Smile..: The Harvest Festival @ Tadau Kaamatan

Every year, I will celebrate the Harvest Festival or locally called ‘Tadau Kaamatan’ .

The Harvest Festival is the largest festival for the Kadazandusun and other tribes of Sabah. Held on the 30^th and 31th of May every year, it marks the coming together of the tribes of Borneo in celebration. The most easily-recognizable features of this celebration is the general merry-making, cultural performances, tradisional sports and of course, the Unduk Ngadau (Harvest Festival Queen) Pageant.

The Kaamatan Festival is an annual event in the cultural of the Kadazandusun of Sabah since time immemorial. They give thanks to the gods and spirits for blessings ana a good paddy harvest asking for guidences.

During this Harvest Festival, Sabah natives wear their traditional costumes and enjoy the festival. ‘Tapai’ as their home made rice wine is called, is freely served during the festivities.

‘Tadau Kaamatan’ also known as ‘Magavau’ in Kadazan language.There have a lot of words according to the dialect and location of the Kadazan tribes. However, it is still carries the same meaning.

According to oral tradition, Kinoingan(God) and his wife Suminundu had a daughter named Huminodun. To save Kadazandusun people from starvation for not having enough food, then Kinoingan had to sacrifice their beloved child Huminodun. Huminodun killed and his body was buried according the their custom. Unenxpected, the body Huminodun has produced a wide variety of plants that the main food for us now. One of the seeds of the plant is rice. As part of the body is producing paddy seeds, then their belief that the rice has a spirits,which name ‘Bambazon’.

Starting,from this incident of the ceremony, Kadazandusun people started the ‘Kaamatan Festival’ (Harvest Festival ) as a celebration today.This celebration hopes that things will improve and lucrative future. The ceremony honoring the spirit of paddy rice that is harvested and has survived over into ketawai (Tangkob) of the former place to store rice.Beside, the Harvest Festival also remains the Kadazandisun of appreciation and respect with the creator(Kinoingan) who are willing to sacrifice his beloved son Huminodun to save his men to not starve to death.

Have you ever heard about the ‘Unduk Ngadau’? Based on the Huminodun story, to this day, the Kadazandusun people have included the Unduk Nagadau Pageant as a grand part of their Kaamatan Festival. The term 'unduk ngadau' or 'tunduk' literally means the shoot of plant, which in it most tangible description, signifies youth and progressiveness . Likewise, in its literal meaning ‘Ngadau' or 'Tadau' means the sun ,which connotes the total beauty of the heart, mind and body of an ideal Kadazandusun woman. In essence therefore the 'Unduk Ngadau' is a process event of selecting from among the Kadazandusun beauties, one who would resemble the ascribe personality of

'Huminodun'.