Botibas (Part 2) - Magalai
Written by H. Joplin Mosiun
May 13, 2023
Dear reader, please acknowledge or cite the blog and author of the article if you wish to use any information on this site. Cheers!
A magagung competition organised by the Penampang Council Board in 2005 held at the Buhavan Square in Donggongon, included a botibas performance category which attracted only four kampungs and one school as participants: Hungab, Tuavon, Terawi, Kuai, and St. Joseph primary school.
I discovered many of the elderly still possess the ability to play the botibas including my own grandmother who eventually taught me to play the botibas on the tongkungon, a chordophone instrument fashioned from bamboo akin to a zither. Unfortunately, many older individuals are not in the habit of passing down their knowledge of the botibas to the younger generations.
There are debates about the origin of the botibas, with some attributing its roots to Nunuk Ragang, while others believe it came from Brunei. However, another similar music that bears a resemblance to botibas, perhaps the closest, is the Magalai, the traditional music of the Lobu Dusuns from Nunuk Ragang in Ranau.
 |
| Lobu ensemble led by Jaini Sumping |
The Lobu ensemble comprises a unique combination of idiophones and membranophones. The first four instruments, numbered 1 to 4, consist of three bamboo idiophones (1, 2, and 4) and a wooden idiophone (3). The first bamboo idiophone (1) produces an unpitched and rattling sound, while the other two bamboo idiophones (2 and 4) are known as togunggu or tagunggak. The tongunggu (4) produces a more distinct note than togunggu (2) due to its resonant tube.
The wooden idiophone (3) has the highest pitch among the idiophones. The remaining two instruments in the ensemble are membranophones, cylindrical wooden drums with drumheads made of stretched goatskin and are known as gandang. The main gandang is numbered 6, while instrument (5) consists of two gandangs attached together like a bongo.
 |
| Sompogogungan (gandang not in the picture), Kg. Nampasan youths |
The gong ensemble of Penampang is known as sompogogungan and consists of six suspended and tuned gongs with one gandang. In the magagung botibas, the interlocking patterns of the first three gongs, which include the sasalakan, kuukulivadan, and hahambatan, along with the gandang, provide the primary rhythm. On the other hand, the three large-bossed gongs, kuukulimpoon, tootongon, and the tatavag, form the melody. The tootongon contributes to the melody's nuances helping to create a sense of motion and flow in the music.
The primary rhythms of the botibas and magalai are similar if not the same. The interlocking patterns played in the Lobu ensemble are comparable to those played on the gandang and the first three gongs of the sompogogungan. Both ensembles are guided by the single beat of the gandang although, in the botibas, the player will deviate and add variations to the gandang's beat. The same is for the bamboo idiophone (1) in the magalai.
Listen to the following audio of the botibas performed by Kg. Terawi youths in 2005 at Buhavan Square:-
 |
| Primary rhythm of the Botibas |
 |
| A comparison between the Magalai and Botibas |
The bamboo idiophone (1) and togunggu (2) follow and complements the single beat of the main gandang, reinforcing the percussiveness of the primary rhythm.
The two adjoined gandangs (5) of varying pitches, in the Lobu ensemble, are played by a single person using a technique that produces the same interlocking patterns of the sasalakan and the kuukulivadan. The sasalakan's pattern follows the single beat of the gandang and is reciprocated by the kuukulivadan in the botibas.
The togunggu (4) is played with the same pattern as the hahambatan, the third gong of the sompogogungan. The hahambatan complements the interlocking sasalakan and kuukulivadan and completes the botibas' primary rhythm.
The double beat pattern played on the wooden idiophone (3) is not found in botibas, and likewise, the melody produced by the kuukulimpoon, tootongon, and tatavag does not exist in magalai. Although the magalai lacks a discernible melody, its strong percussive rhythm gives it an organic and raw quality that epitomizes the tribal culture of the Lobu people.
The magalai which shares similar rhythms to the botibas, is often played as an accompaniment to war dances. This musical continuity suggests a link between the two traditions, with the botibas possibly deriving from or being influenced by the magalai.
It is possible that the Lobu people migrated to Sugud and became part of the Bangkaakon, which could explain the similarities. The Lobu may have suffered the same fate as the other groups in Danau (Tambunan) who were pressured to leave due to conflict and land disputes in the late 18th century. They may have been responsible for the Bangkaakon's renaming of Kinarut to Honggom as coincidentally one of the branches of the Lobu is the Longgom.1 However, this may just be wild speculation.
According to Jaini Sumping of Kg. Nunuk Ragang in Ranau, prior to the use of gongs, the Nunuk Ragang communities crafted musical instruments from wood and bamboo. The possible evolution of the botibas from the magalai reflects a broader pattern of cultural adaptation and change, as people develop new forms of expression to meet changing social and cultural contexts. Through this process, the early settlers create and shape new modes of expression that reflect their evolving values, aspirations, and experiences.
To be continued
Comments
Post a Comment