The Tulun Tombonuo and the Kinabatangan

Written by H. Joplin Mosiun 

April 8, 2023

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Before the indigenous people in Kinabatangan converted to Islam or Christianity, they were known as the Tulun Tombonuo. The Orang Sungai community traces their ancestry to these people, who were described as being of large stature.

A long time ago, many areas in the Kinabatangan were inundated by flood waters. The Tulun Tombonuo dug holes on the slopes of hills, particularly limestone hills, to serve as burial sites for their deceased loved ones. This was done to protect the remains from being disturbed by animals and to keep them dry during the flooding. 

It is believed that the coffins found at Batu Tulug belong to the forefathers of the Orang Sungai. The arrival of the Chinese in Kinabatangan led to the intermingling of the Tulun Tombonuo and the Chinese, resulting in the Orang Sungai. 

The Tulun Tombonuo were known to consume a varied diet without any restrictions, on the other hand, the Orang Sungei adhere to strict Islamic dietary laws.¹ 

The term 'Batang' is commonly used to refer to rivers such as the Batang Ai and Batang Rajang in Sarawak, the Batang Arau in Sumatera, and the Batang River in China. In the local languages of the Tombonuo and Dusun, 'Nabatangan' may have been used to describe the natural formation of new rivers resulting from flooding, with the prefix 'Ki' added to name the river. Additionally, in the Malay language, 'Batang' can also mean the stems and branches of a tree, which may be used to represent the many branches of a river. While in the Dusun language, a river is referred to as Baang, Bawang or Bavang. 

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Notes
1 The folk story of the Tombonuo was shared with me by Lau Tee Loi @Mohd. Riduan (Sandakan) in 2019. Riduan has mixed parentage, with a Hokkien Chinese father and an Orang Sungai mother, and the language he speaks is similar to the Mangkaak dialect spoken in Tongod.^↩