its seasons it is inevitable that the paddy is damaged, be it naturally,
unintentionally, innocently or through abuse and neglect. Also, during the harvest
itself, parts of the spiritual components of Bambaazon are separated. Thus, it is of
utmost importance that immediately after the harvest Bambaazons dispersed
mystical spirits are collected by the spiritual specialists, brought home, re-united,
healed and appeased.

The Bobohizans perform the Magavau, Modsuut and Humabot Ceremonies,

travelling though the different levels of the spiritual world to rescue the severed and
strayed Bambaazon. Whole again, Bambaazon will ensure that the next harvest is
equally bountiful.

To thank Kinoingan for Bambaazons gift of a good harvest, the Pesta Kaamatan
(Harvest Festival) is held. The Kadazans forgive each other, restore and strengthen
peace and harmony not only on a worldly level, but also between nature and the
spiritual world and play the gongs, sing songs and dance to the ancient rhythm of
life.

To commemorate the greatest love of all, Kinoingans sacrifice of His only daughter,
the Kadazans idolise Huminodun and select the Unduk Ngadau (lit: zenith of the
sun; Harvest Beauty Queen) in order to remember that Ponompuan was perfect: she
was of total beauty of the heart, mind soul and body.
adazan people
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Kadazan

Datuk Joseph Pairin Kitingan, Paramount

Leader
orHuguan
Siou of
the KadazanDusun community, together with Sabahan
dignitaries during Kaamatanfestival
Regions with significant populations
Malaysia
(Sabah, Labuan)
Languages
Kadazan, Dusunic languages, Malay, English
Religion
Christianity (majority), Islam, Animism
Related ethnic groups
Kadazan-Dusun, Dusun, Austronesian peoples

The Kadazans are an ethnic group indigenous to the state of Sabah in Malaysia.
They are found mainly at Penampang on the west coast of Sabah, the surrounding
locales, and various locations in the interior. The Kadazan is the term being used
referring to Dusun Tangara which most of them lived in town area. The term
"Kadazan" first being used during Tun Fuad Stephens era.
Contents
[hide]

1 Origins of the term 'Kadazan'

2 Culture
o

2.1 The Nunuk Ragang legend

2.2 Religion

2.3 Music and Dance

2.4 Cuisine

3 Unification

4 Indigenous status

5 References

Origins of the term 'Kadazan'[edit]

When Kadazan was an official designation for this ethnic group, it is widely believed
that the term itself was a political derivative that came into existence in the late
1950s to early 1960s. No proper historical record exists pertaining to the origins of
the term or its originator. However, an article by Richard Tunggolou [1] may shed
some light. According to Tunggolou, most of the explanations of the meanings and
origins of the word Kadazan assumed that the word was of recent origin,
specifically in the late 1950s and early 1960s. He says that some people have
theorised that the term originates from the word kakadazan (towns) or kedai
(shops), and from the claim that Kadazan politicians such as the late Datuk Peter J.
Mojuntin coined the term.
However, there is evidence that the term has been used long before the
1950s. Owen Rutter, in his book, The Pagans Of North Borneo, published in 1929,
wrote: The Dusun usually describes himself generically as a tulun tindal
(landsman) or, on the West Coast, particularly at Papar, as a Kadazan. (page 31).
Rutter worked in Sabah for five years as District Officer in all five residencies and

left Sabah with the onset of the First World War. This means that he started working
in Sabah from 1910 and left Sabah in 1914. We can therefore safely say that the
word Kadazan was already in existence before any towns or shops were built in
the Penampang district and that Kadazan politicians did not invent the word in the
late fifties and early sixties. The Bobolians or the Bobohizans of Borneo were
interviewed to seek better picture of the true meaning of the term "Kadazan", a
Lotud Bobolian was asked what is the meaning of Kadazan or kadayan? Kadazan
means "the people of the land". The Bobohizan from Penampang was also
interviewed seeking the real meaning of Kadazan, The Bobohizan Dousia Moujing
confirmed that the Kadazan has always been used to describe the real people of the
Land; Kadazan means "the people of the land". That confirmed what Rutter (1929)
had described about the existence of term Kadazan. Thus,the word "Kadazan"
actually not derived from the word "kedai" (meaning "shops" in Malay). Over a
hundred years, the people of Kadazans were ruled by the Brunei Sultanate; the
Kadazan or Kadayan (in Lotud, Marangang, Liwan etc.)were being addressed by the
Sultanate as being the "Orang Dusun" which means "the People of the Orchard"
Because in Malay, Dusun means Orchard Farm. Thus administratively the Kadazans
are called "Orang Dusun" by the Sultanate (Tax-Collector) but in reality the people
that was called "Orang Dusun" are in fact Kadazan. An account of this fact was
written by the first census made by the North Borneo Company in Sabah, 1881.
Administratively all Kadazans are called Dusun as their ethnic identity. Only through
the establishment of KCA (Kadazan Cultural Association) in 1960, this terminology
was corrected and replaced into Kadazan. When Sabah formed Malaysia together
with Sarawak, Singapore and the Peninsular Malaysia in 1963, under the newly form
nation of Malaysia, administratively all "Orang Dusun" born after the Malaysia
formation is called Kadazan as their ethnic origin.
There were no conflict with regards to Kadazan as the identity of the "Orang Dusun"
between 1963 to 1984. But in 1985 through the KDCA (formally called KCA) the
Dusun was once again being introduced after much pressures received from the
various parties with one reason to divide the Kadazan and the "Orang Dusun" once
again. As the division has been established and successful, the fall of the ruling
government (PBS)was accomplished. PBS through the KCA then, finally coined in the
new term to represent the "Orang Dusun" and "Kadazan" as Kadazandusun. Press
released (Sabah Times and Daily Express) by various parties; argued that it should
not be Kadazandusun but Dusunkadazan! Leaders in Singapore and the Peninsular
Malaysia until today acknowledges the people as Kadazan and not Dusun. The exPrime Minister of Singapore addressed the ethnic group in Sabah as the Kadazans,
and many leaders of Malaysia today.
Culture[edit]
Kadazan culture is heavily influenced by the farming of rice, culminating in various
delicacies and alcoholic drinks prepared through differing home-brewed
fermentation processes. Toomis and linutau are the main rice wine variants served

and consumed in Kadazan populated areas, and are a staple of Kadazan social
gatherings and ceremonies.
The most important festival of the Kadazans is the Kaamatan or harvest festival,
where the spirit of the paddy is honoured after a year's harvest. This takes place in
May, and the two last days of the month are public holidays throughout Sabah.
During the celebration, the most celebrated event is the crowning of the 'Unduk
Ngadau', meaning harvest queen in Kadazan. Young women of Kadazan or Dusun
descent from each district compete for this title. The beauty pageant is held to
commemorate the spirit of 'Huminodun', a mythological character of unparalleled
beauty said to have given her life in exchange for a bountiful harvest for her
community.
In marriages, dowries are paid to the bride's family and an elaborate negotiation is
arranged between the groom and bride's families. As a traditional gesture of
politeness and civility, the dowry is metaphorically laid out with match sticks on a
flat surface, and representatives from each side push and pull the sticks across a
boundary to denote the bargaining of the dowry. Dowries traditionally consisted of
water buffaloes, pigs, sacks of rice and even urns of tapai. Modern dowry
negotiations also include cash and land ownership deeds. Kadazan women from
the Penampang and Dusun women from the Keningau, Ranau andTuaran areas are
widely regarded to have the most expensive dowries.
While it is traditionally customary for Kadazans to marry within a village or a
neighbouring village, a downshift of xenophobia over the past few decades has
eased the difficulty once associated with interracial marriage. The Kadazans have a
particularly good affinity with the local Chinese, resulting in the coinage of the term
Sino-Kadazan, meaning half-Kadazan and half-Chinese offspring of these unions.
Due to the overwhelming Christian influence and some marriages to Muslim
spouses, resulting in a mandatory conversion to Islam, still induces outrage and
rejection and is known to divide fiercely traditional Kadazans. Islam has lately been
embraced by a growing minority as a means to political ends considering the fact
that the local Malay minority has gained political ascendance in recent years. Ruling
Malay political parties have also openly been giving political and economical
privileges to Kadazans who agree to convert to Islam as well as to other nonChristian Kadazans.Conspiracy has said that the Kadazan Christian trying to
establish Christian government in Sabah.
The Nunuk Ragang legend[edit]
It was said that the Kadazan-Dusun people originated from a place called Nunuk
Ragang, roughly located at Tampias where three rivers, Liwagu, Takashaw, and
Gelibang meet to the east of Ranau and Tambunan. Nunuk is a Dusun word for
Bayan Tree. Ragang comes from the word Aragang which means red. The great

height of the nunuks provide good natural shelters, with treetops estimated to be
able to shelter seven Kadazan/Dusun huts (a single hut measures 12 by 20 feet). [2]
Religion[edit]
The majority of the Kadazans are Christians, mainly Roman Catholics[3] and
some Protestants.[4] Islam is also practised by a growing minority.[5][6][7]
Animism was the predominant religion prior to the arrival of Roman
Catholic missionaries during British North Borneo administration in 1880s. The
Protestant influence is due to later British influence during the 20th century.
The Kadazan belief system centres around a single omnipotent deity
called Kinoingan or Kinorohingan. Rice cultivation is the center of Kadazan life and
as such, various rites and festivals are celebrated and revolve around paddy
cultivation. Kaamatan is the most recognizable festival attributed to the KadazanDusun. This annual festival is essentially a thanks-giving ceremony and in the olden
days also serve to appease the rice spirit, the Bambaazon. Special rituals are
performed before and after each harvest by a tribal priestess known as
a Bobohizan.
Music and Dance[edit]
The Kadazans have also developed their own unique dance and music. Sumazau is
the name of the dance between a male and female, performed by couples as well as
groups of couples, which is usually accompanied by a symphony of handcrafted
bronze gongs that are individually called 'tagung'. The sompoton is another musical
instrument. A ceremonial ring of cloth sash is worn by both male and female.
The Sumazau and gong accompaniment is typically performed during joyous
ceremonies and occasions, the most common of which being wedding feasts.
Malaysian dancers teaching Sailors assigned to the U.S. 7th Fleet command ship
USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19) on how to perform the traditional Malaysian Kadazan
dance upon the arrival in Sepangar, Malaysia, 2010.
The Kadazan have a musical heritage consisting of various types of tagung
ensembles - ensembles composed of large hanging, suspended or held,
bossed/knobbed gongs which act as drone without any accompanying melodic
instrument. They also use kulintangan ensembles - ensembles with an horizontaltype melodic instrument.[8][9]
Sumazau Music Fusion
Cuisine[edit]

A swordfish hinava served

Dusun cuisine.

withsandwich

bread. Hinava are

part

ofKadazan-

Traditional Kadazan cuisine involves mostly boiling or grilling which employs little
use of oil, and with locally unique modifications and nuances as well as particular
usage of locally available ingredients, particularly bamboo shoots,sago and fresh
water fish. From simple appetizers of unripe mango dressed with soy sauce and chili
flakes to a variety of pickled foods collectively known asnoonsom, tangy and
pungent flavours from souring agents or fermentation techniques is a key
characteristic of traditional Kadazan cooking. One of the most well known Kadazan
dishes is hinava, which is similar in concept to the South American ceviche. It is a
salad made with pieces of raw fish marinated in citrus juice, ginger, onion and other
ingredients like bitter gourd and grated dried bambangan seed which is similar in
texture to desiccated coconut strands. This dish is sometimes served in certain
Sabahan restaurants which do not otherwise have a traditional Kadazan menu.
Another popular dish ispinasakan, which consists of sea or freshwater fish (usually
smaller species) cooked with bambangan (a variety of mango found in Borneo)
or takob-akob (a very tart dried fruit). The bambangan fruit is also eaten with meals
as an appetiser. It is often pickled as noonsom and garnished with grated
bambangan seed.Tuhau is a fragrant local root that is often made into a salad or is
preserved with vinegar as noonsom. Wild boar or bakas, whether char grilled,
stewed or even made into noonsom is very popular with the Kadazandusun
community, often an essential item at weddings and major gatherings. Sweets
include hinompuka, a type of gooey rice cake steamed in banana leaves and
flavoured with dark palm sugar. The Kadazan people are also renowned for lihing, a
sweet-tasting wine brewed from glutinous rice and natural yeast.
Contemporary Kadazan food is influenced by Chinese and Malay food as well as
international trends, and often sees the use of traditional ingredients interpreted in
new and novel ways. For example, bambangan is available as an ice cream flavour
and chicken lihing soup or sup manuk nansak miampai lihingis popular with both
Chinese and Kadazan communities alike. Lihing is also used in marinades, local
variants of sambal relishes and even as a flavouring for stir-fried noodles.
Unification[edit]

Presently, the Kadazans are associated together with another similar indigenous
tribe, the Dusuns and various other indigenous peoples, under the blanket
term Kadazan-Dusun. This is officially recognised as the result of political
machinations, specifically a resolution of the supposedly non-political 5th KCA
(Kadazan Cultural Association, which was then renamed to Kadazan-Dusun Cultural
Association (KDCA)) Delegates Conference held between 4 and 5 November 1989. It
was decided as the best alternative approach to resolve the "Kadazan" or "Dusun"
identity crisis that had crippled and impeded the growth and development of the
Kadazan-Dusun multi-ethnic community socio-culturally, economically and
politically - ever since Kadazan versus Dusun sentiments were politicised in the
early 1960s.
Kadazans and Dusuns share the same language and culture albeit with differences
in dialect. Many consider their traditional geographical influences as the major
difference between the two ethnic groups. Kadazans are mainly inhabitants of the
flat valley deltas, conducive to paddy field farming, while Dusuns are traditionally
inhabitants of the hilly and mountainous regions common to the interior of Sabah.
Indigenous status[edit]
Being indigenous to Sabah and a part of Malaysia, Kadazans are conferred the same
political, educational and economic rights as the predominant Malaypopulation of
Malaysia. The term ascribed to this is Bumiputra (from Sanskrit Bhumiputra),
a Malay word, which is translated to 'Sons of the Land'.