Indigenous groups mark harvest fest

Unduk Ngadau contestants greeting the Kaamatan festival crowd.

A SEA of black, red and golden hues swept across Sabah and Sarawak over a weekend as indigenous communities marked their annual harvest festivals with cultural showcases to offer thanksgiving for a bountiful rice harvest.

A group representing the Tombonuo community at Hongkod Koisaan.

In Penampang, the state-level Kaamatan celebrations at Hongkod Koisaan – the heritage hub of Sabah’s indigenous communities – drew cultural troupes from across the state.

The intricate beadwork of the Rungus people drawing attention at the Kadazan Dusun Cultural Association (KDCA) Kaamatan celebration in Penampang.

Groups representing the Kadazandusun, Murut and Rungus people took turns performing traditional dances on stage.

Among the highlights was the Magunatip, or bamboo dance, which featured dancers rhythmically hopping between clapping bamboo poles.

A Murut group from Keningau celebrating Kaamatan.

The crowning centrepiece of the month-long festival was the Unduk Ngadau beauty pageant, which saw contestants representing Sabah’s various districts.

Dusun Lotud participants taking a group photo during the state-level Kaamatan celebrations.

Cultural observers say the pageant ensures that native customs are passed down to the next generation, preserving local identity.

Across the border in Sarawak, the Gawai Dayak festivities included the “Pesta Sungai dan Rami Gawai 2026” at Kampung Simpok in Padawan.

Bidayuh youths in traditional attire at the ‘Pesta Sungai Dan Rami Gawai’.

Villagers dressed in traditional Bidayuh attire adorned with beaded accessories posed for photographs with visitors as traditional music filled the air.