Origins of the Bangkaakon 

Written by H. Joplin Mosiun 

March 12, 2023

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Part 1 of the history and origins of the Penampang Kadazan.

The forefathers of the Kadazan residing in Penampang, Putatan, Kinarut and Kawang were known as the Bangkaakon.¹ It was essentially an alliance of various indigenous Dusun and Tombonuo groups from the interior regions of Sabah. Established in Putatan during the latter part of the 18th century, the Bangkaakon was formed in response to the threat posed by the Tagahas and the founding of the Tombunan by the Nunuk Ragang tribes.

The Tuhun Bangkaak² or Bangkahak, a group which was responsible for the establishment of the Bangkaakon, had originated from Tongod, a district located at the upper reaches of the Kinabatangan River in the central part of Sabah.³ The group was part of a larger exodus of indigenous communities who had made a pact to leave the area following an outbreak of disease.⁴

In the past and even in recent times, epidemics among indigenous populations resulted in population decline and abandonment of traditional territories.

According to folklore in Sugud, the Bangkaak people were depicted as having red eyes resembling those of crows.⁵ This was likely a metaphor to suggest that they were from an area plagued with disease and a symbolic representation of their affliction with an illness.

Outbreaks of Cholera were common in Tongod up until the late 19th century⁶. Since many settlements were located along rivers, diseases could easily be transmitted within these communities. 

Cholera was often confused with other diarrheal diseases such as dysentery due to limited medical knowledge in the 18th century. Before the first Asiatic Cholera pandemic in 1817, the disease was thought to have gone beyond the Indian subcontinent in the last three decades of the 18th century.⁷

At the turn of the century, large groups of people from Tongod travelled to the Sook area in Keningau. From Sinua, they proceeded along trails that were made in former times by the Kinabatangan people, the forefathers of the Danau people. Many of these paths lead to the summit of Nuhu Tolod (Mt. Trusmadi) and traversed the Trusmadi Range before eventually reaching the Tambunan district.⁸

The groups from Tongod wandered into Danau⁹ around the same time the Nunuk Ragang tribes began to settle in the area in large numbers. While there may have been an initial plan by the Tongod groups to settle in the area, this plan did not come to fruition. With multiple groups competing for land, disputes over territory frequently developed into violent clashes between different tribes, disrupting the quaint valley.

Ultimately, the Nunuk Ragang tribes emerged victorious and established their authority over the Danau. The area was named 'Tombunan' after the name of the pact.¹⁰ Groups that did not fare well with the Tombunan departed the area. Groups that fought and resisted were driven out while those that stayed behind pledged their loyalty to the dominant faction.

The feud between the Bangkahak and Tagahas began to take root during this period.

The first group that arrived in Putatan must have left a visible path for the subsequent groups that followed suit. The area was uninhabited and covered in thick sago forest. It was named Malagavas, derived from the word 'guvas' that specifically refers to the trunk of the sago palm.¹¹

The Tobilung were likely the first ones to have arrived since they had scouted the area earlier and reported back to their village in Tondulu.¹² 

Following the establishment of Tombunan, many Tagahas groups took to the hills (Crocker Range). Word of mouth of the unoccupied land discovered by the Tobilung probably reached their ears but by that time the Bangkaakon had been established. It is possible that there was significant rivalry and competition among the various Tagahas factions, to the point where some groups may have even conspired against others. It suddenly became a race to the plains of Putatan. 

Groups with the same interest formed alliances and abandoned the main party to support the Bangkaakon. The Tagahas groups that were said to have been misled in the hills may have been deceived by those who became the 'Tangara'.

The Bangkaakon named their territory ‘Sugud’.¹³ As the name might have held meaning or connection to the Tombonuo's origins, each group that made up the Bangkaakon contributed a part of their culture and identity to the new territory.

To be continued.

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Notes
1 Tom and Barbara Harrison, 1971, The Prehistory of Sabah, Sabah Society Journal Volume IV, 1969-1970, Monograph, Cathay Press Limited, pg:142^↩
2 Interview with Dousia Moujing at Kg. Kuai in 2005. Dousia was the first person to inform me that the Bangkaak were the founders of the Bangkaakon. However, in 2012, Sibius Kaahin claimed that the group originally came from Kinabatangan and were referred to as 'Tuhun Kososoduai', which means "people from distant lands", unlike the Bundu and Liwan Dusuns who were referred to as 'Tuhun Takad' or 'Tuhun Sokid'. Sibius also noted that the Bangkaak spoke the Labuk-Kinabatangan dialects, and some communities in Sugud continued to use these dialects until the 1940s or earlier, when the Tangara dialect replaced all the dialects or languages of the early settlers of Sugud.^↩
3 Interview with Tampulong Aju at Kg. Tongodon, Tongod in 2020. I shared the story of the Bangkaakon to Tampulong. He believes the Bangkaak are the Mangkaak, "Itu orang kami. Di sini Tongod dulu ada panyakit. Banyak suku lari." "Orang di Tambunan pun ada orang kami juga." He added, he does not believe the Mangkaak came from Nunuk Ragang.^↩
4 The stories shared by Tampulong and Sibius are consistent with each other and share similarities. The Mangkaak and the various suku (tribe) made a pact to leave Tongod.^↩
5 Interview with Sibius Kaahin at Kg. Tinduuzon, Sugud in 2012. Sibius recounted that the Bangkaakon were described as being tall people with red eyes similar to crows (aagang miaga mato do bangkaak). These tales were often used to frighten misbehaving children, likening the Bangkaak to the bogeyman. ^↩
6 “Imbok miliki nilai sejarah”, https://www.pressreader.com/malaysia/utusan-borneo-sabah/20181205/282286731338767. Accessed 28 July 2020.^↩
7 R. Pollitzer, 1959, Cholera, pp:13-15^↩
8 Interview with Laimin Dadau at Kg. Sinua, Sook in 2007. Laimin, the Ketua Kampung of Sinua, shared with me a story about Mount Trusmadi, known to the Minokok people as Nuhu Tolod. The story predates the settlement of the Tuhawon, Tagahas, and other groups from Nunuk Ragang in the Tambunan valley. The paths leading to the summit of Trusmadi were originally made by people from Kinabatangan and are still in use today. Nuhu Tolod, much like Nabahu (Mt. Kinabalu), is considered spiritually significant by certain groups of people, such as the Minokok and Lobou.^↩
9 British North Borneo Herald, 1894. Tambunan was formerly known as Danau. ^↩
10 This was based on a folk story recorded by Petrus Guriting and published in the 1982 Kadazan Cultural Association Harvest Festival souvenir programme. The district was named 'Tambunan' by the two tribes that ousted the Tonsudung. The name is a combination of the the names of two tribal leaders; Tamadon and Gombunan. ^↩
11 “Aki Tovolok the Founder of Sugud”, sourced from the Kota Kinabalu Library at the former building at Gaya Street.^↩
12 The Origins of Kg. Maang recorded by Martin Midi. The story has been told countless times to Maang youths by the elders and the names of the early settlements found in Maang.^↩
13 According to the origin story of Sugud, it was founded by Aki Tovolok who was believed to have originated from Labuk-Sugut.^↩