Sabah Folklore ~ The Origin of Rice in Sabah

Each year, every Dusun or Kadazan celebrates a festival called the “Modrusung” which is the Harvest Festival. The festival is celebrated in memory of the Great Goddes of Mercy, Bambarazon. Rice is offered as a special offering once a year. The other offerings may change according to the yield for that year but rice never changes. It is always the same. This is because rice is the most important diet of the Dusun and Kadazan people. It is believed that Bambarazon gave rice to the world.

            Before Bambarazon gave rice to the world, man led quite a difficult life. For food, he had to go and hunt for wild animals. This was dangerous, because wild animals often attacked man and killed quite a lot of people. Therefore man hunted for animals that were easy to catch like the rabbit or wild boar.

            However, man could not just live on meat alone. He also needed to eat fruits. These fruits grew in the wild and deep parts of the forests. It could not be said for sure that fruits were good to eat because some of these fruits were poisonous. If man accidentally eat some of these poisonous fruits then he would suffer from sickness or even die.

            So, every morning, man used to hunt for food and go deep into the forests to pick fruits that are edible. When the fruits in a certain place finished or the animals ran away into other parts, then man had to shift. This was very difficult.

The great Goddess of Mercy saw how difficult men’s lives were. They were always hungry and suffering. They always cried to her for help. Her compassionate heart was touched and she decided to help man. The question was ‘how?’ How was she to help man so that man would not suffer so much? She asked around. One of the gods told her, “That is a simple problem. Increase the  variety of animals whose flesh could be taken for meat. Make sure they are tame animals!” Another god suggested, “Why not increase the different kinds of fruit? Man would then have an easier time.” Still yet another god said, “Why increase both?”

Bambarazon sat in deep thought, pondering over the matter. Cries of hunger and voices begging for mercy could he heard in the heavens. She must do something and do quickly too.
The great Goddess then said, “Increasing the variety of animals or fruits would not be much of help. Man would still have to search for food every morning. Perhaps I should fly around the Earth and see for myself.”
            Bambarazon was very happy. Then a new problem arose. What type of plant can it be? She looked around and came across a plant which had ears, but the ears were empty. The Goddess quickly called for one of the heavenly beings. “What plant is this, and what is it used for?” she asked. The heavenly being replied, “This plant is called “padi”, Oh Great Goddess, it is no use since its ears are empty.”
            Bambarazon thought for a while. What could she do? Yes, she would fill the ears with milk from her breasts.” When the ears are ready for harvesting, man would have good, nourishing food to eat.

 So, one night, Bambarazon quietly slipped down to Earth. She pressed her breasts with one hand until her milk flowed into the ears of rice. She kept on squeezing until there was no milk left. Still, not all the ears were filled.
            The Great Goddess then squeezed with all her might and a mixture of milk and blood came out. Now, all the ears of the padi were filled and her task was completed. Man had rice to eat and would therefore never be hungry again.
           

Adapted from: Legends From Sabah&Sarawak,
The Origin Of Rica In Sabah (By Patrick Samuel Sebastian)
Page: 3 - 11

(Courtesy from: www.sabah.edu.my)

Sabah Folklore ~ The Creation of the World

Imagine yourself surrounded by blackness. Above you is darknessis darkness below you is darkness. On both your right and left exist the same-complete darkness. You are floating, but there is no land, no sea, no mountain, and no people. There, right in front of you, was a rice tray sitting comfortably on an overturned shield. As you watched, both items floated down. Then, they separated.

The tray became the azure sky we now see and the shield the earth.
           
            The dusun, a tribal people from Borneo, believed that their God, Kinoringan, and his wife, Yumun created our world out of loneliness.

            One day, with a flash of inspiration, Kinoringan suggested to his wife, “let us make the world and extend the beauty of heaven’s magnificence onto our earthy creation”.

            Yumun agreed enthusiastically to Kinoringan’s suggestion and helped him mould the shape of the earth out of the soil from her heavenly garden. They then hung the earth carefully in the sky and looked satisfaction at their creative handiwork.

            Mission accomplished, the couple visited earth and was perturbed to see only a flat, barren plain.

            “Let’s make the mountains and seas reflect the beauty of heaven?” asked Yumun in apprehension to her husband.

            “My dear, all creation is beautiful and will be a reflection of the heaven’s wonder,” replied Kinoringan.

            Agreeing with the wisdom of Kinoringan’s words, Yumun helped her husband to pick up one of the huge stones that were whizzing around in the vast expanse of space that made up the skies of heaven, and dropped in the centre of the earth. This enormous boulder became known as Mount Kinabalu.

Next, the couple dug a hole and filled it with water to become the ocean. They also picked out more stones from heaven’s sky and places them in the earth to make islands. As they moved around, busy with creations, their heavy footsteps sank into the ground and made big bowl-like dents. These became the valleys of earth.

            Then, the two Gods turned to creating people to live on the land that they had made so beautiful. Hence, they carved a man and a woman out of stone but these human beings could neither talk nor walk and had no life in them.

            So they decided to try to make another couple out of the wood of the trees from Lumun’s  garden. These two could talk but could not walk. Kinoringan then sighed in frustration and the strength of his breath turned into fire, thus causing the wooden couple to burst into flames. Lumun’s sighs of disappointment at their foiled attempts then cause their scattered ashes to become the sands of the desserts.

            The Gods did not give up but persevered in their effort. They decided to take the essence of human life from their earthy creation. The two gods roamed the earth and finally came upon an ant’s nest.

            They were impressed with the virtue the ants displayed and thus made a third human couple from these ants. This time, the human beings could talk and walk. Extremely pleased that their creations attempts were a success, Kinoringan and Lumun ascended back up to heaven and left their earthly creations to make their own lives out on earth.

And this is the story of how human beings come to live on Earth.

Adapted from: Myths and Legends, Malaysia
(By Pugalenthi) Page: 72 - 76
           

(Courtesy from: www.sabah.edu.my)

Sabah Folklore ~ Kota Kinabalu

The dragon stirred in his cave at the top of Mount Kinabalu. He was playing with his toy, a big pearl. Today, he was in a good mood and he rolled the pearl back and forth. Flashes of light arched from the mountain top as he played.

            The villagers who lived near Mount Kinabalu saw  the flashes of light.
            “ Look! The dragon is in a playful mood today.”
            “Yes, surely the weather would be fine for the next few days.”
            But they knew that the dragon could just as easily in a bad mood. When he was, the mountain would rumble and dark clouds hang heavily over it. It was a sign that thunderstorms would soon follow. To the farmers, Mount Kinabalu was like a god and they prayed to it so that they would have good harvests.

            The Chinese Emperor soon heard about the dragon and his pearl as the story spread beyond the shores of Borneo and reached the coasts of China.
            “I am an Emperor! This wondrous pearl should belong to me. Go! Obtain for me this pearl.”
            And his emperor command, twelve sailing junks carrying a hundred soldiers each set sail for Borneo. The quest for the pearl had started.
            The junks spent months at sea. It was quite some time before the men set eyes on the shores of Borneo. When at last they reached their destination, they made haste to Mount Kinabalu. And when they reached its foot, they looked up to its clouded summit.
            “Soldiers! Climb to the top of this mountain. Seize the pearl if you can, in the name of our Emperor.”
            The Chinese soldiers began climbing, the pearl forecast on their minds.
            The dragon cocked open one eye. He looked down from his lofty perch. What was that irritating noise? He could hear tiny voices from down below. Vegetation was rustling and he ehard a few clatters here ans there as the soldiers made their ascent. He looked closer and to his displeasure, saw that a few hundred puny humans were invading his home. They were already half way up. The dragon decided that he would teach them a lesson.
            One soldier was attempting to scale a small rock wall when he heard a rumbling sound above him. He thought that it was simply thunder and ignored it. The rumbling came, louder this time. He looked up to see what it was and fell, terrified beyond belief. The immense  form of the dragon was bearing down upon them.

The dragon let loose his anger and roared. He thrashed, he tossed and he rampaged. Screams of terror were heard as some soldiers were flung off the mountain to a rocky death.
            “Retreat! Retreat!” was the panicked cry and those who were still alive heeded the call. As they ran, they heard the terrible roar of the triumphant dragon. All the survivors returned, shaken, to China.
            “ It seems that the soldiers have failed me,” mused the Emperor as the survivors sadly gave the report. “Wee Ping! Wee San!”
            The emperor called his twos sons to him. He had decided the honour of getting the pearl would fall upon them. They were young, daring and clever. They would have a good chance at getting the pearl. In fact, they were so eager that they set sail  almost immediately to Borneo. But the same thing happened again.
            “Oh no! Our warriors are being killed!” Wee ping the older brother said. “It’s no use trying to climb all the way up. He’s too watchful. We must think of another way.”
            The younger brother, Wee San was deep in thought. He finally said, “I have an idea. Let’s make a big kite and I ‘will to the top. Since we want to take way the pearl, we should also make a lantern pearl to replace it so that the dragon will not miss his toy immediately.
Everyone who heard the plan agreed and soon they were at work. Some men worked on the kite while others fashioned the replacement pearl. While this was going on, Wee San quietly observed the dragon. He soon noticed that the dragon had a daily routine.
At a certain hour, the dragon would leave his cave to look for food. This was the only time that the pearl was unguarded and that would be the time that they would use to strike.
The kite and pearl were ready. All that they had to do was wait for a strong wind to coincide with the correct time. There it was! They felt a very strong breeze.


With excitement, Wee San, carrying the lantern pearl, mounted the kite with six other men and away they went. The wind carried them to the top of the mountain and they landed. Wee San softly sneaked into the cave, holding the imitation pearl. He made the swap and ran back to the kite, tugging on the rope.
            Wee Peng felt a pull on the rope. That was the signal that his brother was ready. He and his men started to pull the kite down. He was rewarded with the sight of his brother safe and with the real pearl in his arms.
            “Quick! Quick! Let’s set sail. The dragon will return soon,” said Wee San urgently. All the men started running towards the ship.

            The dragon returned to his cave. He had just eaten and he was in a good mood. He felt like playing with his pearl. There it was, shining just as brightly as he had left it. He went to pick it up.
            There was something wrong with the pearl. He tossed it up. This was not his real pearl! Roooaaarrr, his cry of anger shook Mount Kinabalu. The vegetation and rock trembled with his fury. He bounded down the slopes and tried to fell for the pearl. It was traveling away from him, on the sea. The thief must be at the sea. He dove into the waters and swum furiously.
            Cries rose from the men.
            “The dragon! He’s gaining on us”
            Wee San looked back. He could see the dragon coming. The waves churned and frothed bubbles at the dragon’s passage. Feverishly, he tried to think of a plan.
            “Men! Heat up the cannon ball until it is red hot,” he commanded.

           They sprung to it. Every second they took, the dragon was catching up. The ball seemed to be taking forever to heat. Wee San spared another glance. The dragon was just right behind the ship. The canon ball was ready and he hoped that there was enough time. He ordered them to load.
            Meanwhile, the dragon was almost upon them. He saw the men on the ship feverishly working or running around. They seemed to be terrified. He would sieve these thieves in his mouth! He opened it wide and was about to pounce.
            “Fire!” Wee San shouted.
            The red hot cannonball arced over the sea, glowing. The dragon saw the ball flying. Was that his pearl? He swallowed it without hesitation. But it was not. It was a fiery ball that burned at his stomach. He gave a loud yowl of pain.
            Hanging on to whatever hold he could find. Wee San saw the dragon thrash in pain. The waves rose alarmingly high and his shipped rocked vulnerably in the aftermath of the dragon’s pain. The water became white with foam. But he saw the dragon twisting a little less each time until it was finally still. With less than a whimper, the dragon og Kinabalu sank beneath the waters.
            They were victorious. The men were cheering with happiness and Wee San sailed on home.“I made the kite and whisked the pearl away from the dragon. And the dragon actually fell for my trick! It swallowed the cannon ball and died!”
            Murmurs of admiration were heard among the listeners. But Wee San was silent. Why was his brother speaking as he was the only one who had outwitted the dragon? Everyone believed him.
            When the feast that the Emperor held for his sons’ victorious return ended, Wee Ping asked the Emperor’s permission to keep the pearl in his room.
            But the Emperor was puzzled. His younger son had been unusually quiet. Perhaps Wee ping had not obtained the pearl by himself. There was more to it than that. He felt that Wee San had had a hand in the capture of the pearl, which was why he had been so quiet.
            That was why he then ordered the country’s best craftsman to make an exact copy of the pearl taken from the dragon.
            “Take this pearl and keep it. Remember always that the love between brothers is worth more than all the pearls in the world.”
            Wee San dutifully took the pearl and thanked his father. He looked at it. It looked exactly like the real one. But he know that it was just a copy. Feeling troubled, he made up his mind to leave China. He had the feeling that people would find out that he was actually the one who was behind the actual events.
            “ I don’t want there to be trouble between Wee Ping and I,” he thought.
            With a heavy heart, he made the necessary preparation and early one morning, set sail. Where he was going, he had no idea. The sadness was heavy in his heart and he just allowed himself to drift, letting the winds decide where he would go.

            “A prince of China has arrived at Kuala Timur with many followers?” the Sultan of Brunei said thoughtfully.

            “Demong Sari, my brother, go and welcome him and his followers.”
            The Sultan did not regret his decision. Wee San and the Sultan took to each other like brothers. Gifts were exchanged and for many days and many nights, feast, songs and dances abounded.

Wee San was happy. He liked the Brunei and the Sultan. He knew that he could stay there happily. As time went by, the Chinese prince and the Sultan developed a warm friendship and grew even closer.
            They were to be even closer when Wee San married the Sultan’s daughter. The Sultan, over the years, found that he liked Wee San more and more. He was very wise in all the things he did. When he was faced with difficult circumstances, Wee San showed great patience and courage. That was why one day, the Sultan named Wee San the successor to the throne of Brunei.
            But sometimes, as happy as he was, something troubled Wee San. His thoughts would turn to China and he would gaze at the hand-made pearl that his father, the Emperor had given him.
            “Is that my brother?” he wondered. He seemed to see his brother looking out to sea, a sad look on his face.
            In some ways, he felt sorry for Wee Ping. Wee San had not the real pearl but had found happiness. Wee Ping had gained it but had brought him only misery. But though a few thousand miles and the ocean stood between them, the love between brothers is worth more than all the pearls in the world and they always thought kindly of each other.

Adapted from: Myths and Legend Malaysia.
(By Pugalenthi) Page: 59 - 7

(Courtesy from: www.sabah.edu.my)

Sabah Folklore ~ The Story of Bajau

When a person visits Kampong Solibog in Tambunan, he or she will hear about a man called Bajau. The say that Bajau was a very tall and powerful man who helped the villagers. His wife was called Pangkung and she too was tall as Bajau. No one really can tell how tall Bajau was or even how strong he was. From his achievements it can be said that Bajau must have been an unusually tall man indeed.

            There is a stone in Kampung Solibog. It is about 2.5 metres high and 0.6 metres wide. Its was said that Bajau  once carried this huge stone under his arm. The stone is called Batu Bajau. From here, it seems that Bajau was a very strong man indeed.

            Bajau’s feet were so wide that when he walked in the river, the fish would die. They would have been trodden by him. The people would follow Bajau and collect the fish. One can imagine how easy it must have been for the people. Sometimes the people would say Bajau, “Could you please lie down in the Pegalan River? We need some fish” Bajau would lie down in the river and the fish would be washed to the banks of the river. The people would then collect the fish.

            Everyone loved Bajau very much. He was not only tall and strong, he was humble and friendly. He would often visit the people and ask them, Do you need any help? If so please let me know.”
            The next day when the people went to the forest, they were shocked. They saw that the forest had already been cleared and was ready for planting. They knew that Bajau had uprooted all the trees and cleared the place. They were grateful.

           One day, Bajau went away. He went to see a friend who was living far awere killed.ay. During this time, a tiger came into the village and disturbed the people. The tiger was wounded and was looking for an easy way to find food to eat.

            The chief became anxious and sent  a messenger to Bajau. “There is a tiger attacking us and we are in great danger.” As soon as Bajau heard this, he rushed back to the village. He caught the tiger and threw it across the hills. The tiger was never seen again.

            The village became peaceful and happy with the presence of Bajau. It was also prosperous as the neigbouring villages had heard about Bajau and kept away from the place. There were no wild animals and everything was wonderful.

            Across the hills, there lived a tribe called Tasapang. These people were also prosperous. The attacked the neighbouring villages and took everything away. Every day, the chief would send his followers to find out about villages which were rich and prosperous. They would then attack these places without any warning.

            A messenger came and told the chief. “There is a kampung across the hills called Kampong Salibog. It is a prosperous community.”

            The chief replied, “We should attack the place. Prepare for it. We will leave tomorrow.”

The following day, the chief took his best warriors and left for Kampung Salibog. He sent one of his spies ahead. “Go and check the place. See how they defend their place and report back.”
               The man went ahead. He pretended to be friendly with the villagers of Kampung Salibog. Hew came to know about Bajau and his great strength. He rushed back to his chief and said, “There is the story of the great man. He is said to be very tall and has the power of a hundred men.”



            The chief replied, “Our men are strong and powerful too. We have poisonous darts. We shall increase the amount of poison in the darts. They should kill the man.” With this they marched towards Kampung Salibog.

            Meanwhile, the chief had heard about a suspicious man who was asking a lot of questions. He knew from experience that someone was going to attack the village. He called Bajau and said, “Someone is going to attack our village. We must be careful.” Bajau replied. “Don’t be afraid. Do not tell the others or they will be frightened.”

            The Tasapang tribe attacked at night. When they reached the village, they saw Bajau. They were so shicked that they stood rooted to the ground. Soon, all their warriors were running around in a state of confusion and panic. The battle lost, they returned home.

            Some of the warriors took the poisonous darts and placed them in blowpipes. They then attacked Bajau, but it was in vain for Bajau considered the darts that hit him a little mosquito bites. When they saw the darts having no effect on Bajau, they said, “Let us run away from here, or else we will all die.” From that moment onwards, the Tasapang tribe stopped attacking Kampung Salibog.

            Bajau’s stone or Batu Bajau therefore is well respected by the people. Whenever people pass that way, they stand there for a while as a mark of respect for Bajau. Their love for Bajau is very great. As we can see from all the incidents, Bajau was a great warrior. This great man died at a very old age.

(Courtesy from: www.sabah.edu.my)

Sabah Folklore ~ The Nose Flute

The nose flute of the Tuahi originated since the time of our forefathers. It is played by bringing the flute to the nose and gently breathing air into it. The flute then makes a similar sound to that of any flute but still the sound is quite distinctive. The nose flute is played to inform others of the passing away of another. This is the story of how the nose flute came to be.

          A long time ago, all our ancestors lived together at the foot of a mountain. They built their homes on higher levels and used the lower levels or valleys to farm. They planted hill rice, onions, vegetables and many others. Over time, the Kadazan race grew popolus. There were few land left for farming and food had become scarce. Very soon, there was no farming land left or even land to build homes.

One day, a family decided to move away and look for their own living. The name of the father in the family was Olu’ and his wife’s name was Tindai. They had only one child, a boy whose name was Otu. Otu’ was still a very young boy when he moved away with this parent. Olu’ and Tindai found a suitable place to settle down and started cultivating their plot of land for rice and other vegetable plants.        

         

 They lived in their new home for ten year without ever having gone back for a visit. It was a great distance away and there were no roads that led them back to where they had came from. Furthermore, Olu’ and Tindai were also afraid to make ther journey back because there were headhunters round about the area.

Olu’ and Tindai were now old in their ade. One day, Olu’ died. With that, life grew lonely for both Tindai and Otu’. Out’, who used to go hunting and fishing with his father, had to hunt all by himself. Tindai herself was also growing older and soon she felt her time to die growing nearer. She began to give final instructions to Out’. She told him of many things regarding with their culture and aso advive on how he should manage when he was on his own later.

         

 Not so long after that, Tindai died. Otu’ was to overcome by the grief when he realised that he had now lost both of his parents. He felt completely alone by himself. Otu’ wondered how he could express his sadness over his mother’s death. Because he was a man, he was not allowed to weep for this will brings disaster into one’s household. Otu’ continued to think about this when he saw a stand of thing bamboo in the area around his house. Suddenly, he had an idea. He took a piece of the bamboo and started smoothening it. He then made small holes in the bamboo stick. Very soon, the piece of bamboo in his hands turned into a flute. 

          

He brought the flute to his nose and breathed out into the holes of the bamboo and a nice tune came out. He adjusted the bamboo carefully breathed out into the holes again. The flute made a plaintive and mournful tune.Otu’ did not stop playing the flute because he thought, “This is the only way I can express my grief for you, Mother.” 

The music from his flute went out from the house and was heard by people in the neighbouring village. They were amazed to hear it because they had never heard any other sound quite like it before. 

The people from the villages went out from their homes to have a look for the source of the sound. They looked hard for it until they came to the very doorstep of Otu’. There they saw his mother, Tindai, who was still unburied. 

From this came the tradition of the Kadazan people, to use the nose flute to convey news that someone has departed from this world.

 (Courtesy from: www.sabah.edu.my)