THE ‘UNSEEN’ AS POWER: EXPLORING INDIGENOUS IDENTITY OF THE LUNDAYEH LUBA BUAYEH IN LONG PASIA SABAH, MALAYSIA
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51200/manu.v36i2.7079Keywords:
Lundayeh, Luba’ Buayeh, Sabah, Modern Identity, HeadhuntingAbstract
Abstract In this article we investigate the emergence of a modern indigenous identity among the minority Lundayeh residing in Sabah, Malaysia by examining one of the community’s foods, Luba’ Buayeh (Crocodile Rice). In the past, the Lundayehs used to practice headhunting and every successful headhunting expedition was followed by the ritual celebration of Nui Ulung, where an earthen crocodile mound was built with the head-hunter making cuts on the effigy to mark his prowess as a cultural hero. We argue that the Luba’ Buayeh is an appropriated form brought by both imperial and nation-state changes, where, the act of severing the head before consumption, while resembling the past Nui Ulung celebration associated with headhunting, is in fact a cultural value associated with the rhetoric of power related to the “unseen.” It is through the continuous reverence for the “unseen” powerful force that the native agency continues to survive at present.
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