Personaliti Borneo - Dianni Murni Kayar

Dianni Murni Kayar, Unduk Ngadau Kadazandusun Murut Johor State Level 2013 Winner/Top Fifteen Unduk Ngadau Kaamatan Sabah State Level 2010. She is a flight stewardess for Malaysia Airlines. Her career helped her to travel all around the globe and exposing herself with a unique cultural experiences. She enjoyed taking photos featuring people and cultures, and share the captured moments with others. 

1. Ceritakan mengenai diri anda.

Nama saya Dianni Murni Kayar. Nama dipanggil Othoe atau Dianni. Tarikh lahir 6 Jun 1985, berumur 28 tahun. Hobi saya ialah melancong dan menjadi master chef di dapur sendiri.

Personaliti Borneo - Erma Fatimah Stiling

1. Ceritakan sedikit mengenai biodata anda.

Nama saya Erma Fatimah Binti Stiling. Anak sulung daripada tiga (3) orang adik beradik. Berasal dari Kampung Hobut, Kudat, Sabah. Saya sedang menuntut dalam jurusan Diploma in Physiotherapy di Windfield International College.

A Rungus ethnic lady in her traditional attire. In this photo - Erma Fatimah Stiling, top 11 finalist of Runduk Tadau category, Borneo Hornbill Festival 2012

Kenali Tantagas - Warisan tradisi Dusun Lotud

Salaam, semua.

Kenali 'Tantagas.' Bagi yang sudah tahu, bolehlah tunjuk ajar di mana-mana yang silap (sebagai pencerahan). Moga-moga info ini boleh dikongsi bersama.

Pakar ilmu tradisional (traditional priestesses) atau pakar dalam upacara ritual (kerohanian), atau 'Tantagas', adalah hampir kebanyakannya terdiri di kalangan kaum wanita, dan mahir dalam menghafal 'rinait,' iaitu sebuah pembacaan berupa dikir panjang/doa yang ditujukan kepada dewa-dewa di kalangan masyarakat kaum Dusun Lotud. Di kalangan kebanyakan kaum rumpun Dusun (Dusunic group) di Sabah, rinait merupakan satu genre yang unik umpama syair yang dibacakan secara lisan. Ia terdiri daripada siri ayat-ayat - pertama dalam bahasa sehari-harian, dan yang kedua (yang mempunyai makna yang sama) dalam upacara tersebut. Rinait tersebut  menceritakan tentang penciptaan dunia; hal-ehwal dewa-dewa, asal-usul nasi, preskripsi/pengubatan dalam kehidupan; amalan-amalan kerohanian, dan aspek-aspek  kebudayaan dalam kehidupan. Bacaan rinait mungkin dilakukan secara berbisik, laungan kuat atau lembut/sederhana, dan boleh bertahan untuk beberapa jam atau hari, mengikut konteks dan majlis.

The Great Lotud

Salaam, all.

Not so long time ago, when I was still small,  whenever people ask about my ethnicity, my prime answer will always be "Dusun." Simple. That's it. A deep explanation about the word "Dusun" never came across my mind. My parents often took me to our village in Tuaran (Kampung Kauluan and Kampung Bundung). Ahh, if you are wondering about my blog's name, it came from the word Kampung Kauluan (my dad's place where we are living now). Of course, kampong  is a place where I love the most. After all, I was rarely pampered with toys, unlike children nowadays. So, budak kampong sajalah.

Cultural Biodiversity

Salaam, all.

With range of cultural influences, Malaysia is among most diverse countries in Asia. Two of Malaysia states - Sabah and Sarawak are located in the island of Borneo. Borneo is the third largest island in the world.  Although an overused term, the island of Borneo truly is a melting pot of cultures, customs and religions.  It is also a melting pot of peoples who have inhabited the island for thousands of years and intermarried with those who arrived in later waves of migration. With a varied ethnic composition comes a great diversity of cultures and religions. Borneo is still largely unpopulated, with the coastal regions being the most developed.