The Tombonuo of Sugud
Written by H. Joplin Mosiun
April 4, 2023
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The epic tale of Aki Tovolok was created by the Tombonuo communities in Sugud who regarded him as the founder of Sugud. Aki Toworok was an ancestor revered by the Tombonuo people of Paitan and Kinabatangan.1
An age-old belief in Maang relates to the apparition of a wild boar trailed closely by the ghost of a hunter. These spirits were considered sacred and guardians of the forest. To prevent any unfortunate incidents, the longhouse inhabitants were required to observe certain customs before entering the forest if they were to cross paths with these spirits.2 The origin of this belief may have been derived from the epic tale of Tovolok. Likewise, the symbolism of a man pursuing a boar represented the essence of the hunter-gatherer society.
Tovolok, a man from a village in Labuk Sugut, was engaged to the daughter of the village chief. One day, the chief lent Tovolok his prized spear called the Buatan Suluk for a hunting trip. While on the expedition, Tovolok spotted a wild boar and launched the spear at it, but unfortunately, it did not injure the animal enough, and it ran off with the spear still lodged in its back. The chief was angry and demanded the spear be retrieved, which led to complications that threatened Tovolok's engagement with his fiancee.
Despite the challenges and ordeals he faced, Tovolok remained determined to retrieve the Buatan Suluk. His journey eventually led him to Malagavas (present-day Sugud) in Putatan. Due to exhaustion and hunger, Tovolok was unable to continue his journey. He resorted to making wood carvings on long poles which he set adrift in the stream in hopes that they would be discovered by people nearby who could offer him assistance.
Fortunately for Tovolok, he was found by people residing in the lower valley who provided him with care and support. However, some of the men grew envious of him and hatched a plan to kill him. They devised a plan to get rid of him by assigning him the task of collecting sagumau (lemongrass) growing at the bottom of a tohopon baahing (whirlpool) in the nest of a tambaig (water serpent).3
Folk stories often serve as a way to record and preserve important information about a culture's history and origins, even if the stories themselves may contain elements of fiction or exaggeration. It is possible that the story of Tovolok and his journey to retrieve the Buatan Suluk was created as a way to commemorate and acknowledge the arrival of the Tombonuo people into the area, even if the details may not be entirely accurate.
Folk stories can evolve over time as they are passed down through generations. The adoption of the Kadazan caused a language shift that led to the changes in the name, from Toworok to Tovolok (or Dovolok) and eventually Dovook, demonstrates how cultural and linguistic influences can shape and transform a story over time.
Overall, even if the story of Tovolok may not be entirely factual, it still serves as an important part of the cultural heritage of the people of Sugud and Maang. Dovook was one of the early settlements in Maang, alongside Bakaon, which belonged to the Mokiang people from the upper Kinabatangan regions in the village of Baka.4 The Mokiang which is a sub-group of the Tombonuo,5 are part of the Bangkaakon.
At the end of his epic journey, Tovolok named the area Sugud. The name (Sugud) on the other hand, refers to one of the Mokiang (Makiang) clans.
Notes
1 Shim Phyau Soon, 2007, Inland People of Sabah: Before, During and After Nunuk Ragang, Kota Kinabalu: Borneo Cultural Heritage Publisher, pg:267 & 275↩
2 The narrative was shared with me by my grandmother, Clara Motuyang regarding spirits and protectors of the forest in Maang.↩
3 While browsing the Kota Kinabalu Library's collection at the former building in Gaya Street, I came across a folk story titled "KAKI TOVOLOK - The Founder of Sugud". However, some of its pages were missing. I found it within a folder containing a collection of photocopied pages of various short stories and I couldn't determine the author of the article.↩
4 D. D. Daly, Exploration in British North Borneo, 1883-87, pg:5↩
5 Julie K. King and John Wayne King, eds Languages of Sabah: a survey report, 139-153. Pacific Linguistics, C-78, 1984, pg:139↩
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