PENGHAPUSAN ADAT RESAM MASYARAKAT DUSUN DI KIMANIS SEMASA PENTADBIRAN BRITISH NORTH BORNEO CHARTERED COMPANY 1881-1941

ELIMINATION OF DUSUN COMMUNITY TRADITIONS IN KIMANIS DURING BRITISH NORTH BORNEO CHARTERED COMPANY ADMINISTRATION 1881-1941

Abstract

Adat secara umumnya bermaksud kebiasaan dalam sesebuah masyarakat yang menjadi peraturan hidup dan hukumannya pula sesuai mengikut kesalahan masing-masing. Di Sabah, dahulunya masyarakat mengamalkan amalan tradisi dan adat warisan nenek moyang yang diketuai oleh Orang Tua dan ketua kampung. Pentadbiran di Sabah mengalami banyak perubahan lebih-lebih lagi semasa pentadbiran British North Borneo Chartered Company (BNBCC) pada tahun 1881. Perubahan ini akhirnya mendatangkan kesan khususnya terhadap adat resam masyarakat Dusun. Oleh itu, artikel ini bertujuan untuk mengenalpasti penghapusan adat resam semasa pemerintahan BNBCC terhadap masyarakat Dusun di Kimanis. Semasa pemerintahan Kesultanan Brunei di Sabah iaitu sebelum tahun 1881, amalan adat istiadat masyarakat Dusun tidak mengalami sebarang sekatan atau halangan malahan mereka bebas menjalani kehidupan sesuai dengan adat masing-masing. Kaedah kutipan data adalah melalui rujukan sumber primer dan sekunder yang boleh didapati di Arkib negeri Sabah dan perpustakaan negeri Sabah serta perpustakaan Universiti Malaysia Sabah. Sesi temu bual kepada Ketua Adat masyarakat Dusun di Kimanis juga dijalankan bagi mengenalpasti bentuk-bentuk adat yang telah dihapuskan semasa pentadbiran BNBCC. Melalui artikel ini, didapati bahawa pentadbiran BNBCC sememangnya menghapuskan sebahagian adat istiadat masyarakat Dusun Kimanis yang memberi kesan mendalam terhadap masyarakat Dusun ini pada masa kini.

Custom in general means the habit in a society that is the rule of life and the punishment is appropriate according to their respective offenses. In Sabah, people used to practice the traditions and customs of their ancestors, led by Orang Tua and village head. The Sabah administration had many changed especially during the administration of the British North Borneo Chartered Company, BNBCC in 1881. These alterations eventually gave some effects on the Dusun community customs. Therefore, this paper aims to identify the abolition of customs during the BNBCC rule against the Dusun community in Kimanis. During the reign of the Sultanate of Brunei in Sabah before 1881, the customs practices of the Dusun community did not experience any restrictions or obstacles but they were free to live their lives in accordance with their respective customs. The method of data collection is through the reference of primary and secondary sources that can be found in the Archives and libraries. An interview session was also conducted on the head of the Dusun customs in Kimanis to identify the forms of customs that had been removed. Through this paper, it is found that the BNBCC administration has indeed eliminated some of the Dusun customs that have a profound effect on the Dusun community today.