sabah

The Tobilung Dusun: Language and Culture in Transition

The Tobilung Dusun are one of Sabah's indigenous communities, preserving spiritual practices and cultural knowledge passed down through centuries. Their unique language, healing traditions and communal customs face extinction as younger generations migrate to cities and adopt modern lifestyles. Today, fewer than 10,000 people speak Tobilung, and traditional spiritual practitioners have become increasingly rare.

Where the Tobilung live

Most Tobilung live in 2 districts:

Smaller populations live in Kudat district and Kota Kinabalu city, especially Inanam. Work and marriage have drawn some Tobilung to these other areas, either temporarily or permanently.

Language

Around 4,000 people speak Tobilung as their first language. Total speakers number about 10,000.

Traditional beliefs

The Tobilung practised animism. Their understanding of the world came from the environment around them and from rineet (customary law).

Tinumaru

Tinumaru was the supreme deity. The Tobilung believed this god created the heavens, earth and all living things. Tinumaru protected the community, settled disputes and punished wrongdoing.

Tinumaru lives in Lingkogung, the seventh layer of heaven. According to tradition, this deity sleeps for most of the time and wakes only occasionally.

Other spiritual beings

Traditional beliefs included various supernatural entities.

Tutumolong These beings arose from large stones called pampang rather than through divine creation. They inhabit their own realm equivalent to Tinumaru's dwelling. Tutumolong can take human form, though smaller in size. Those who befriend them gain protection, remarkable strength and invulnerability to weapons.

Sundu Spirits exist in benevolent and malevolent forms. They live near human settlements but remain invisible. Only bobolians (spiritual practitioners) can contact Sundu through the Mogorunduk ceremony. Solob is one widely venerated Sundu who shields devotees from harmful spirits.

Bambarayon This spirit embodies rice. The Tobilung honour Bambarayon through harvest rituals to express gratitude for sustenance.

Katambeeg The river guardian inhabits and protects waterways. Water pollution angers this spirit. Only select individuals can commune with Katambeeg.

Suang Tana This malevolent land guardian lives in various locations invisibly. It reacts angrily to territorial intrusions. Disturbing Suang Tana's domain causes inexplicable illnesses. People treat it with extreme caution.

Diwato Each person has a Diwato (soul essence) residing in Lingkogung. This spiritual counterpart sleeps perpetually, waking only during specific times such as full moons. People can contact their Diwato through Mogorunduk rituals. Death severs this connection. Each Diwato appears flawless and beautiful, unlike earthly forms.

Komburongo

Sweet flag (komburongo, Acorus calamus) has three meanings in Tobilung spirituality: a plant, a ceremonial implement and a guardian spirit.

The komburongo guardian protects households and acts as messenger between humans and Tinumaru. It remains dormant most of the time, responding only when families face illness or hardship.

Scholars studying Dusunic peoples report that komburongo is believed to have been created by the Creator to ensure spiritual healers would succeed in their ceremonies. Among Dusunic groups across Sabah, komburongo is considered the strongest helping spirit.

Traditional belief holds that when someone falls ill, their soul has been captured by a malevolent spirit. The komburongo spirit helps retrieve the lost soul so the person can recover.

The dried plant becomes sacred only through ritual. Bobolians must recite special prayers (rinait) to activate its spiritual power. Without these verses, the plant remains ordinary and powerless.

To seek the guardian's aid, people conduct Mogorunduk and Modsongodou ceremonies. They harvest and dry the plant stem, pierce it with wire or thread, then secure it to a wooden staff called Pidangau.

Religion today

Christianity and Islam have transformed Tobilung spiritual life. Most community members follow one of these faiths.

Some cultural practices continue. People maintain them to preserve heritage and strengthen social bonds.

In Kota Belud, a minority still upholds the traditional belief system.

Communal practices

Mitatabang

Mitatabang (also called gotong-royong) is a communal labour system. Neighbours help each other with work.

Rice cultivation depends heavily on mitatabang. Community members collaborate on forest clearance (rumilik), seed planting (mangasok), weed removal (gumamas), harvesting (mongomot), grain threshing (mongogik) and crop transportation (mirangkat).

People also practise mitatabang for wedding preparations, house construction and funeral arrangements.

This system strengthens social ties whilst making demanding labour manageable.

Moginum

Moginum describes group consumption of fermented drinks. Participants exercise restraint to avoid intoxication. The preferred beverage is kombos (rice wine, also called tapai).

These gatherings happen after mitatabang sessions and during festivities like weddings, engagements and Pesta Monguyas Torutip. People unwind after field labour and share community updates.

Miilung

Miilung is communal dining. Families prepare food individually, transport dishes to a designated location and dine together.

These events typically accompany celebrations and thanksgiving occasions, particularly during Pesta Monguyas Torutip.

The custom reinforces kinship connections, friendships and neighbourhood cohesion.

Rituals and ceremonies

Mogorunduk

Bobolians perform Mogorunduk to contact supernatural forces and request healing for the sick.

The ceremony takes place after dark. The bobolian drapes cloth over themselves, chants incantations and shakes the Gonding (an instrument made from bound copper plates).

Moniridong

This ceremony invokes nature spirits for 2 purposes: securing abundant harvests and preventing disasters like droughts and floods.

The ritual has 3 stages: Mongimuau, Magayas and Moniridong. Several bobolians work together, using incantations to summon the spirits.

Monogit

Communities perform Monogit to petition Tinumaru for protection from catastrophes, particularly extended droughts.

Traditional belief holds that severe weather results from human misconduct that violates social norms and customs.

A single bobolian conducts the ceremony near a river. All village residents attend.

Modsuut

This annual post-harvest ceremony honours Bambarayon, the rice spirit. Bobolians lead the ritual to express thanks for adequate food from the harvest.

The ceremony coincides with Pesta Monguyas Torutip (the Harvest Festival) and includes communal feasting.

Traditional medicine

The Tobilung use botanical remedies, particularly for infants.

Bobolian

Bobolian Tobilung (shamans) are women who conduct rituals and traditional treatments. As of 2015, only one Bobolian Tobilung was reported to be still practising the culture.

The Bobolian formerly conducted major rituals like Modsongodou Piwoyon. This ceremony ran for 2 days and 1 night to cure long-term diseases believed to be caused by spirits from soil, rocks or trees.

Protective practices

Traditional healers craft thread bracelets (tiningkor) during the Mangarantas ceremony. Infants wear these to ward off illness.

The Sumimpun foot soaking tradition uses herbs, commonly Tawawo and Sintotobou. This practice boosts blood flow, removes toxins, releases stress and cleanses skin. It helps with minor arthritis.

Plant remedies

Koronipon plant water accelerates tooth development and reduces internal heat in babies.

Orchid essence from Tondurupis trees alleviates discomfort during growth phases, particularly when teeth emerge.

Loss of knowledge

This medical wisdom is fading. Younger generations favour contemporary medicine for its rapid effectiveness and convenience.

Modern hospitals have largely replaced shamans, though some still believe in traditional treatments.

Clothing and dance

Traditional dress

Women wear a sunduk or sinurundoi (veil) for protection from sunlight, as a symbol of beauty at weddings and during bobolian rituals.

Traditional dance

Two dances remain: manaradan and mongigol tobilung. You can see these performed in Kota Belud, Kota Marudu and Kota Kinabalu.

Cultural preservation

Walai Tobilung

Janis Kansirong founded Walai Tobilung Cultural Village in 2010 in Kampung Minansad, Kota Marudu district. He recognised the need to preserve Tobilung traditions before they disappeared entirely.

The village sits 125 kilometres from Kota Kinabalu and 70 kilometres from Simpang Mengayau (Tip of Borneo) in Kudat. The journey from Kota Kinabalu takes 2 to 3 hours by car.

The centre offers experiences in traditional weaving, farming methods, food preparation, cultural performances, mock weddings and medicinal plant knowledge. Visitors can see musical instruments, watch rice and corn grinding demonstrations, learn about herb gardens, play traditional games and taste traditional food. You can stay overnight and participate in cultural activities.

Despite available facilities, even locals show little interest. Many remain unaware of the place.

Current challenges

The Tobilung face pressures common to small indigenous communities. Young people move to cities for work. Children speak more Malay and English than Tobilung. Modern medicine has replaced traditional healing. Fewer people learn traditional skills.

Without intervention, this unique culture risks disappearing entirely.

Community leaders work to reverse these trends by teaching traditional skills, documenting elder knowledge and fostering cultural pride. However, the task grows harder as elders age and young people pursue formal education and urban employment.

Historical context

The Tobilung belong to the Kadazan-Dusun ethnic group, Sabah's largest indigenous community.

The name Tobilung comes from their leader, Aki Tombilung. He was a great warrior who led his clan from Nunuk Ragang to open a new settlement in northern Sabah and protect them from danger.

The Tobilung have inhabited northern Sabah for centuries. Their dialect, spiritual practices, healing methods and ceremonies distinguish them from other Kadazan-Dusun subgroups.

Traditional architecture

The traditional Tobilung house has a distinctive pentagon shape. This design draws inspiration from animal forms and a constellation called Muru Puru.

The interior divides into 3 compartments:

Some houses include a Roliyan (attic) used as a sleeping space for men. Women sleep in the Bayawi, located at the rear of the house. The Tindud space sits above Sirang and serves as storage.

Only 5 traditional houses were built. Two have been demolished. Of the 3 remaining, 2 were combined into a modern-style dwelling. One authentic house still stands.

Disclaimer

This article contains information from published sources and may not be completely accurate or current.

If you spot errors or have more accurate information, contact relevant cultural organisations or academic institutions in Sabah.

Tobilung community practices may have changed since these sources were published. Verify information with current community members or official cultural centres.

References

Lembaga Kebudayaan Negeri Sabah. Etnik Tobilung: Kepercayaan, Adat Resam dan Amalan. Kota Kinabalu: Lembaga Kebudayaan Negeri Sabah, e-book.

Low Kok On, and Solehah Ishak. "The Spiritual Significance of Komburongo in the Folk Beliefs of the Dusunic Peoples of North Borneo." Folklore: Electronic Journal of Folklore 71 (2018): 179-206. https://doi.org/10.7592/FEJF2018.71.low_solehah.

Mujin, Khaslinda Akasyah binti, and Tay Kai Xin. "Discovery of Walai Tobilung in Kota Marudu, Sabah, Malaysia." Paper presented at the UNESCO "Discovering Heritage" Sponsorship Competition, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Malaysia, 2015.

"Tiga Identiti Komburongo dalam Kepercayaan Tradisional Etnik Tobilung di Sabah [The Three Identities of Komburongo in the Traditional Beliefs System of the Tobilung of Sabah]." ResearchGate, December 2021.

Tobilung Dictionary. Webonary. Accessed February 2026. https://www.webonary.org/.

"Traditional Medicinal Plants of the Dusun Tobilung of Kampong Toburon, Kudat, Sabah, Malaysia." Borneo Research Bulletin.

"Walai Tobilung." Kota Kinabalu Travel, February 2024. Accessed February 2026.

"Walai Tobilung Admission Information." SabahTravel.com. Accessed February 2026.