Life In Borneo

Posted by Daniel on June 4th, 2008 in Culture & Traditions, Events, Festivals, Legends

The Unduk Ngadau Grand Finals was held in the Main Hall of KDCA’s Hongkod Koisaan on 31st May 2008. 36 contestants represented their respective districts, including one from Klang Valley. Dressed in traditional ethnic costume, the contestants graced the audience with their charm and beauty in the most anticipated event of this year’s Kaamatan Festival.

In the footsteps of a Legend

The first Unduk Ngadau competition was held in the early 1960s, but the true history and meaning of the beauty pageant goes back to the time of myth and legends, when the earth was plagued by the seven scourges sent down by the deity Kinoingan to punish mankind for their sinful ways. The seventh scourge was draught and famine which threatened to end all life on earth. Kinoingan’s only daughter Ponompuan, often referred as Huminodun, took pity on mankind’s plight and sacrificed herself to end the famine that had plagued her father’s people. Her body parts were planted as seeds and became rice, the food resource of the world. Thus the importance of rice in the lives of the Kadazandusun, as rice embodies the spirit of Huminodun who sacrified herself to save humanity.

Ethnic Beauties of the Harvest

Earlier during the event, the hosts introduced the contestants one by one on stage as they walked on stage, accompanied by roaring cheers from the crowd, which filled up every seats there were on that day. The ladies of the pageant were garbed in the most dazzling traditional ethnic costumes, with accessories befitting a princess of princesses.

The Finalists

Out of 36 potentials, 15 made it through to the second round. Also known as the question-and-answer round, the second round has always been regarded by many as the most difficult stage of the competition. This is the stage where the contestants’ wisdom are tested; to walk on the path of a legend, one must not only have the heart but also the mind. The winner of this year’s Unduk Ngadau gave the best answer to the best question, in which the crowd responded in a thunderous applause.

After the second round, only 7 finalists were shortlisted.

The results were announced in reverse order from 7th place to 3rd place. It all went down to these two lovely ladies; Ms. Florence Masimbin and Ms. Leonie Lawrence Gontuni.

And the Unduk Ngadau 2008 title goes to..

Ms. Leonie Lawrence Gontuni!

The full list of winners:

• Unduk Ngadau: Ms. Leonie Lawrence Gontuni (Penampang)
• 1st Runner Up: Ms. Florence Masimbin (Kinabatangan)
• 2nd Runner Up: Ms. Emily Majil (Tambunan)
• 3rd Runner Up: Ms. Petronella Cherry Bernard (Papar)
• 4th Runner Up: Ms. Verone Lansu (Keningau)
• 5th Runner Up: Ms. Aloysia Thecla Philip (Kota Belud)
• 6th Runner Up: Ms. AnneMary T. Khan (Klang Valley)
• Celcom Tati Tavanus: Ms. Florence Masimbin (Kinabatangan)

The end of Harvest Festival

The winner of Unduk Ngadau, Ms. Leonie Lawrence, gave the best answer to the best question of that day. The question was: “What makes the Unduk Ngadau Beauty Pageant different from other beauty pageants?” And Ms. Leonie’s answer was: “Unlike other beauty pageants, Unduk Ngadau re-lives the story of the legend of Huminodun, who sacrified herself to save mankind.” That answer tells a lot about the people of Sabah, their traditions and their culture. And for that, the title of Unduk Ngadau was deservingly hers. Lifeinborneo congratulates all the winners and all the participants for re-living the legend, and preserving the ways of the Kadazandusun.

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Posted by Raz on May 28th, 2008 in Culture & Traditions, Events, Festivals

To celebrate a good harvest, the Ministry of National Unity, Culture, Arts and Heritage is organising the Tadau Kaamatan National Open House and you are invited! Come to this all-day festival with the theme “Unity Through Culture” in conjunction with the Harvest Festival in Sabah. Savour the treasured traditions of Sabah’s peoples during this time of merriment with a variety of colourful cultural and contemporary performances in celebration of a good harvest.

Catch the show featuring renowned Malaysian artistes like Syafinaz Selamat, Kogee and Linda Nanuwil to name a few during the evening concert and don’t forget to visit the exhibition booths for a chance to sample Sabah’s ethnic recipes!

Event Programmes
Date : 31 May 2008
Time: 07:30am - 17:00pm
Exhibitions, Cooking Demo, Drawings and Games

20:00pm - 22:30pm:
Grand launching of the Tadau Kaamatan National Open House 2008

Further Information
Organiser : Ministry of National Unity, Culture, Arts and Heritage
Venue : Padang Merdeka, Kota Kinabalu
Contact Person : Ariah Judah
Telephone : +603 – 26127600 / 26974080
Fax : +603 – 26918461
Email Contact : ariah@heritage.gov.my

source: www.sabahtourism.com

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Posted by Daniel on May 19th, 2008 in Culture & Traditions, Events, Festivals

At KK Kaamatan Carnival 2008, the citizens of Kota Kinabalu were treated to three nights of carnival last week celebrating the Harvest Festival at municipal level. Held at Lintasan Deasoka, the three-night event started with its officiation on Thursday night by Yang Berhormat Datuk Dr. Yee Moh Chai, Minister of Resource Development & Information Technology, and ended with the closing on Saturday night with the crowning of the winner of the Unduk Ngadau. Yang Berbahagia Datuk Iliyas Bin Ibrahim, Mayor of Kota Kinabalu City and his wife Yang Berbahagia Datin Naimah Hajjah Hassan attended all of the events.

Harvest Festival and Peace Through Culture

Sumazau Dance

The aim of the organizer this year is to promote the Harvest Festival or Kaamatan alongside the other various cultures in Sabah, as well as to promote the city of Kota Kinabalu as a tourist destination, a platform to promote locally made goods, and to choose representatives for Kota Kinabalu to compete in Sugandoi (Star of Kaamatan) and Unduk Ngadau (Beauty Queen) at Sabah State Level on the 30th - 31st May 2008.

The Municipal Council also took this opportunity to promote its on-going campaign to educate the public on the importance of keeping the city clean, which was also pointed out during the Mayor´s speech.

Locally made handicrafts

Throughout the three-day nightly event, visitors could loot at and even purchase a variety of locally made handicrafts, displayed in a long-house style display booths brilliantly constructed out of wood and bamboos, recreating the feel of a traditional Sunday bazaar or Tamu as it is more commonly known by the locals. A variety of other goods were also being sold at the nearby Gaya Street, a stretch of road also well-known for its weekly Sunday Tamu.

Three Nights of Festivities

Thursday Night - The Opening Night

The events on Thursday night includes the Opening Ceremony (including the officiation of the event by Yang Berhormat Datuk Dr. Yee Moh Chai, Minister of Resource Development & Information Technology), the Magavau Ceremony (a traditional ritual to appease ¨Bambaazon¨ or ¨Bambarayon¨, the Spirit of Rice), and lastly performances by a choir group, a cultural dance group and local artists. It was also on Thursday night that the Unduk Ngadau contestants for the Municipal Level were lined-up on stage and introduced to the public for the first time.

The Spirit of Rice

The Magavau Ceremony

Officiation by Datuk Dr. Yee Moh Chai

Fireworks after the officiation

Choir group with traditional costume

Friday Night - The Search for the Star of Kaamatan

The main event for Friday night was the search for Kota Kinabalu´s Sugandoi, or Star of the Harvest Festival. It is singing competition where the contestants were required to sing two songs (one from a compulsory list and the other one of their own choice) in the span of two rounds. The songs drawn from the compulsory list were all in Kadazandusun language. Between the rounds, the audience were treated to a performance by the Universiti Malaysia Sabah´s Musical Orchestra. The night ended with the prize giving ceremony to the winner of Kota Kinabalu´s Sugandoi, who will go on to represent the City of Kota Kinabalu at the State Level at the end of May.

Saturday Night - The Crowning of Kota Kinabalu´s Unduk Ngadau

On the third and final night of the Kota Kinabalu Kaamatan Carnival 2008, the crowd gathered to see the crowning of the Unduk Ngadau. Before that, the hosts of the event re-told the legend of Huminodun, and also the meaning as well as the importance of Unduk Ngadau to Kaamatan.

Below are the contestant that reach to the final seven..

Ms. Viola G. Julasim

Ms. Alvira Cora M. Jipinis

Ms. Kimberly Fay Cathrinus Sham

Ms. Noemi Halima Dingle Ligunjang

Ms. Andrea Peter

Ms. Flina Runtum

Ms. Jizeresta Jimmy

Just like the Sugandoi, the Unduk Ngadau were split into two rounds, with the second round being the final round. After the end of the second round, as the judges went on to discuss who will be crowned as Unduk Ngadau, local artists (one of which was the winner of Sugandoi the night before) entertained the crowds with a selection of local songs. But before the announcement of the winners and the prize giving ceremony, the dignitaries were invited to dance with the Unduk Ngadau contestants.

Crowning of the Unduk Ngadau

Kota Kinabalu Unduk Ngadau 2008 winners

The Winners of Kota Kinabalu City Unduk Ngadau 2008:
First Place - Ms. Jizeresta Jimmy
Second Place - Ms. Flina Runtum
Third Place - Ms. Andrea Peter
Fourth Place - Ms. Alvira Cora M. Jipinis
Fifth Place - Ms. Noemi Halima Dingle Ligunjang
Sixth Place - Ms. Kimberly Fay Cathrinus Sham
Seventh Place - Ms. Viola G. Julasim

The Spirit of Paddy Lives On

Despite the heavy rain on Thursday and Friday night, the locals pressed on night after night to support the event. The crowd was at its largest on the final night of the carnival, which was probably the most important night of all. The success of the event meant that the Spirit of Paddy lives on. And so will the traditions and cultures of the Kadazandusun.

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Posted by Raz on April 29th, 2008 in Culture & Traditions

Why Kaamatan?
The word Kaamatan is derived from the root word tomot, a Kadazandusun term for harvest. In the context of this article, Kaamatan refers to the paddy-harvesting period, which involves a series of traditional rituals culminating finally to the Kaamatan (harvest) festival.

The Kaamatan Festival is an annual event in the cultural life of the Kadazandusuns of Sabah since time immemorial. In its deepest sense, Kaamatan festival is a manifestation of Creator and Creation relationship, as well as Inter-Creations relationship. It embodies the principal acts of invocation of divinities, appeasing, purification and restoration, re-union of benevolent spirits, and thanksgiving to the Source of All. It is part of a complex wholesome Momolian religious system centered on the paddy rites of passage and the life cycle of Bambarayon - the in-dwelling spirit of paddy.

Appeasing is done in respect of Bambarayon, Deities, Divinities and Spirits, who may have been hurt by human wrongful, acts. Purification is performed in respect of human and spiritual needs for forgiveness followed by resolutions to make themselves worthy of the gifts of life from God. Restoration in necessary to ensure the health and well being of Bambarayon, mankind and other spiritual beings. Re-union is realised in respect of human needs to be integrated in body, mind and spirit within the concept of the seven-in-one divinity in humanity, as well as re-union of Bambarayon with human Sunduan. Finally Thanksgiving is observed as befitting for all creations to express their gratitude and appreciation for the gifts of life (through Huminodun) and all life supportive system on earth that their Creator lovingly and generously gave them.

Today, the Kaamatan festival has become one of the major national festivals of Malaysia. Unfortunately, the essence, true meanings and purposes of the Kaamatan festival in the context of its original celebrants’ (the Kadazandusuns) culture and belief system have continued to elude the thousands of celebrants each year. As an annual event in the Malaysian tourism calendar, the Kaamatan festival is more than ever before in need of new and relevant approaches in its presentation to the global society so that it is properly understood, appreciated, and respected in its historical origin, cultural significance and contextual perspectives. It must be realized that the State Level Kaamatan festival as it is celebrated today is but only a portion of the whole complex Kadazandusun traditional Momolian religion.

To the younger Kadazandusun generation, who may be experiencing various degrees of cultural dilemma, alienation and values disorientation in the light of rapid social change, it is hoped that this book may help them regain back their cultural consciousness. May they realize in time that they have much to value and be proud of in the wealth of their unique cultural heritage. Most importantly, may this book help rectify the wrong notions, negative biases and the tendencies of those who are unfamiliar with Momolianism to regard it as wholly wrong and/or given to evil in all aspects, for these predispositions have led many to label Momolian as Animism, Paganism or Kafir. It is the author’s view that it is not only wise but necessary for modern religions to cultivate a more respectful openness towards understanding traditional religions, for they too share the major universal values and truth that cannot be monopolized by any individual or single religion. For even during his time, St. Paul had written to the Ephesians:

“This mystery that has now been revealed through the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets was unknown to any men in the past generations; it means that pagans now share the same inheritance, that they are parts of the same body, and that the same promise has been made to them in Christ Jesus, through the Gospel.”

(Ephesians - 3: 3-6)

Why the new religions are readily acceptable to the indigenous peoples of Sabah is perhaps due in part to the already existing shared fundamental concepts and values within both the traditional and the modern religious belief system. Hence syncretism of the new and the old religions have become common phenomenon in the practice of modern religions today.

“Within the realism of our religious pluralism, any religion which fails to open itself to others in the spirit of inter-religious dialogue and cooperation will eventually fall into narrow-minded ghettoism and intolerant fanatism which may eventually destroy other religions, and in itself become as cancerous cell in relation to the whole organism of which it is a parasite.”(Anonymous)

source: http://kdca.org.my/hongkod/kaamatan

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Posted by Raz on April 15th, 2008 in Culture & Traditions, Events, Festivals

The launch of Kaamatan Festival 2008 will be officiated by the honourable Sabah Chief Minister, Datuk Seri Musa Aman at the Pa’Musa Hall, Beaufort on 1st of May, 2008. An estimated 3,000 participants will be performing in traditional events and represent their respective ethnicities from all around Sabah. This ceremony will also be included in the Malaysia Book of Records. The state government has allocated RM 600,000 to organise many cultural activities.

As was the preceding year, the Closing Ceremony will be officiated by TYT Yang Dipertua Negeri Sabah Tun Ahmadshah Abdullah at the Hongkod Koisaan K.D.C.A. on 31st of May 2008. Don’t forget, this date is also the highly awaited finale that is “Ratu Unduk Ngadau” or Harvest Queen.

Celebration Events according to District/Area

translated from source: http://newkaamatan.blogspot.com/2008/02/kaamatan-2008.html

For KL’s Klang Valley, celebration will be held on 11th May. For more info, visit the KDCA Klang Valley page.

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Posted by Raz on April 9th, 2008 in Events, Festivals

Held in conjunction with the Harvest Festival holiday season, sailing enthusiasts from all over Borneo gather to celebrate this merry occasion with a regatta.

Date : 26 - 27 May 2008
Organiser : Kinabalu Yacht Club
Contact Person : Bridget Yong Stephens
Telephone : +6088 240070, 243070, 019 8808859
Fax : +6088 243007
Email Contact : kyctaru@tm.net.my

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Posted by Raz on April 7th, 2008 in Events, Festivals

A Kadazandusun festival celebrated at Sandakan level, the Harvest Festival is enjoyed by everyone, regardless of race. The crowned Unduk Ngadau (Harvest Beauty Queen) and Sugandoi (singing) champion will represent Sandakan at the State Level competition in Kota Kinabalu on 31st May 2008.

Date : 17 May 2008
Organiser : Sandakan Municipal Council
Contact Person : Catherin Chua
Telephone : +6089 224026
Fax : +6089 272112
Email Contact : Catherin.Chua@sabah.gov.my

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Posted by Raz on March 20th, 2008 in Events

A colourful and lively 3-day carnival held in conjunction with the Kaamatan Festival. Come and witness the crowning of the City-level Unduk Ngadau (Harvest Beauty Queen) and Sugandoi (singing) champion. Enjoy various cultural and singing performances, exhibition stalls and many more.

Date : 09 - 11 May 2008
Organiser : Kota Kinabalu City Hall
Contact Person : Joannes Solidau
Telephone : +6088 521800
Fax : +6088 316137
Email Contact : joannes@dbkk.sabah.gov.my

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