This Sabahan village specialises in making gongs; here's what you can do there

Kampung Sumangkap has three giant gongs on display near the community centre. — Photos: MELODY L. GOH/The Star

One of the most important musical instruments in Sabah is the gong. It is featured in many cultural festivities and traditional ceremonies of major ethnic groups in the state including the Kadazan, Dusun, Rungus and Bajau.

You would usually need a whole set of gongs to play a tune alongside other instruments like a drum. The number of gongs in a set varies from one ethnic group to another, and sometimes, which district or village you come from, too. On average, seven gongs would used in a set. It is said that in the case of some really special occasions (for example, the wedding of a revered leader), up to 36 gongs may be featured!

There are a few types of gongs – namely the canang, kuritikon, kulintangan and seludon – and each one produces a distinct tone.

Solina Mogimbing, one of the gong makers at the village, showing visitors how to play the kulintangan.

Gongs are traditionally made by the Rungus people. There are no schools or classes that teach gong-making lessons, though, and the skill is passed down from generation to generation. You can, however, learn about the history and cultural relevance of the instrument at Kampung Sumangkap Gong Making Factory in Kudat, Sabah, which is under the government’s Satu Desa Satu Industry (one village, one industry) initiative.

At this Rungus village, there are a handful of gong-making families who are skilled at making the musical instrument from scratch. Rohana Mokuut is one of these artisans.

“It’s hard work! You need to bend a large sheet of brass to form the round shape of the gong, and then you have to make a small mound in the centre. You also need to know how wide or tall the gong needs to be to make a particular tone, ” she explained. She added that there are only a few people left in the village who are true experts – like her husband Darwin Kunama – at distinguishing the different tones of a gong.

She worries that the younger generation would not want to continue the legacy, though. “We are not allowed to teach people outside of the area everything we know about gong making. At the same time, some young folks here are not that interested to learn, or they want to leave the village and head to the bigger towns or the city to work, ” said Rohana. She revealed that there are not many orders for gongs these days either, so there are times when they’ve had to do other work to make ends meet.

To support these artisans, you can visit the village and buy products directly from the makers themselves. The gongs are either made from brass or zinc, and are priced between RM200 and RM2,500 depending on the size and material. Of course, you can also buy small souvenir ones, and other local handicraft.

Getting there

Kampung Sumangkap is about 90km from Kota Kinabalu, which is a two-hour drive. If you’re not familiar with the roads in the state, do contact a local tour guide to take you there. If you go in a large group, the village folks may even be able to arrange for a special show for you at the community hall, where you get to see the gong makers playing the different types of gong. Entrance fees to the village start from RM3.

Kampung Sumangkap Gong Making Factory

Jalan Kg Sumangkap, 89050

Kudat, Sabah

Tel: [phone]