Birth of the Tangara (Part 1)

Written by H. Joplin Mosiun 

March 28, 2023

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Part 6 of the history and origins of the Penampang Kadazan.

The peace pact made in Kimanis in the early 19th century was the beginning of an era that fostered good relations among the coastal communities. It paved the way for the migration of Kadazans to Kinarut and Putatan.

Many of the Bangkaakon households had adopted the Kadazan adat and became devout followers of the Kadazan religion and custom. Kadazan Bobohizans were commissioned in every longhouse to teach the young the custom, in addition to serving as shamans and healers. Their responsibilities extended to ensuring adherence to the adat and acted as advisors to community leaders and the community. 

The adoption of the Kadazan adat by the Bangkaakon triggered a language shift. The languages of the Dusun and Tombonuo communities gradually evolved in less than a century and had come to resemble the dialects spoken in Kimanis and Papar though not entirely. Many of the languages spoken by the early settlers of Sugud, including the Mokiang and other dialects from the interior have been forgotten and lost over time.¹ 

The birthplace of the Tangara is believed to be Sugud. The term Tangara was perhaps derived from the Labuk-Kinabatangan word Tangar,² which denoted the act of speaking. It subtly captured the essence of the way people spoke including their expressive style and mannerisms. This may have contributed to the development of the identity of the Putatan Dusun.

Although the Tangara was initially referred to as a style of speaking, it later developed into a separate sect of the Kadazan adat. As most communities had embraced the Kadazan religion, the followers of this sect believed their Banava (imaginary or mythical boats) was significantly larger than that of the Kadazan, and if the two met, the Kadazan's boat would capsize.³ There may have been a certain level of competition between the two schools of adat. 

To be continued

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Notes
1 I recall my grandmother once said to me, "Koiho oku moboos do mokiang" and on one occasion, on a visit to her relative's house, she spoke a dialect I was not familiar with at that time using words like 'Kivalo'. In 2012, Sibius Kaahin, stated that some of the Kinabatangan languages, were still spoken but by a small fraction of the communities in Sugud during the period spanning from the 1930s to the 1950s.^↩
2 Hope M. Hurlbut, 1988, Verb Morphology in Eastern Kadazan, pg:135^↩
3 R. Phelan, 1983, The Form of Priesthood in the Kadazan (Dusun) System of Religion, Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, no. 1, 1983, pp. 55–73, pg:58^↩