Celebrated over the month of May, Pesta Kaamatan is a form of a harvest festival in the state of Sabah and Federal Territory of Labuan. Mainly observed by the Kadazan dusun population, Pesta Kaamatan is also honoured by other related ethnic groups in Sabah. This festival celebrated on 30 and 31 of May annually in the state of Sabah. The Sumazau is performed in pairs, with dancers moving gracefully to the rhythm of the gongs, mimicking the flight of birds.

What is the story behind Kaamatan?

“For the Kadazan Dusun people, the story of Kaamatan started with a great drought that caused famine and various types of difficult-to-cure diseases. “(It is said that) the situation deeply moved their deity Kinoingan, his wife Suminundu and their daughter Huminodun. Kinoingan, the God with a wife called Suminundu and a daughter named Huminodun, sacrificed his only daughter and planted the various parts of her body on the land like seeds to feed the people.