EXPLORING RUNGUS LONGOI DOT PONGIZAP (COUNTING SONGS) OF SABAH

Abstract

The Rungus are one of the indigenous Dusunic ethnic groups of Sabah, the northernmost region of Malaysia on Borneo Island. Most Rungus people reside in the administrative Districts of Kudat and Pitas of northern Sabah. In Rungus culture, many different genres of intangible cultural heritage, including traditional secular folk songs, have been passed down orally over generations. An important category of longoi tanganak (children’s songs) is longoi dot pongizap (counting songs). The author collected 87 Rungus longoi tanganak from Kudat and Pitas Districts. This paper discusses the longoi dot pongizap from a detailed study that aimed to (a) document and transcribe the longoi dot pongizap of Rungus from the field that are recalled by the older people, and (b) analyse the musical characteristics of the collected longoi dot pongizap, and provide recommendations for connecting the Rungus longoi dot pongizap with the principles of Kodály. This research employed ethnographic field techniques including participant observation, in-depth and focus group interviews, as well as audio and video recording. The musical transcriptions of selected songs were then analysed using the Kodály Folk Song Analysis. This study suggests that more indigenous folk songs from other ethnic groups in Sabah should be collected, documented, and introduced to the public, as it will build cultural awareness among different ethnicities in Malaysia.