Folklore from Kampung Takuli, Beaufort

By : Justin Wong

Someone from the North Borneo History Enthusiasts group once asked me how Dusun people ended living in Kampung Takuli, Beaufort, which to his knowledge is a Bisaya kampung. I was stumped because I never thought of asking that question. I've taken for granted that the Dusun had always been there. I told myself that I would get to the bottom of this. Today finally I had the opportunity to do so. 

A childhood kampung friend (distant relative in fact) came to visit my farm this afternoon, his name is Ilon or Lon. His baptism name is Godfrey in fact but I'm more comfortable calling him Lon. 

Folklore from Bingkor

As told by Fazar Arif, NBHE member as she was herself was told by an old Bingkor lady.

Edited by : Justin Wong

Many years back I met an old lady in Bingkor (before all our wooden shop in Bingkor burnt down). I asked her if she could tell me some folklores (taangen) from Bingkor. She did tell me a story and as far fetched as it was she actually believed her story to be real. 

A long time ago in Bandukan, a man decided to go hunting. He brought his dog along with him to keep him company. They walked for a long long time and did not see anything. But as he went further in the jungle he suddenly saw a giant rock right infront of him. He was wondering why the rock was there in the middle of the jungle when suddenly his dog started barking like crazy. The dog barked non stop while it circled round the stone. This man tried to make the dog keep quiet but the dog just wouldn't stop. Soon he started getting curious why the dog wouldn't stop barking at the rock. So he looked for a very strong wooden pole that he could use to lift the rock. Once he found a strong wooden pole he sharpened it and pushed it underneath the rock. Because he was a strong man he managed to lift up the giant rock by himself. As soon as he lifted the huge rock he saw the ground underneath it opened up. 

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.

The Kinoingan Question

The following article was written by Tan Sri Herman Luping and published on The Daily Express on 4 September 2011.

Source : www.thesabahsociety.com

THERE is a difference between the Nunuk Ragang legendary first person, Kinoingan and Kinoingan the accepted name in Kadazandusun for God in the Bible. 

I mentioned this in my article in this series. I thank Marcel Jude, for understanding precisely what I meant. 

Marcel is a practising lawyer and has a fine grasp of the law as well as history and social sciences.

He is also well versed in Kadazan legends. His account of the history of God is very sound. 

He must have read the book written by a former nun, Karen Amstrong entitled " The History of God". 

According to the Tangaah of Penampang Nunuk Ragang story or legend, two children, male and female, came out from a rock which had split open at the banks of the Tampias river. The rock was underneath a big nunuk tree (banyan or fig tree) and the two children lived under the canopies of the tree whose foliage when seen from afar was red - hence Nunuk Ragang. The two children's name, according to the Penampang legend were Kinoingan and Suminundu. They were human beings with supernatural powers, therefore considered semi divine, but not God. 

The Story Behind Tambunan's name

For the uninitiated, Tambunan is a town in the interior of Sabah, about 80 km away from Kota Kinabalu. Its populace are mostly Dusun. According to Low Kok On of Universiti Malaysia Sabah, in the early 20th century, the social structure of the Tambunan Dusuns consisted of seven sub-tribes namely Tuwawon, Tagahas, Tibabar, Bundu, Gunah, Palupuh and Kohub. Today, the Tuwawon, Tagahas and Tibabar sub-tribes are still concentrated in Tambunan.

A Dusun Tatana Ghost Story

By : Justin Wong
First Posted Here

The Dusun Tatana's word for ghost/spirit is rogon. Dusun Tatana are the Dusuns found mainly or possibly only in Kuala Penyu, in the old days at least. Old folks swear that in the old days, before Christianity was spread among the Dusun Tatana, sightings of rogons were quite normal. Before Christianity, the Dusun Tatana practiced their pagan religion. So I guess maybe that was why rogons presence were aplenty in those days. Ok, some smart fellow just scoffed at this notion. Yes, I'm aware that the reported sightings could just be due to the Dusun Tatanas' being superstitious and attributing everything that was out of the norm to paranormal activities. I'm trying to tell a story here, do you mind?! Geez..! You're such a wet blanket, aren't you. I'm retelling a culture's folklore here, not the instruction on how to build a rocket to the moon!! It's like watching a Superman movie, do you think that people could actually fly? But you still watch it, didn't you? Why? Because it is entertaining! Oh?! What did you say? Superman isn't human but is an alien from Krypton. So you believe aliens exist but not spirits? Hoookay! You lost me in aliens... Shoo! Shoo!