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ADAT RESAM DAN BUDAYA KAUM KADAZANDUSUN SUKU KADAZAN: ADAT PERKAHWINAN – MONGOI PANAU
Kampung Limbanak, 89650 Penampang, Sabah.
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Introduction and history
In the Kadazan community, marriage is traditionally determined through the mutual agreement of both sets of parents, who take responsibility for selecting a suitable match for their children. All arrangements—spanning courtship, engagement, and wedding ceremonies—are meticulously planned and financed by the parents. The prospective bride and groom are typically informed only as the wedding date draws near.
Kadazan customs strictly prohibit marriage between individuals with familial ties. Consequently, the involvement of parents in selecting a spouse is essential to ensuring adherence to this rule. Failure to comply with the customs and norms of the Kadazan community is believed to invite misfortune, not only for the couple but also for their families and the broader community.
Functions and Roles
Photo 2: Bridal Procession
Source: AF Studio, 2023
Traditionally, this custom symbolizes a family "entrusting" their daughter to the groom's family, signifying her transition into their household. For this reason, a daughter’s wedding is celebrated grandly, accompanied by customary ceremonies to honour and recognise her contributions to her family. This is because daughters play a crucial role in supporting their families and sustaining their livelihoods.
Together with their parents, daughters are responsible for taking care of their younger siblings, working in the fields, pounding rice, collecting firewood, and carrying out ‘Mooi Sondot’ activities, which involve selling produce at the market—even if it means traversing forests and hills. Additionally, daughters are considered a source of wealth for the family through the ‘Nopung’ (dowry). For this reason, parents take a daughter’s marriage very seriously, making it a significant aspect of the Mongoi Panau tradition.
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The Mongoi Panau custom requires conducting the ceremony without signs of bad omens, referred to as ‘Kadaaton’. If a death occurs in the village before the wedding, the ceremony will be postponed later. However, if a death occurs during the event, the celebration will be temporarily halted. In such situations, the host must invite a Bobolian to perform ‘Momurinait’, a ritual involving the recitation of mantras to protect the bridal couple and their families from any misfortune.
In the past, this custom was typically conducted at night. For bridal couples who had never met their future spouse, the nighttime was considered the most appropriate time for the wedding. The dark setting, illuminated only by limited lighting, helped conceal feelings such as shyness, nervousness, fear, or sadness.
Usually, around 3:00 p.m., three representatives from the groom’s side arrive at the bride’s house, bringing a Sanang, a type of gong. Their arrival is warmly welcomed by the bride’s family, who serve traditional food and drinks. Additionally, some families organise challenges and obstacles for the groom’s entourage, requiring them to drink intoxicating Tapai before entering the house to escort the bride.
One of the wise practices of the Kadazandusun community in assessing a person’s character is observing their behaviour during meals and drinks. In this tradition, the groom’s representatives are asked to drink Tapai until they become intoxicated or vomit. Like those lacking decorum, representatives with good manners will not act aggressively or create disturbances at the bride’s family home. Therefore, it is essential to select well-behaved representatives, as this observation allows the bride’s family to gain a deeper understanding of the groom’s family’s attitudes and personalities.
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Tondiandi
Verses |
Translation |
|
Wonsoi totobon do taan, id sungkad do solianon, i purinding ku lo’i oton, do kosusut do rondomon. Oton pananom po’d siot, do siot nu panatadon, sorou no pihuyan nu lohing,
do daamot nu mooi wagu. |
May the gates of heaven open, At the threshold of the path, My protection for you, O oton (a term of endearment for the daughter), As you pass through the darkness of the night. Plant the siot first, O oton, The siot for your origins, Remember the sacrifices of your elders, As you embrace the new path. (Siot is a woody plant traditionally used by the Kadazandusun
community as a talisman.) |
Source: Minah Sintian, 2021
After that, the bride is escorted to the groom’s house, wearing only a simple shawl to cover her head and shoulders. The journey typically takes place in darkness, illuminated only by the light from Tata or Jamung (torches). Despite the dim surroundings, the procession remains lively with the recitation of Tondiadi, exchanged between the entourages of both families.
In the recitation of Tondiadi during this journey, the plants along the route are often used as symbols in figurative language to convey implicit meanings. For instance, the Sibu leaf, a plant commonly used in traditional medicine, is frequently used as a metaphor to express the feelings or hopes of the entourage at that moment. This figurative language adds aesthetic and symbolic elements to the custom of escorting the bride to the house of her future husband, whom she has never met before. Below are examples of Tondiadi verses recited during the journey.
|
Tondiandi
Verses |
Translation |
|
Mili-kili roun do
sibu, id tanga do
tindalanon, i purinding ku lo’i
oton, do kosusut do
rondomon. |
Waving gently, the Sibu
leaves, Along the journey’s path, My protection for you, O oton, As you pass through the darkness of the night. |
Source: Minah Sintian, 2021
Photo 4: Journey to the Groom’s House and Tondiadi
Source: Prestly Golibot, 2017
Tondiadi
Recitation by the Host on the Veranda:
|
Tondiandi
Verses |
Translation |
|
Mantad toi’d modtiga
oku toi moningayam do rilib bayu ma’d kalalangadan do tuhup dot kosondoton. |
Am I peeking, Only to shame the shawl? It is merely longing, To aid the journey's end. |
Source:
Minah Sintian, 2021
The entourage is warmly welcomed upon arriving at the groom's house compound. At this point, the exchange of Tondiadi resumes, filled with implicit meanings and subtle satire, continuing in the groom's yard. The groom’s representative recites the following Tondiadi verses as a sign of readiness to receive the bride, who the groom’s parents have eagerly awaited. Below is the recitation of Tondiadi at the groom's house:
Tondiadi Recitation
by the Groom’s Representative:
|
Tondiandi
Verses |
Translation |
|
Pongisan kou i’
manawalai do ootungan do
tinggoron insan ka po’d
kadansaran nga pomosuon o moningot. |
Prepare yourselves, O hosts, The thunder is about to strike, When paths collide, The wasps will sting. |
Source:
Minah Sintian, 2021
Tondiadi Recitation
by the Bride’s Representative:
|
Tondiandi
Verses |
Translation |
|
Oton ponolokoi no’d walai
do walai’d
turu sonsusun pamakabai-kabai no kama
do rugading
polumboting. |
Enter the house, O oton, A house layered sevenfold, Hold on tightly, do rugading polumboting. |
Source: Minah Sintian, 2021
Rugading refers to a type of striped bamboo highly valued in Kadazandusun beliefs. This bamboo cannot be destroyed carelessly, as specific taboos must be observed. In the context of the Tondiadi verse, Rugading symbolises wealth. Meanwhile, Polumboting means "spread out" or "displayed." Therefore, the bride is reminded to be mindful of her behaviour, as the groom’s family is affluent and well-regarded.
After the Tondiadi exchange is complete, the bride's entourage is invited into the house. The bride is seated on a Timpohon, a low wooden chair, while the groom is not permitted to be present at that time. As a gesture of respect, the bride’s entourage is served delicious food and intoxicating traditional drinks until they are delighted.
Tapai is served in several Tajau Nodopitan (jars blessed with mantras) as it is believed to ward off undesirable occurrences, such as quarrels or inappropriate speech during the ceremony. Weddings in this tradition are made lively with the presence of the entire village community, who come together to celebrate the couple in a harmonious and joyous atmosphere.
On the night of Mongoi Panau, the couple cannot sleep together. The bride spends the night accompanied by her female friends from the entourage. The following day, the bride is escorted back to her home by the groom’s mother and four female representatives from the groom’s side. That afternoon, the bride is again paraded to the groom’s house. On this second day, the bride and groom are finally brought together and spend the night as a married couple. They sit and eat together as usual with family and friends. After officially becoming husband and wife, the bride can return and stay with her parents until she feels ready to live with her husband’s family.
Mazizy J. Lomodi. Kampung Limbanak, 89650 Penampang, Sabah. 12 November 2024.
Alice Kinsui. Kampung Bongkud, Ranau, Sabah. 13 November 2024.
Stella Jonnes. Kampung Bongkud, Ranau, Sabah. 13 November 2024.
Reference Source
Arena Wati. (1978). Dusun satu tinjauan dalam konteks kepercayaan, kultus dan hukum adat di Sabah. Kota Kinabalu: Penerbitan Yayasan Sabah.
Buyoh, R., Ling, J. W. K., & Loven, C. L. (2021). Kelompok Tema “Tukadan” Dalam Subjek Bahasa Kadazandusun: Theme-Based Clustering Of “Tukadan” In Kadazandusun Language Subject. Journal of Borneo Social Transformation Studies, 7(1), 148-168.
Henry Bating. (2014). Tradisi Mongoi Panau - Warisan jalinan kasih sayang dan persaudaraan. http://kampungpamilaan.blogspot.com/2014/02/kasih- sayang-dan-persaudaran dalam.html
Henry Bating. (2015). Makan beradat ‘Mitambul’ Perkahwinan Callina Marcus dan Nattemius Andoh, Kg Paka Dua, Ranau. Diperoleh daripada Facebook. 24 November 2024.
Miller, J., & Miller, C. (1991). Thematic continuity and development in Coastal Kadazan narratives. In Thematic continuity and development in languages of Sabah. Pacific Linguistics.
Minah Sintian & Rosliah Kiting (eds.). (2016). Tinimungan tangon Kadazandusun Himpunan cerita Kadazandusun. Tanjong Malim & Kota Kinabalu: Penerbit Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris & Penerbit Universiti Malaysia Sabah.
Minah Sintian. (2012). Mantera atau rinait Kadazandusun: Tinjauan dalam aspek pengamal dan fungsinya dalam kehidupan. Prosiding Simposium Bahasa dan Budaya Iban dan Folklor Borneo/Kalimantan. Kuching, Sarawak: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka Kuching, Persatuan Folklor Malaysia, Fakulti Bahasa dan Komunikasi, UPSI.
Minah Sintian. (2013). Kadaaton tinaru Kadazandusun: Koubasanan om kotumbayaan di mongowit korutumon? (Petanda buruk dalam masyarakat Kadazandusun: Amalan dan kepercayaan yang membawa kemunduran?). Kertas kerja yang dibentangkan dalam Seminar Bahasa, Kesusasteraan dan Kebudayaan Kadazan Dusun. Jabatan Bahasa dan Kesusasteraan Melayu, FBK, UPSI & SMK Tun Fuad Stephen Kiulu, Tuaran. Julai 2013.
Minah Sintian. (2021). Perkahwinan Etnik Kadazandusun Tradisional: Suatu Gambaran Kearifan Tempatan. Dalam Saidatul Nornis Haji Mahali (Ed). Geliga Etnik di Sabah. Penerbit Universiti Malaysia Sabah
Pugh-Kitingan, J. (2012). Kadazan Dusun. Institut Terjemahan & Buku Malaysia.
Location
State JKKN Contact Information
Puan Nurshahrinna Syahrial
Cultural Officer
Jabatan Kebudayaan dan Kesenian Negara, Sabah
Kompleks JKKN Sabah,
Jalan Tasik off KM4 Jalan Penampang,
88200 Kota Kinabalu
SABAH
088-205070
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