Sabah, Land Below the Wind II

Dealing with local culture

By AV Latinggam

We are always welcoming tourists into the State and some of us, into our homes. However, being the warm, welcoming and considerate people we are, we sometimes do not tell our guests the little things that make up our traditional tapestry. This is especially true about our habits, most of which have been practised since time immemorial.

To go into a Kadazandusun house, taking off the shoes or slippers before entering is a must. I believe most South East Asians practises this. This is a sign of respect to the hosts. But where practicability is concerned, this ensures that the hosts do not have to sweep and scour the floor after the guests have left. You never know what a person has stepped on before entering the house.

When visiting, guests should not shout, but should cough once or twice. This is to warn the hosts that someone is outside. After that you may knock on the door, but you may have a bit of a problem if the house is on stilts as all traditional homes are. And then this is when you call out, “Anyone home?”

You should never sit by the stairs or doors when you are a guest. You should sit inside, with your back against the wall facing into the house. This is your place as a visitor. The hosts sit in front of you, facing the entrance. If the living room is small they should be sitting against the wall too. In a modern home, where there is furniture, you sit in the same position, albeit on the chair.

While visiting and you see a cute fat baby, do not say the baby is cute and fat. The baby should be referred to as well turn out or ‘odongoo’ in the local dialect, never cute or fat.

Calling the baby fat and cute is believed to be tempting fate and the adverse could happen if evil spirits are around and heard the ‘cute and fat’ comment.

When eating, especially when you are seated on the floor, never hold up the plate to your face. This is considered bad manners. You should always lay the plate down on the floor and bring the food up to your mouth. This may be uncomfortable for some, but it is the norm in a local traditional home. Nowadays most homes have dining tables and chairs so this should not be too much of a problem.

When served dishes that you don’t really recognise, don’t ask your host what it is. If you don’t wish to partake of it, just don’t.

When offered rice wine or any sort of drinks and you want to decline, never push away the drinks. Politely brush your fingertips on the rim of the glass or drinking vessel and say you don’t drink. The hosts may insist, but declining twice should send the message across.

It must be remembered here that there are about 40 ethnic groups in Sabah. Although there are many similarities among the people, there are variants in their local norms. So it may be good to look up the home taboos and traditions before visiting them. Otherwise Sabahans are naturally friendly and an easy going lot.