Exposing the young to Kadazan culture

November 12, 2015
NATIVE HERITAGE: J Borneo Native Village stages musical that features 'sininggazanak', funeral rituals and harvest festival. 

By Olivia Miwil
olivia@nst.com.my
Pictures by Nazllie Zainul

PENAMPANG: A local man is hoping to give the younger generation greatest exposure to Kadazan customs and traditions through his musical show.

Jivinsol Moosom, 53, owner of J Borneo Native Village here, has been staging a musical called "sininggazanak" with his team of 15 Kadazan speakers, aged 15 to 55, since September.

"The show is about monument, known as sininggazanak, which is built for the deceased with no children to pass on their inheritance.

"The performance is in classical Kadazan, which is rarely used these days," he said, adding that the audience would be given English, Chinese, Arabic and Korean translations written on a piece of paper. 

Jivinsol said the tradition of erecting monuments was widely practiced in the Putatan and Kinarut districts, right up to the 20th century.

The ritual is usually led by priestesses known as bobohizan, he said, adding that it used to be observed strictly by the community, especially by the rich. 

He said the musical also featured traditions such as the harvest festival and funeral rituals. 

The 40-minute performance is staged at 9.30am and 1.30 pm on weekdays. 

Malaysians pay RM45 and non-citizens RM65 for admission. 





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