Salam Malam Jumaat
One of the main and permanent fixture of the annual Sabah Fest is the Tadau
Kaamatan or Harvest Festival celebrations at the end of May. The most
easily-recognizable features of this celebration is the general merry-making,
cultural performances, traditional sports, and of course, the Unduk Ngadau ( Harvest
Festival Queen ) pageant.
The Tadau Kaamatan however has its antecedents in religious beliefs and
traditional rituals of the indigenous Kadazan-Dusun people which are directly
connected to rice planting and harvesting. If one is to delve deeper into the
observance of this festival, one must understand the several rituals involved
and their significance.
The Kadazan-Dusuns believe that in the days of yore the people suffered a
great famine. Their God ( Kinoingan ) took pity upon them, and sacrificed his
daughter, Huminodun, by cutting her into small pieces. Her flesh was sown over
the land and from these sprang the first rice plants. Thus the Kadazan-Dusun
community believes that the transfigured sacrifice of Huminodun is embodied as
the spirit of rice known as Bambazon / Bambarayon. The Kaamatan ( Harvest )
Festival is therefore celebrated to fulfill the five major purposes :
·
Home-coming
of Bambazon to the Tangkob ( Large rice storage container )
- · To restore Bambazon which was lost during careless harvesting and processing of rice through the Magavau ritual ceremony
- · To feed the Bambazon with special food (rice wine, fermented rice ( tandut ), eggs, salt and feathers of a slaughtered chicken
- · Friendship and merry-making feast.
The festival is observed in 6 rituals stages :
1. The Kumogos Ceremony
Before a harvest begins, a Bobohizan / Bobolian ( ritual specialist ) will
select and tie-up 7 stalks of the best rice from a plot of rice field. These
stakes of rice will only be harvested after the particular plot of field has
been completely harvested. The 7 stalks of rice will then be scattered all over
the rice field. This gesture is to inform the other spirits who may be present
among the rice field not to make any disturbance when the harvesting work is to
commenced and each of them will be given something after the harvest.
2. The Kumotob Ceremony
From the area which has not yet been harvested to the Bobohizan/Bobolian
will select 7 stalks of the best rice. The selected stalks are then tied up
together and placed in a tadang ( a type of basket for keeping rice ). The rest
of the rice in the field are then harvested and the rice are turned into seed
for future planting season.
3. The Posisip Ceremony
The Bobohizan/Bobolian goes to a rice hut together with the 7 stalks of
rice which is tied up and placed in the tadang. While reciting chants she takes
out the bundle of rice stalks and insert them in a bamboo pole kept in the
tangkob. The recital of the chants is to call the spirit of the rice to stay in
the rice hut until the next planting season, i.e. when the rice spirits are called
to the rice field again.
4. The Poiib Ceremony
In the rice hut the Bobohizan / Bobolian carefully pours the rice into the
tangkob. This process is repeated for a number of times until all the rice has
poured into the tangkob. The Bobohizan/Bobolian then recite chants appealing to
the rice spirits to keep watch over the rice stored in the tangkob.
5. The Magavau Ceremony
This is the most important ceremony in the sequence of events of the
harvest festival. This focuses in the restoration of Bambazon / Bambarayon as
well as offering food to Bambazon / Bambarayon. In the olden days, the Magavau
ritual is performed in the padi field on the night of the first full moon after
the harvest. Nowadays, this ritual is carried out in the house of the owner of
the field.
6. The Humabot Ceremony
This is the final stage of the observation of the harvest festival and is in
the form of merry-making and entertainment. This ceremony is now celebrated at
village, district and state levels annually ( 30 - 31 May ). A variety of
entertainment and activities in the form of dances and traditional sports are
held and the climax of the event is the selection of the Unduk Ngadau ( Harvest
Festival Queen ). The Unduk Ngadau symbolizes Huminodun, the sacrificed
daughter of Kinoingan.
The rituals described above are typical of the Kadazan-Dusun of the
Penampang-Papar area. Other dusunic groups, the murutic groups of the interior
and the paitanic groups in the east have different rice harvest rituals. For
example, the Lotud Dusun have a series of eight ceremonies - Mansalud, Monuras,
Tumakau, Matang, Mongoi Rumali, Mogimpuun, Sumondod and Monumbui. The essence
of this ceremony however is the same, that is of thanksgiving for a plentiful
harvest.
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