Tompuvan: The Kadazandusun Fairy

The Kadazandusun fairy or known as "Tompuvan"  in the Tangaah district is a female person who has been cast away or who has became an outcast of the community or society in which she belonged. She has been cast away because of jealousy and hatred towards her - many believe because she was beautiful - by a vengeful person or witch.

The vengeful witch, using the power of the occult put a curse on the poor beautiful person and reduced her to become a "stray", a zombie-like person who by day, became hideous in looks and by night, beautiful.

But she is made to wander in the jungle or forests and lived in the Nunuk tree or bayan tree or fig trees, whose fruits are the favourites of Orang Utan, birds and other forest dwellers. The Tompuvan - meaning cursed outcast beings - also prefer to live under the canopy of the Nunuk Tree.

The Kadazandusun opinion of the Tompuvan is that she is not evil, but cursed, but that this curse could one day be erased and she could one day be erased and she could return to her original being again. But she is seen as a person with long hair, down to her waist, flowing behind her as she runs in the forest to avoid the humans. The Tompuvan was either dressed in long black gown or white and never wore any veil to cover the head.