Part Three: A Brief Background on the KadazanDusun Language

Ohhh..where did I stopped just now? I’m here to share my views about how I came about to learning the KadazanDusun language. The Iban language is distantly related to the KadazanDusun language itself and communication between any people from these two tribes are normally conducted in Malay or English. The Sabahan Malay, a variant of the standard Malay language is largely understood not only by the KadazanDusun people themselves, but also by the other natives and foreigners who come to work in Sabah. Their Peninsular friends could understand the Sabahan accent far easier than or Sarawakian Malay which is a completely different dialect which may took at least a year to be mastered.

Like the Iban language, there are also other ‘Dusunic’ languages which can be found throughout Sabah and in small areas bordering Sabah-Sarawak-Brunei. 

The KadazanDusun belles of Land Below the Wind. Like other Borneo tribe ladies, they are always associated with fair and smooth complexion. (Picture Copyright is from web sources)

The Bisayas (in Beaufort, Kuala Penyu), Rungus(Kudat, Kota Marudu), Sungai (Kinabatangan) are considered as close relatives to the Dusun language itself despite no mutual intelligibility could exist between any of these languages. The standard variant of the KadazanDusun language is the Bundu-Liwan language; which is widely used in textbooks and also in formal means of communication such as news and public speech. The Bundu-Liwan people mainly live in the “Heartland of Sabah” which is Tamparuli, Ranau, Tambunan and Keningau. Other related tribes such as the Kiulu Tamparuli, Tindal Kota Belud/Tenghilan, Lotud Tuaran, Tobilung Kota Belud/Marudu, Kimaragang, Labuk Beluran, Kuijau and Gana Keningau and Tatana Kuala Penyu (quite unintelligible)  can understand the standard Dusun language without much difficulty.

The Kadazans are more concentrated in “coastal areas”, as they are traditionally designed by the anthropologists (despite the fact that most of them just like the Dusuns, lived far from the coastal area, some of them even live bordering the Dusun areas. In fact there are Dusun villages in the vicinity of Penampang and Papar) in the lowlands of Penampang and Papar unlike their Dusun counterparts that preferred to live deep in the mountainous terrain. They are linguistically and culturally similar with the other Dusunic tribes in Sabah. Like the Rungus, Tatana and Bisaya, the Kadazans preferred their culture and language to be separated from the rest of the Dusunic tribes.

I would like to refer from the *Wikipedia on the origins of the term “Kadazans”.

“The Kadazans are an ethnic group indigenous to the state of Sabah in Malaysia. They are found mainly at Penampang on the west coast of Sabah, the surrounding locales, and various locations in the interior. The Kadazan is the term being used referring to Dusun Tangara which most of them lived in town area. The term "Kadazan" first being used during Tun Fuad Stephens era”.

Regarding the main differences between the Kadazans and Dusuns; the* Wikipedia further explains:-

“Kadazans and Dusuns share the same language and culture albeit with differences in dialect. Many consider their traditional geographical influences as the major difference between the two ethnic groups. Kadazans are mainly inhabitants of the flat valley deltas, conducive to paddy field farming, while Dusuns are traditionally inhabitants of the hilly and mountainous regions 

common to the interior of Sabah.”

*(Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kadazan_people)

   Part Three: The Sino-Kadazans and the Tale of Mount      Kinabalu)

Part Two: The Journey Continues: I Fell in Love with the KADUS culture

My exposure to their culture intensified as I began to mix around with more and more KadazanDusun friends after I became a member of the Catholic Students’ Society and ultimately I lived my life with them under one roof for almost four years. I have to admit that the Sabahan Christians, unlike their Sarawakian counterparts, were very staunch and dedicated believers who had strong ties with each other and also with the local church authority. They were so vocal in expressing their ideas and the bond between them reached an exceptional level. I really saluted their kinship spirit!

The Nunuk Ragang Monument near Ranau, Sabah. 

As a matter of fact, I learned a lot from them; from the “sumazau/sumayau” dance, traditional food and beverages such as “tapai”, ‘tuhau’, ‘bambangan’, ‘lihing’, ‘bahar’ and more. Hahaha…don’t ask me if I ever tried any of the listed above…you won’t be able to say “NO” to any of the Sabahans if they offered you a glass of “tapai” for you to take a sip. It was still far from mastering the language itself but anyway, a good introduction. Something is better than nothing, isn’t it?? Sabahans are definitely Sarawakians best pal since the dawn of Malaysian formation, so it is not a strange thing to find them working closely to each other. It is a very common thing, especially in the Peninsular where these two races become minuscule. Moreover, both races can be found in quite a large number in industrial cities where most of them earn their living by working in the factories. In fact, they are much open-minded and their religious toleration is an exceptional example to their Peninsular counterparts. It is not a new thing if you find a Dusun family that consists of both Christian and Muslim members living under one roof. Well, this is truly the spirit of unity practiced long before we were introduced to the 1Malaysia concept.

The beautiful belles  from four of the many KadazanDusun tribes in Sabah

I was explained by one of my housemates the reason

why they would prefer to speak in Sabahan Malay 

instead of their native KadazanDusun language. One of 

the reasons was because they were so used to be

that way. It was not only practiced in their family 

but also in their community; despite the absence of any other non-KadazanDusun tribes in their area. The older generation is very fluent but when it comes to the younger ones, the problems started to arise. They started to mix around with other races as they started to leave their homeland to the greener pastures. They started to interact in Malay and as a result, the younger generation forgot their own roots and becoming assimilated with the urban environment. This is not something strange since all cultures around the world are suffering the same fate despite with a different degree.

The descendants of the Nunuk Ragang in their trademark costume

I shared with my housemates that the scenario won’t happen to the Ibans since the inability to speak in our native language was considered as a humiliation and definitely the ones who will be blamed first are their parents. Yes, it is true that there are a small number of educated Ibans who are suffering from inferiority complex; acknowledging that the Western culture is superior to their own and as they are afraid to expose themselves as coming from a race that is considered by the former as “uncivilized, barbaric and living their lives like cavemen”. Far from truth, the Ibans are one of the well-studied people by the Westerners; from the Rajah Brooke’s era where the Christian missionaries paved their way to spread the message of God’s salvation to the savage tribes of Sarawak to late 1960’s right before the formation of Malaysian Federation. Together with the other tribes that experienced the same encounters with the British colonials such as the Zulus and Maoris, the Iban culture is not something new to the eye of the Commonwealth countries since numerous records and studies had been carried out by both local and foreign professionals. 

(The story doesn't here, though....see you again in my next entry!)

SAYING HELLO TO OUR NEXT-OF-KIN, THE KADAZANDUSUNS

Chapter 1: An Introduction to the *KadazanDusun Culture and Language

( Disclaimer: *The ideas represented here are fully based on the blogger’s personal knowledge and experience and are not related to the particular interests of any groups, race or religion. Readers are advised to use their own judgment and discernment while reading any parts of the article).

Hello again to my followers (if any)..hahaha! I know that long wait finally comes to fruition when I compiled my experiences into a short, descriptive post here. Well, guys, sorry for making you all waiting a tree stump since I was so engrossed with my daily routines as a school teacher. I’ve been in a hiatus mode for most of the year 2014 but it doesn’t means that I am shutting down myself in the real world. For most people, blogging is just another way to spend their free time rather than a life-generating source of income. A big thank you to all of my followers out there, especially to my totally unexpected visitors from the United States, Great Britain, Russia, Germany and even right from my own soil; Malaysia.  Right, here it is…for those of you who have read my previous posts, I am absolutely sure that most of those posts are related to my numero-uno passion- Feng Shui! Some of you might get sick with my Feng Shui stories despite the interest of some who really would like to discover for themselves the uniqueness of this esoteric art. 

Okay, okay, enough with the Feng Shui terms! What am I going to tell you now is not about my vacation or my new love experience; despite the long school holidays. I would like to share my experience in learning one of the most alluring languages I ever learnt; the KadazanDusun language (or some might prefer it as either the Kadazan or Dusun language, since they considered these two languages are two separate entities that share many linguistic similarities). My experience might be few, but I really hope that there will be those who are learnt in this field contribute their expertise in improving my linguistic abilities. As a matter of fact, I am an Iban and honestly saying, I am not a linguist or an anthropologist who have expertise in conducting researches. So, please don’t get it too serious if any of the information included here is inaccurate or totally irrelevant. By the way, this blog is not for academics purpose. PLEASE TAKE NOTE..AGAIN..! 

The KadazanDusun priestess are called "bobolian/bobohizan". Like other cultures that believe in the supernatural, these "bobolians" connect the spiritual realm with the mortal world.

Epilogue: How It All Started

During my university days, I lived with a sort of three to four KadazanDusun housemates; all of them were males. You might expect that I was first introduced to this language by learning it from them but wait, you’re wrong! Ironically, they came from different dialects groups of the same language and they NEVER communicate in their own respective dialects! ( well, I never had such difficulties in speaking the Iban languages despite the different dialects which share almost 90% similarities, which does not impede casual conversation). They used the Sabahan Malay, some sort of an informal Malay dialect which is spoken throughout Sabah; regardless of the ethnicities. According to them, there might be similarities but different vocabulary and grammar rules that would make a normal conversation turns difficult. Some of them only used the language during conversation with their close family members while others never used the language at all.

The KadazanDusuns are very well-known for their fondness to music, merry-making and lots...and lots of dancing!

I am still wondering why I always have a chance to meet a KadazanDusun friend wherever I am. Since leaving my hometown in Sarawak, I always had encounters with numerous new friends which happened to be always Sabahans. Perhaps it was related to my past-lives karma. Perhaps I was one of their ancestors’ close acquaintances, who know. My first encounter with the Sabahan native was during my pre-university days. One was a Lotud Dusun (hailed from Tuaran) and the other is a Muslim Sungai (the Sungai dialect is a Dusunic language; despite its unintelligibility with the rest of the Dusun dialects…hmmm..that’s interesting!!). I still remembered that my Sungai ex-floor mate whom I still recalled as ‘Yok’ from Kinabatangan (I don’t know his real name…unfortunately I lost contact with him and never had a chance to meet him after my graduation) gave me a simple answer when I asked “I never heard how the Sungai people speak, can you please give me one word in your native language??”. The Sungai pal simply answered, “It’s more or less like the Dusun language; for instance both languages refer to water as “waig”.” I did not further my question since we were running out of time; well as like the rest of other pre-university students during that time, we were more interested with our books rather than with our room mates. Honestly, my exposure to the KadazanDusun language and culture was almost zero, since I knew nothing other than “Sumazau”, Mount Kinabalu and “Jambatan Tamparuli” song…LOL!!! (to be continued...)

Mount Kinabalu is the most prominent feature that can be seen even from the bustling capital, Kota Kinabalu

The Amazing 12-year old Mongolian boy who sings for his mother!

       Hello and blessings for those who still have the patience to wait for my latest post. Life has been busy though, with tonnes and tonnes of assignments waiting to be completed in a very limited time frame. Months have passed since my last post and my hectic life prevented me from sending post in my blog. As time progresses, things have changed so much and experience really made me a more matured person.

For those who followed and read each of my post in my blog site, they will know exactly what I meant here. I began my life with a very melancholic approach but I was really assured; thanks to my good Feng Shui practice and the recent 'Spiritual Feng Shui' rituals, finally I managed to win the 'battle' against my own desires; namely the 'attachments' that would subsequently leads to 'sufferings'.

Music has been an important part of my life. No matter what language that you speak; or what culture you belong to, music always plays an important world in shaping our life. It is also a good way to soothe our stressful daily lives and definitely it is a universal tool that traverse through geographical and cultural limitations. 

To be honest, I enjoyed listening to any songs; regardless of the language used in the song, the song will 'speak' by itself to you. Despite my own Iban background, I don't really enjoy listening to today's Iban music since it doesn't fit well to my taste. Well, to be honest, only a few managed to entertain my ears and most of them are the revolutionary-but-genuine genre of music. It doesn't means that I am not proud of my heritage, it's just that our people need to go for a paradigm shift in music industry. The Kadazandusuns, Taiwan aborigines, Turkish and Kazakh music industries really captured my attention. Their unique blend of music and definitely their originality were the number one factors why I really loved their songs and musics.

Well, I've been off-limit now. Let's get back to our topic. Anyway, I would like to share this video on a 12-year old Mongolian boy named "Uudam" (or 'Wudamu' as he is called in Chinese) who sang a traditional Mongolian song entitled "Alsad Suuga Eej Minee" ('My Mother in the Distance'; as it is properly translated from Khalka Mongolian--the standard form of Mongolian spoken by 90% of the people in Mongolia), not "Mother in the Dream" as popularly known by the non-Mongolian speakers.

This video was taken during an audition session in the year 2011. It was during this time that the judges and the whole crowd of audiences were amazed by his immense talent. Not only that, the fact that he was an orphan added more emotions to the those who were present there. 

When asked by one of the judges about the whereabouts of Uudam's mother, this angelic-faced boy only managed to answer "She is now in Heaven" and it was also learned that his father also died a year later following a road accident. If you watch the whole content of the audition video, you will see that the boy remained calm and focused despite the emotionally-shaken moment. What a touching moment!

Uudam when he was only 8 years old

Based on what I have learned from the conversation between Uudam and the panel of judges who unanimously chose him to go for the next round in the sinitic version of the well-known American reality show "America Got Talent" which is known as "China Got Talent :Season 2" hailed from Hulunbuir, Inner Mongolia; an autonomous territory under The People's Republic of China. In other words, he is a Chinese Mongolian. Like other nomadic boys, he enjoyed living under the blue sky and running across the vast green steppe of the Inner Mongolia.

He also told the judges that his dream is to create an ink that if one drop of it falls onto the Earth, it will change the whole world into a vast, green field; just like his homeland (Wowww...that is such a big dream! I never had a thought like that during his age...). This is another latest picture of Uudam which I found just now.

Yeah..he is a grown up now; at the age of 14-years old, he is a handsome, charming and talented singer who would be one day be able to change the world as what he has dreamed all this while???

Here's the lyrics of the song "Alsad Suuga Eej" originally sung by the Mongolian-national singer Javhklan and later versions by Baator Dorji (another member of the Hulunbuir Choir) and definitely the touching version by Uudam.

Alsad Suugaa Eej (Original version by Javhklan)

Sumeih zeregleend gegee anirlaad
Susuglehiin erhend eej mini bodogdana
Huugee irene geed suugee orgood
Huslee chiltel alsiig shirtee dee
Alsad suuga eej mini
Amin hairtai shuteen mini bilee

Zadgai tengerd uul ni zamharna
Zalbirhiin erhend eej mini bodogdana
Argaliin tsogond tsaigaa buliyeelj
Anis'haa chiltel alsiig shirtee dee
Alsad suuga eej mini
Amin hairtai shuteen mini bilee

Huhereh uuls'aas hoglerj haragdana
Huugiin tani setgil gegelzeed baina
Hunii zeregleend huu chini yavnaa
Husliig tani nimgeleed yavaad ochina daa

*Alsad suuga eej mini
 Amin hairtai shuteen mini bilee.*

Taken from http://lyricstranslate.com/en/Baatar-Alsad-Suugaa-Eej-Mother-Dream-lyrics.html#ixzz2z1vW67eQ

Mother in the Distance

The first daylight appears in the hazy morning
At a devotional moment I recall my mother
hoping her son will return
staring into the distance till her desire fatigues

My mother who lives in the distance
is my dearest conviction

In the boundless sky thin clouds are ethereal
At the moment I pray I think of my mother
boiling tea on the stove
staring into the distance till her eyes fatigue

My mother who lives in the distance
is my dearest conviction

The range of mountains ah...so imposing
In my heart ah.... always with a lump in my throat
I hold myself together in this world
bear the weight of sustenance to seek my dream in the distance

*My mother who lives in the distance
is my dearest conviction*

Taken from http://lyricstranslate.com/en/alsad-suugaa-eej-mother-distance-mother-distance.html#ixzz2z1wChi9q

A Home of Our Own...At Last!: An Initial Landscape Feng Shui Personal Experience.

I bet that nowadays people will always complain about their financial statuses, especially for those who depend on monthly salary like me. My colleagues as well as my comrades will keep their eyes fixed on issues that are related to keywords such as "salary increase" or "annual bonus". As a public servant and a teacher, I realized that career is not just about "making money". If I do, then I will get myself into money ventures where people will aim for nothing except for profits and revenue. However, I never deny that we need money as a "one tool that fix them all". 

Education, car, fuels, our daily "fixtures" and others will need money as one of their key ingredients; or if not, the sole authority whether you're going to survive in this capitalist system or perish in the gargantuan tug-of-war. People might say "Ahh..I wish that I could have this bonus to renovate my house, accommodate my monthly medical expenses or buying health products, having a trip with my spouse to Bali etc". Things are never enough; that's the norm but the fact is life is not really bad after all if we could adapt ourselves to the changing environment by CHANGING OURSELVES! The Darwinian Theory suggests that only the strong will survive and this is not only applicable to animals' species only but we as human beings as well.

Alright, let's get back to track. I am not going to discuss further on today's monetary issues since this thing will have its ebb and flow. I relate this issue with my post since people are so concerned about the rising prices of two man- should-have assets, namely CAR and HOUSE.  Gone were the days where any single guys (or even married ones) would afford to own a credit card (or more, depending on your financial status) or a double storey terrace house! All things in this life exists in cycles, and there are times where things are easy and at times, hard as well.  I can consider myself as lucky because at present, I still managed to own both of them without scratching my head when it comes to monthly payment. Am I a self-promoting person??? Nay...

The hunt for my own dream home started about 5 years ago, where I did some amateur on-site landscape Feng Shui assessment for my colleagues. I am not saying that I was so choosy since I need to find the 33.3% "Earth Luck" part of my life which need to be in tandem with my Feng Shui principles. My non-Feng Shui enthusiasts friends would shrug off at the moment I say "This place doesn't fit the basic landscape Feng Shui guidelines- no "tortoise", "dragon" and "tiger" hills, the facing direction has a bad combination of flying starts for the current period" and other terminologies that sound Greek for them but for me, it's my bread and butter.

After a long arduous and painstaking period of searching for my perfect "casa", finally I set my mind on a double-storeyed terrace house on the outskirt of the city. At first, I considered the area was  little bit "sien" except for the bustling new airport which is only less than a minute drive. Advantage?? Well, I guess that I shouldn't be a homey boy, instead I should (or must) travel away and the airport would remind me of my quest! (Please read my previous posts on travelling---It's my #1 passion!). It wasn't bad after all since it fitted all of my basic criteria, location, budget and comfort. While people writhing their way to search for a home that fits their budget-tight life, I easily made my way through a number of advices from my friends and definitely my #1 mentor, my Mom...<3.

I won't show you how my future home look like, but I can say now that it has been almost 100% complete, minus the electric line and road linking the housing area from the trunk road. It was a small housing area, comprised of a 6-in-a-one row terrace houses and some double-storeyed houses. At first, I thought that I was the only staff who decided to settle down there, but now, two of my colleagues made the same move too! The monthly payment wasn't bad after all, it caused me to be on a tight budget at the beginning; where I have to adjust my expenditures back to the basic level. Most people will sacrifice everything and living only from hand to mouth after their salaries' deduction. 

The moment I went to the site to do some Feng Shui assessment, I just feel good about the surrounding. It was perfectly nestled in an undulating area, far from the madding crowd. It's a grandeur complete with its dragon, tortoise, tiger and even the long-envied feature of all Feng Shui landscapes, the small, "Phoenix" hill just across the trunk road, directly facing the front door. I am not an expert but based on what I have read from numerous Feng Shui books on external features, no matter how bad the effects of the flying stars will be (due to the time dimension Feng Shui), there will always be a support and protection from the naturally occurring landscape that is already powerful enough to deter the menacing impact of these "bad" flying stars. 

There's also a "Ming Tang" or an empty piece of land right in front of my house, where the Chi will accumulate and settle before entering through the main door. I was aware that many housing areas have an arrangement where units are directly confronting each other, especially with sharp roofs and Bagua mirrors. Such an unfriendly set of features that surely we would like to avoid at all cost! The trunk road, which is nicely viewed from the main door, it's not too near but not too far as well. It serves as the main conduit of chi that will be slowed down by the "Bright Hall" and definitely the soon-to-be-completed road that buds out from the main road.

Unfortunately, due to copyright and company rules, it seems that I am unable to post the pictures of my uncompleted house for now. I will, one day publish the pictures of my new home. By the way, I am happy now because I am going to have a house...a home for my wandering heart at last...<3

It's a place that shouldn't be put aside..
Despite the fact that it has been put aside for a very long time..
Deep within my own tireless heart..
I would try to vanquish it from its very existence..
BUT...

I just can't do it...
I tried..not once...not twice..
BUT...

For countless time...
Whenever I would try to step forward
There's always something that holds me from moving ahead..
Like a gentle grasp; not too strong..but not too faint..
It is just there, strong enough to make you feel guilty
No matter how much I would try to show that I wasn't..
BUT...

Someday, I will get over this unnecessary feeling
Like another chapter of a book, it will soon to pass but it always stay...
Farewell my "old place"...
You will always remind me of the past, but definitely not my future..
The future is in my hands...

BUT..again
The past is left behind...<3

Journey to the Land Below the Wind: The undying Kadazandusun heritage of Tenghilan, Tambunan and Ranau.

Famously known as ‘Land below the Wind’, Sabah is a land where your heart is. My younger sister, who married a local Tenghilan Dusun took this opportunity to visit her in-laws during the end of the year holidays. It supposed to be a rainy season but thank God, the ‘Bambarayons’ (They are actually the "Spirits of the Rice" according to Kadazan/Dusun beliefs; it is really interesting to find its striking similarities with the Tibetan Buddhism beliefs in local guardian deities) seemed to realize my eagerness to explore these parts of Sabah and blessed our journey throughout the entire week.Ounsikou ginawoku sabab barakat Diolo!

There was something quite odd each time I reached any one of these places; I was greeted by a gentle breeze followed by a sweet smell; perhaps you would consider those things were only made up by my mind but seriously, I never had that kind of experience in my own place. Much to my surprise, I managed to set my foot on one of the most well-kept landscapes I ever seen, the valley town of Tambunan, the birthplace and hometown of the current Huguan Siou.

 

We took some pictures for you to view by yourself. Needless to say anything, a single picture will tell more than a thousand words. Here are some shots taken in various places; namely the capital city of Sabah, Kota Kinabalu, Tenghilan, Tambunan, Kundasang and Poring. There’s a lot more to explore to Sabah but I think that should be kept for our future plans!

I took a snap with brother-in-law's sister and her family. It's a typical attitude of Sabahans to be super-friendly with any visitors; you will never feel like a stranger, but instead you will quickly adapt and feels just like at home!

Posing in front of the statue of St. Therese of the Little Child of Jesus, Tambunan

The locals said that this once famous Tambunan Village Recreational Centre was a rendezvous for both locals and tourists alike; also known as TVRC is now becoming more like a lifeless-resort compared to its golden era. I hope that the management will do something to attract more visitors to this wonderful place before it is too late!

Tambunan Warrior's Memorial, this is the site where you can find out a brief history of Tambunan and how it got its name: A combination between the names of the tribe "Tamadon" and the once-famous head warrior, Gombunan.

Kundasang War Memorial Park; it's much cooler here despite the sunny evening!

One of Sabah's unused couches used during the reign of North Borneo Amalgamated Company is now being displayed right outside the State's Museum

Compared to my state, Sarawak, Sabahan tourism management is absolutely fabulous! If you happened to visit any of the public places in Sabah, be it the Agnes Keith's House, State's Museum or Mt Crocker National Park, you only need to pay a mere RM2!

The largest lifestyle- shopping mall in the island of Borneo, 1Borneo Hymermall, famously known as 1B by the locals. It reminded me of Mid-Valley Megamall; except its not as sizable as the former and its heavily influenced by Bornean cultures.

This is not a painting; it's a real scenery indeed!. There's nothing on this Earth that could be compared to the beautiful scenery of Tambunan Valley; situated at an elevation of 976m above sea level, it is also the heartland of Pure Dusuns!

A cute Tenghilan Dusun couple gave out wedding toasts to their guests; they're happened to be both cousins of my brother-in-law.

I just loved Tambunan; you can run away from the hectic life in large cities like Kota Kinabalu and spend the rest of your life here; in a secluded and serene valley, deep within the Crocker Range.

Definitely you should not miss posing in front of the tallest, most beautiful and definitely the most accessible waterfall in Sabah! I present you: The Mahua Waterfall