Magical Gendang (Drum)

As told by Mr Richard Nelson Sokial. NBHE member and resident expert on Sabah historical architectures. Visit his website at http://sabahwarriors.blogspot.com

Edited by : Justin Wong

Source : Mr Herman Scholz NBHE member. www.flyingdusun.com

Richard has spoken to many elders from various Dusun communities and noticed the recurring theme of a magical 'gendang'. He wonders whether the 'gendang' mentioned in each of the Dusun tribes are the one and same. Editor's note : No doubt there are other versions out there but we are recording the ones we have heard. If you have an alternative telling, you are welcome to share with us.

According to some Lotud elders, they did not come from Nunuk Ragang but from the sea (where exactly, we do not know). They built their original settlement at a riverside, at a place called Suang Indai. Legend has it that they were very rich and prosperous and whenever they had their Mengahau ceremonies, the river banks would be lined with 'kerak nasi' (rice crust) thrown out by the merry-makers. The Lotuds revered the Gusi (big jars) which they believed had magical properties. So they traded with the Brunieans for these jars.

The Lotuds tricked the Bruneians by giving them rocks coated with gold leaf paint. When the Bruneians found out, they were furious and put black magic curse on the longhouse of Suang Indai, one of them was a serpent called Tepirik which ate the children of the Lotuds.

The Lotuds caught the serpent and killed it, using its skin to make a drum. But when the drum was beaten, it caused a madness among the Lotuds who started to kill each other. Therefore people started to abandon the settlement. The drum, according to legend was cast into the river, never to be seen again but the Lotuds had dispersed elsewhere because of this incident.

Interestingly, that's when the story of the Bisaya and Tatana began...

a drum was found floating in the water by one of the Tatana.

What happened next...

So the Lotuds were to blame for the Tatana-Bisaya war.. :) or the Bruneian? Or maybe greed is the cause of all war..

My views are neutral on that matter, I just find the stories intriguing because they were told to me by different elders from different districts, many years apart. I'm just wondering if there's a link between the stories.

Anyway, the Tatana took the drum back to the village. When they beat the drum, the same thing happened. So they threw the drum back into the river and lo behold, it was picked up by a Bisaya who also took it home. Again, the drum made everyone go made. Thinking that the drum was sent downstream by the Tatana, it made the Bisayas angry and they bought metal weapons from the Bruneians to fight the Tatanas, driving them up to the tip of the Kuala Penyu coast. With nowhere to run, the Tatanas dug into the ground and hid in the earth, just before the Bisayas came to annihilate them.

Finding no Tatanas there, the Bisayas retreated back to their territories and thus the Tatanas emerged from the ground, and so named themselves "Tatana" (from the earth). That's how it was told to me, maybe others have a different version.