KOTA KINABALU: Those who celebrate the annual Kaamatan have been urged to reflect on the cultural aspects and origins of the harvest festival to ensure its continued relevance.
The call comes following accusations by some social media users that Kaamatan is more like an alcohol festival as opposed to a cultural extravaganza, as portrayed and advertised on various media platforms.
Kadazandusun Cultural Association (KDCA) Youth Council chairman Steve Johnny Mositun noted that Kaamatan was a celebration of thanksgiving after a bountiful harvest of padi, among other crops.
He said this was because in the past, most of Sabah’s native Kadazandusun Murut and Rungus (KDMR) communities depended mainly on planting padi to make a living.
“Nowadays, it is more about sharing the KDMR cultures such as language, dances, traditional costumes and food because padi planting is no longer the main economic activity for most natives.
“It is also about sharing our KDMR ethnicity, music and lifestyle with the world so they can understand and appreciate our diverse and unique cultures.
“It is vital that the public and organisers focus more on these aspects and showcase KDMR heritage to the world.
“While Kaamatan is a celebration for Sabah, it shouldn’t be about just partying and drinking alcohol, and this should not be the highlight of any event,” said Mositun.
While not denying that drinking was part of the celebrations, he said it would be better if it was consumed in moderation.
He said in the past, the natives drank mainly local brews like lihing and tumpung (different variants of rice wine) but today, they had an array of drinks to choose from.
“We cannot stop anyone from drinking whatever they want or how they wish to celebrate Kaamatan, but I hope we can all drink responsibly,” Mositun said.
He said for organisers such as the KDCA, which hosts the opening and closing ceremonies for the Kaamatan festival, the priority has always been to showcase KDMR culture.
“Various culture-related activities such as the Unduk Ngadau (Harvest Queen contest), the Sugandoi (singing competition) and Piboian HIIS, a singing, speaking, poem-reading competition in the native tongue, are lined up,” he added.
Mositun said various booths selling handicrafts, local cuisines and other activities including traditional sports competitions would always be part of the festival as well.
It was also the same at the district level, where there were many culture-related activities prepared for the people that sometimes did not get as much attention or exposure as other programmes, he said.
“So, take your time to visit the booths, check out the programmes and activities lined up in future because you may be surprised with what you might have been missing all this while,” Mositun added.