Longhouse & the Turbaned Gentlemen
An ethnic people of North Boreno noted for still maintaining their traditional ways of life & belief.
Typical Traditional Attire of the Rungus Women
The Rungus ladies’s hairstyle is particularly noteworthy in that they are groomed into a bun with the forehead well exposed to reveal the true inner beauty of a person ( I make the latter half of this sentence up. But it still can be quite true in what I am saying, no?).
Another observation is the fact that many Rungus are still clinging on to their traditional communal longhouse (rumah pamjang) living lifestyle, even in this modern age.
The ladies are also famed for their handicraft work(wo)manship. Put simply, they’ve got the knack for beadwork. To get hold of some of these bead necklaces and bracelets, go to the overhead bridge by the KK Central Market. These are authentic beadworks made by the Rungus ladies. And they are quite friendly people too.
A lesser known fact is that , traditionally, all Rungus women wore heavy brass coils around their arms, legs and necks. Hello there, we may have, in our midst, our very own Kayan people.
The Bead Lady
The men, ah yes, the men. Are they in any way related to the Sikh people? They are the only indigenous people in Sabah I know of to wear some sort of headscarfs around their heads. I seem to recall one ethnic minority in China also adorn such a headscarf, but I can’t recall the name of the tribe. Well, what do you know? You learn something new everyday.
Turbaned Warriors
Rungus Girl
If you would like to meet and get to know the Rungus people better, try visiting Kudat town, Sabah. They are eagerly awaiting there to introduce to you their culture and tradition. After that, perhaps you can add extra information to this article. Is that a deal?
