{"id":233,"date":"2021-01-27T21:16:00","date_gmt":"2021-01-27T13:16:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mysabah.com\/wordpress\/?p=233"},"modified":"2023-06-01T18:33:20","modified_gmt":"2023-06-01T10:33:20","slug":"sumazau-dance-of-kadazandusun","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mysabah.com\/wordpress\/sumazau-dance-of-kadazandusun\/","title":{"rendered":"Sumazau Dance, the Cultural Symbol of Sabah"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Sumazau<\/em> is the iconic dance of Sabah. It’s a traditional dance originated from the Kadazan and Dusun (or Kadazandusun) people, the largest indigenous group of Sabah. The dancers imitate the eagle in flight by stretching their arms to both sides and swing them up and down like bird wings. Usually Sumazau is danced in group of male and female partner as pairs, who move with rhythm of beating of gong and drum. Normally Sumazau is performed in cultural events and celebrations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Sumazau<\/a>
Sumazau dance on the stage during a cultural show. Crowd would be invited to join after the first dance.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Sumazau is a generic term for \u201cdance\u201d in Kadazan. It can be called Sumayau<\/em>, Mongigol<\/em> and Maragang<\/em> in other Kadazandusun tribes and it comes with several styles (more on this later). The most classic version is by Kadazan Penampang<\/strong>, one of the sub-ethnic of Kadazandusun living in west coast of Sabah. When Malaysians talk about Sabah, an image of Kadazan Penampang couples dancing Sumazau would appear in their mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Sumazau<\/a>
The “standard Sumazau” by Kadazan Penampang. Sumazau can be called Sumayau, Mongigol and Maragang in other Kadazandusun tribes with variations in music, costumes and movements.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Why Sabahans dance Sumazau?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Sumazau is mainly performed during wedding, festivals, celebrations, social or tourism events, and welcoming of dignitaries. It’s also a must-try dance for tourists who want to experience the colourful cultures of Sabah. Overall, Sumazau is a happy dance so you won’t see people dance Sumazau with sad faces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Kadazan<\/a>
Which girl you would like to dance Sumazau with? Leave your choice in comment section.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As a matter of fact, Sumazau is also a sacred dance links to rituals and religious ceremonies.<\/strong> The traditional belief of Kadazan divides the living place into supernatural world and physical world. Both worlds have rules in order to maintain a peaceful balance. If any wrongdoing causes the imbalance, troubles such as illness, infertility of livestock and unproductive farmlands would hit human. If this happens, Bobohizan<\/em> (high priestess of Kadazan) would be called to restore the balance between the worlds by performing rituals with long poetic chants and Sumazau that bridges the worlds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Sumazau<\/a>
Sumazau can be performed to heal sickness by dancing around a group of people sitting under blankets who suffer from bad dreams and illnesses.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The following are some ceremonial functions of Sumazau dance:<\/p>\n\n\n\n