We have traveled numerous times to Malaysia and always found the people very welcoming and hospitable. In fact, the thing that we noticed when we first arrived was how much they are always smiling at you. It was honestly a bit of a shock after spending years in countries where smiles weren’t so frequent. Malaysians beam at you. This multicultural country is also well known as a foodie paradise. We definitely ate well there. Honestly, Malaysia is one of our favorite countries because it is welcoming, the people are kind, living is comfortable, and the food is amazing. I could also add that the healthcare is also quite fantastic. So, after having said this, I will discuss our folklore from the Sabah region of Malaysia.
Huminodun
Origination
Huminodun originated from the Dusun people, indigenous to Sabah. The Dusun people are one of several Kadazan ethnicities. The Kadazan language encompasses various ethnicities indigenous to the region. So, the term Kadazan is used to include all ethnicities who speak the language or a similar version of the language.
Religion
Although frequently referred to as a legend or narrative of folklore, Huminodun was actually a religious observance in the Kadazan communities of Sabah. As found in cultures around the world, religious beliefs center around the concept of Gods to explain the incredible experiences and elements in the world that they did not understand. Similar to the pantheon of Gods in many ancient cultures and their various creation stories, the Kadazan culture also has its own pantheon of Gods, which is seen in their own creation story. Although the Kadazan culture never reached the heights of similar cultures like the Inca, Egyptian, Yoruba, Greek, or Roman civilizations, they also had a god-creator who was named Kinoingan. Kinoingan would be the equivalent of Inti, Ra, Olodumare, Zeus, and Jupiter.
When Christian missionaries first attempted to evangelize the region, they soon realized that in order to shift the Kadazans to believe in their God, they would have to borrow the name Kinoingan in order to teach them about the Christian God when they translated the Bible into the Kadazan language. In other words, as we see in many examples, indigenous beliefs were taken and Christianized in order to subjugate them into the colonizers’ system to make them easier to control.
Huminodun is thought to have been the founder of Momolianism, the religion of the various Kadazan peoples. Momolianism, as seen with many indigenous religions, worships nature. More specifically, it is one of the numerous religions worldwide that practice animism, the belief that all creatures, places, an inanimate objects have a spiritual essence that gives them agency and free will.
The Story
Kinoingan lived with his wife Suminundu in a heaven called Libabou and also in the world of man called Pomogunanhad. They had one son named Ponompulan and one daughter named Ponompuanand. Although the world of man was free from all sins and was very beautiful, Suminundu created the earth. When Ponompulan started to rebel, he corrupted the minds of mankind and was banished from heaven. He then created his own underworld called Kolungkud. His followers from mankind were then cursed with a famine. In order to end the curse their daughter Ponompuanand offered herself as a sacrifice ordered by her own father. She was then named Huminodun, which means transferred sacrifice. She then said to her father:
My body will give rise to all sorts of edible plants to feed the people. My flesh will give rise to rice, my head—the coconut, my bones—tapioca, my toes—ginger, my teeth—maize and my knees—yams. Our people will never go hungry again.
It was from Huminodun’s sacrifice that Bambazon, the spirit of the rice, had sprung. Following the sacrifice, the people experienced the most bountiful harvest that year. However, Kinoingan was greatly distraught and sorrowful for having lost his only daughter. As a result, he slashed through the paddy fields destroying the plants until the voice of his daughter spoke to him saying, “please stop hurting me further.”
He was then instructed to gather seven of the tallest stalks and tie them together, cut them, and bring them to his home and place each one in a jar. Comforted by the voice of his daughter, he did as instructed. One day, Kinoingan and his wife suddenly heard noises coming from the jars. Upon opening the jars, they saw seven brightly shining maidens, including his daughter. Her light was brighter than the sun. Her resurrection fulfilled her promise when her spirit emerged from the jar. The people commemorate her sacrifice and resurrection for her bravery, strength, grace and beauty in the annual beauty pageant, Unduk Ngadau.
There are a few variations of this story told from different communities, but the overall theme is one of sacrifice and beauty. In another variation, it was Sinakagon a demi-God who sacrificed her. This story began momolianism, an animist-pagan religion. This is also what founded the Bobolians who taught the rites, rituals, and ceremonies, traditions, taboos, as well as the gong-beating art and Sumazau dance.
The legend has inspired music and films.
The Kadazans celebrate the Ka’amatan or harvest festival to pay homage to Bambazon to ensure a bountiful harvest annually. During the ceremony, a maiden is selected who represents immaculate virtues and resplendent beauty (the beauty pageant winner) to reflect those of Huminodun. She is selected to honor Huminodun and is declared an Unduk Ngadau or Zenith of the Sun.
The film that was released in 2024 was produced with very little embellishments to ensure a story remained in close alignment with the way Sabahans tell their own stories with their own voices and in their own language. This was in following the Kadazan Dusun Cultural Association’s version.
References
Ismail, Melissa Suraya (1 June 2022). “Unduk Ngadau, The Beauty Pageant Of The Sabahans”. The Rakyat Post. Archived from the original on 1 June 2022. Retrieved 24 April 2025.
Hong Chieh, Yow (30 May 2024). “What Is Kaamatan and Why Is It Celebrated?”. Explore AirAsia. Archived from the original on 24 April 2025. Retrieved 24 April 2025.
The Huminodun Story in Sabah | Hello Sabah
The Mystical Origin of the Kadazandusun - Huminodun
Tuesday Tale #37: The Legend of Hominodun – Tuyang
https://www.bharian.com.my/bhplus-old/2015/09/83875/legenda-huminodun
Barlocco, Fausto (2011). "A Tale of Two Celebrations: The Pesta Kaamatan as a Site of Struggle between a Minority and the State in Sabah, East Malaysia". Asian Journal of Social Science. 39 (5): 605–626. doi:10.1163/156853111X609266. ISSN 1568-4849.