The meaning of Kaamatan

Kaamatan is a rice harvest festival that takes place each year on 30 and 31 May in the state of Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. Like many such festivals, it is a time of homecoming, family gatherings and celebrations – witness the recent occasion of Eid al-Adha, for example.

It is observed each year in May by the Kadazan, Dusun, Murut, Rungus, Lundayeh, Paitan, and Sino-Native ethnic groups of Borneo to commemorate Huminodun's sacrifice. She is a central figure in the Nunuk Ragang legend of the Kadazan-Dusun. In this legend, Huminodun, a maiden, willingly offers herself to save her famine-stricken people, and her sacrifice is believed to have given rise to the Kaamatan festival as well as contemporary beauty pageants such as Unduk Ngadau (female) and Randawi Tavantang (male). Events during the festival usually include the Sumazau dance performance, the Sugandoi singing competition, and a range of arts and crafts activities, along with food stalls throughout the celebrations for people to enjoy.

Kaamatan is part of the belief system shared by all Dusun peoples, with some local variations. According to this belief, mankind was created by the Supreme Being Kinoingan (also known as Kinorohingan in certain sources) and then endured a severe primordial famine. So Kinoingan’s first daughter, Ponompuan (later called Huminodun), made a selfless sacrifice to sustain humanity. From her body emerged rice, the primary staple, along with other crucial crops such as coconut, tapioca, ginger, maize, and yams. In the story, we can also learn of Huminodun’s transformation into Bambaazon, the rice spirit. Before the harvest, the father must take seven stalks of paddy (toguruon), tie them to a split bamboo stick, plant them at the field’s centre, and later store them in the rice container. These stalks embody the rice spirit, known as bambaazon (or bambarayon in interior dialects), believed to ensure abundant harvests and prosperity for the people.

According to the Governor of Sabah, Tun Musa Aman, Kaamatan continues to symbolise gratitude, togetherness and mutual respect despite the changes brought by modernisation. In his message released today, 29 May 2026, marking the occasion, he noted that Sabah’s diversity, comprising more than 30 ethnic groups and numerous sub-ethnic communities, remains the state’s greatest strength.

Musa said the festival has evolved into a unifying celebration embraced by all communities regardless of race, religion or background. He also urged Sabahans to reject divisive rhetoric, extremism and narrow sentiments that could threaten long-standing harmony.

Tun Musa Aman stressed that development efforts must ensure no community or region is left behind, particularly in rural and interior areas. He said priority should continue to be given to education, skills training, infrastructure, digital connectivity and economic opportunities for the younger generation.

In this respect, we should remember that across the world, cultural heritage is a crucial element in nation-building, as it helps citizens understand their roots, respect diversity, and take pride in their national identity. The same is true here in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, where cultural heritage and tragic history of the previous decades remain intertwined.