Ritual Dance and Performance in Contemporary Borneo: A Study of the Kadazan and Sama-Bajau Communities of Sabah, Malaysia

Abstract

The state of Sabah, comprised of various indigenous ethnic groups, has inherited traditional beliefs and practices practised for a long time. Ritual practices carried on through inheritance have contributed to the musicscape and dancescape in Borneo. The Kadazan community of Penampang district inherited the sumazau dance, which used to be the main practice of rituals manifesting the balance between the physical world and the spiritual world, such as monogit and humabot rituals. Meanwhile, the Sama-Bajau Community in Sabah’s Semporna District manifests the bond between humans and spirits in the physical and spiritual realms through music and dancemaking in most rituals. The rituals are held periodically every three months, six months or annually, like magpaigal-jin, magpaii-bahau-magduwata, poon tahun, and others, requiring the inclusion of music and dance to host the ancestors and spirit through trance music and dance. Thus, the presence of ancestors and spirits in the ritual signifies a balanced relationship between humans and spirits. This paper will present the importance of music and dance among Kadazan and Sama-Bajau. Based on an ethnographic study with observational methods and in-depth interviews with ritual specialists and contemporary music and dance practitioners of both communities, this paper will also present the current development of the music and dance of those rituals. This study concludes that the music and dances of these communities are important for preserving identity and nation building.