Dancers in native attire taking part in past Kaamatan events. — Photo courtesy of Patrick Mosinoh
ARAMAITTII! Cheers! Oh yes, you will get to hear more of these words this month, the Kaamatan or Harvest Festival month.
What is this harvest festival? Is it similar to the Gawai festival in Sarawak? It could be.
However in Sabah, this is an important event for the native Kadazandusun Murut communities due to its significance.
According to Sabah Native Affairs Council president Dr Benedict Topin, Kaamatan is celebrated for the abundance of the padi crop for the year.
In the past, natives in Sabah believed in animism and though many indigenous people have now moved into modern life, a sizeable number still follow their ancestral beliefs and traditional worldviews, and are guided in their daily living by their customary laws known as adat.
He said the Kadazandusun in particular still respect the last generation of their spiritual specialists, called Bobolians, who are the authorities on socio-spiritual, cultural, economic and, to a certain degree, the political, structural and organisational systems of Kadazandusun society.
Bobolians are the intermediaries between humans and divinities, healers and performers of cultural rites and ceremonies of the human life stations from womb to tomb and beyond, said Benedict.
Kaamatan beauties vying for the Unduk Ngadau title in 2018.
He said in agronomy, Bobolians lead women as guardians of the life cycle of the Kadazandusun staple crop – padi – and as custodians and propagators of numerous multi-purpose genetic resources of the Kadazandusuns.
Through the “enlightened eyes” of the Bobolians, the Kadazandusun genesis and divine concept of creation, rebellious sin, repentance, love and salvation have been revealed as philosophical foundations of the annual Kaamatan Festival, he said.
In short, Benedict said the Harvest Festival is celebrated after the legendary Huminodun, said to be the most beautiful maiden and daughter of the gods Kinoingan and Sumundu, who sacrificed herself to save the people from famine.
This legend is the basis of the annual month-long Kaamatan Festival, which showcases cultural performances, singing competitions, handicraft exhibition and sales, traditional sports as well as the Unduk Ngadau beauty contest which culminates on May 30 and 31.
“According to ancient beliefs, first there was nothing but Kinoingan and his wife Sumundu. Out of love, they created the universe, heaven and earth, and everything seen and unseen, known and unknown, and finally Kadayans or humans,” he said.
In the beginning, all was well in Libabou or the heavens, and Pomogunan (the world) was pure and beautiful until Kinoingan’s own son Ponompulan rebelled and corrupted the hearts and minds of mankind making use of all creations as tools and agents of his evil designs, said Benedict.
He said disappointed and angry, Kinoingan banished Ponompulan from the heavens and cast him to the underworld, Kolungkud.
Finally, in order to discipline mankind for their sinful ways, Kinoingan sent forth the seven scourges, the sixth of which was a prolonged severe drought, followed by the seventh, a situation of seedless-ness when famine threatened to annihilate humankind, he said.
Huminodun sacrificed herself for the people and her body parts were planted as seeds and became food resources of the world. Her flesh and blood became red rice, and her sacred spirit became the “Seven-in-One, the Rice Soul”, called Bambarayon.
Benedict said this in essence is a socio-spiritual concept of redemption within the traditional worldviews of the Kadazandusuns.
Bambarayon is believed to be embodied in all parts of the padi plant and its related products.
During the course of its season, it is inevitable that padi is damaged and parts become physically and spiritually severed and strayed from the seven-in-one mystical padi manifestation of Huminodun: Som-puun, Son-guas, Son-rawoh, Son-gi-ih, Son-wawar, Som-putul and Som-bilod.
“This can happen naturally, unintentionally and innocently or through abuse and neglect,” he said.
Thus, immediately after harvest, Bambarayon’s severed and dispersed mystical components have to be brought home, to be appeased, healed and re-united again with the whole as one, said Benedict.
So Bobolians perform the Magavau and Modsu’ut ceremony, travelling through the levels of the spirit world to pursue and rescue the strayed parts of mystical Bambarayon, he said.
“To thank Kinoingan for Bambarayon and to commemorate Huminodun’s loving sacrifice, the Kaamatan Festival is thus held,” he said.
Benedict said as the padi grains are children to Bambarayon, the Bobolians view Kaamatan Festival celebrants as children of Huminodun and alternatively children of Bambarayon.
In practice, as soon as harvesting is completed the Toguruon is put inside a basket and brought home from the padi field to be placed on top of padi tangkobs or granaries, he said.
He said by the observance of the adat principle of “kakatiu”, every Kaamatan Festival celebrant must feast responsibly with limits and it is forbidden to waste any of the offerings served.
“To waste food and to get drunk and lose one’s composure during Kaamatan Festival is regarded a dishonour and sacrilege to Huminodun, for which the guilty will have to face both the Kadazandusun Hukum Adat (traditional laws) and socio-spiritual justice from Libabou,” Benedict said.
He said over the years, the Kaamatan Festival has evolved and transformed to be an epitome of the multi-cultural souls of the natives of Sabah.
Throughout the month of May, Kaamatan celebrations are held at the family, village, district, state and now national levels.
So, visitors in Sabah this season may join in the festivities and learn some local greetings during Kaamatan.
Bobolians encourage that people greet each other during Kaamatan Festivities as follows: Kopisunduan doid Kaamatan (My holistic oneness with you in celebrating the Harvest Festival), Kotobian Tadau Tagayo do Kaamatan (Greetings for the Harvest Festival), Kounsikaan Tadau Tagayo do Kaamatan (Happy Harvest Festival) or Kopiwosian om Kotobian Tadau Tagayo Kaamatan (Greetings of peace for the Harvest Festival).
