Dunstan Oswald Roland and Jacqueline Pugh-kitingan and Trixie Marjorie Tangit (2024) The Modsuung Davason community ritual, Kimanis sub-district, Papar, Sabah. Borneo Research Bulletin, 53. pp. 88-120. ISSN 0006-7806
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Abstract
The Modsuugn Davason (offereings at the river mouth) of the Kadazan community of Kimanis, originated from the Makan Kuala (food for the river mouth) of the coastal Brunei community, and was performed for the socio-economic well-being and protection of the different ethnic communities in Kimanis, Papar. Based on ethnographic fieldwork from 2014 to 2018, this article describes the ritual process of the annual Modsuung Davason that also included Berasik healing ceremonies every three years. Offerings were prepared by Kadazan bobohizan priestesses, placed into an 'ajung' or small boat for the spirits, and towed by two conjoined larger boats accompanied by many other boats down the Kimanis River. At the river mouth, most of the offerings were placed in a ritual house for the spirits, while the ajung with the remaining offerings was towed out to sea. The last Modsuung Davason was held in 2019. It became obsolete with he passing of ritual specialists and the COVID-19 pandemic. For many people, the pandemic demonstrated the inefficacy of the old rituals and the powerlessness of the spirits to protect the communities.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Keyword: | Modsuung Davason, Berasik, Ajung, Rituals, Kadazan, Brunei, Sabah |
| Subjects: | D World History and History Of Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Etc. > DS Asia > DS1-937 History of Asia > DS520-560.72 Southeast Asia > DS591-599 Malaysia. Malay Peninsula. Straits Settlements > DS597.22-599 Local history and description > DS597.33-597.34 Sabah. British North Borneo H Social Sciences > HN Social history and conditions. Social problems. Social reform > HN1-995 Social history and conditions. Social problems. Social reform > HN50-995 By region or country |
| Department: | INSTITUTE > Borneo Institute for Indigenous Studies |
| Depositing User: | RAZALINAH BINTI DARAIM - |
| Date Deposited: | 07 Jan 2026 11:37 |
| Last Modified: | 07 Jan 2026 11:37 |
| URI: | https://eprints.ums.edu.my/id/eprint/45820 |
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