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Introduction and history

The Rungus ethnic are found in the Kudat District and Matunggong Sub-District. Apart from Banat Tapi, the Rungus women are also famous for their traditional costume called Sukolob.

Sukolob is a traditional attire that is uniform from the chest to below the knees, made from ordinary cotton of black or blue colour. This attire is worn like a loose midi skirt with small waistline and tied at the chest.

Functions and Roles

This traditional costume is full of beads. Previously, the Rungus women always wore this attire in their daily lives like cooking, fetching water, embroidering, and others. Nowadays, this costume is only worn during weddings, celebrations, death events or in receiving guests’ arrival at the long house.

Traditional Attire/ Accessories

Sukolob has the same decorations as the Banat Tapi traditional attire except for the Ganggalung made of copper coil on the shoulder, that functions as neck bracelet, 40cm in diameter. This decoration is rarely worn except by the elderlies during ritual ceremonies, and at a number of distant villages. 

There is a decoration resembling the Linangkit embroidery that refers to the art of embroidering   using needle. Linangkit becomes the main décor forming vertical and horizontal lines at the attire’s back side. The meeting of the vertical and horizontal lines at the hip formed by the Linangkit embroidery is dominated by a four-petalled flower motif that forms the ‘X’ structure. This geometrical arrangement resembles the sarong that has the ‘head’ and ‘body’ of the garment.

The Rungus ethnic chooses black as the main colour of their attire. According to their beliefs, the colour black signifies power or of god’s colour that can protect the wearer from bad supernatural beings. However, some parties said that the usage of this colour is suited to the livelihood and natural situations at that time. Their traditional colours are black, red, yellow and white, with white and yellow as the colours for design pattern and stripes.

This woven cloth uses motifs characterized by nature, among them:

Benurunsi – snail and clam.

Binongkok – characterizing frog’s image. 

Binorokidung – theme of snake trail. Other terminology is Rinugading.

Binugang – resembling birds.

Binutuan – resembling the braids of tree bark.

Inansal – of fences.

Inompuling – of fish gaff.

Inugarang – resembling iguana or small lizard.

Inumpizos – resembling caterpillar. 

Kinadamazam – the kadamazam fruit.

Kiambang  Kiapu – wood flower.

Kinulit – theme of banana skin. 

Lijawan – ferns.

Linimut – beetle’s image.

Linopung – of cobras.

Linopung do Kisorod – resembling a snake with fins.

Livato – of souls and ghosts.

Minimbayan – of cake wrappers.

Mitotorungak – of the community or group. 

Monsimuung – image of spirit or animals.  

Pinodkimo – clam’s shell.

Sinikuvan –of thread wheel.

Sinubung – wood measurement with something inserted in its middle. 

Sinusuk  Rabung – bamboo shoot. 

Tinikou  Sada – fish. 

Tiningulun –of human shape.

Tinolutug – a square surrounded by triangle pattern. 

Tinubou – theme of a peacock dance. 

Tinukad - of stairs. 

Vinalahan – rattan flowers (vakau).

Vinusak – jungle flowers. 

Vinusak  Kapok – resembling cotton flower.

Method / Preparation Method / Presentation Method

This traditional attire is produced wholly by weaving using cotton known as kapok by the local residents. The cloth is weaved traditionally, known as magavol that portrays its high traditional value based on the technic of making and decorative motifs produced.

The motifs are characterized by animal shapes, human, armament and fauna. The weaving process is the same as the weaving process of other traditional materials found in Sabah that is using the weaving equipment Kek Sandang Belakang, called babaal in the Rungus dialect.

Location

Informant/Figure/Editor/Researcher
  • Hassanal bin Redzuan
  • Jabatan Kebudayaan dan Kesenian Negara, Sabah, Kompleks JKKN Sabah, Jalan Tasik Off KM 4 Jalan Penampang, 88200 Kota Kinabalu Sabah.
  • 088 -205 070
  • hassanal@jkkn.gov.my
Get Directions

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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Use the form below to contact the Informant/Figure/Editor/Researcher directly. We will respond to your inquiry as soon as possible!