958
Rev. Father j. StaAL,
The Dusuns of North Borneo.
Their Social Life.
By the Rev. Father J. Staal (Mill Hill), Jesselton, British North Borneo.
Introduction.
The Northern portion of Borneo, which comprises the State of British
North Borneo is mountainous with many valleys and occasional plains. The
mountains and hills are all covered with dense jungle, and the country is well
watered, though the shallow rivers are full of rapids so that very few are
navigable.
It is sparsely populated; small villages, with here and there a larger
settlement, are scattered over the country, the greater number of which belong
to the Dusun tribe, which mainly live above 5° N. L.
A high mountain Kinabalu, 13,455 feet, dominates the northern part,
and in its shadows most of the Dusuns are to be found.
The Dusuns, for this is the name they go by, belong to the Malaysian
race, and to the sub-race of the Indonesians. The tribe has been split up; and
on account of the high mountains and dense jungle intercourse with each
other was prevented, hence many differences in features, language and
customs.
The name “Dusun” is Malay, and means “farm”; and these people are
called “orang dusun” “farmers”, by the Malays, and this name is now uni
versally used. Some older travellers called them “Ida’an”, but this is the
Illanun word meanig the same as the Malay “Dusun”.
But the Dusuns do not call themselves by this name. These of the interior,
generally, call themselves according to the regions they inhabitat; these living
among the hills are called “Tahgas” and “Tidong”, whilst those near the
coast name themselves “Kadazan” or “Kadayan”. There are, moreover, many
lore names. All the non-hill tribes spurn the name Tahgas, and to call a
Kadazan “Tahgas” is considered offensive.
The Dusuns of the Putatan call the people higher up river “Tiang”, and
those that live lower down are called “Dangarah”, whilst the people of the
interior are known as tuhun id takcid, men of the high lands.
Kedayans, who live in the S. W. and on the Island of Labuan, belong
to the Dusun tribe. They are by some supposed to be descendants of Javanese;
by others of Sumatrans, or aborigines. They became Mahommedan, whilst
the general tribe remained pagan.
Bisayas of the S. W. on the lower waters of the Padas, belong to the
Dusun tribe. Some remained heathen, the remainder embraced Mahommed-
anism.
Tagals of N. Sarawak are of the same stock, who came more under the
influence of Muruts, probably people from “across the sea”.
The Tidongs in the S. E. belong to the Dusun tribe, though not con
sidered so, as do the people living to the north of them along the rivers, who
are now known as orang sungei, river-folk, partly mahommedan, partly pagan.