About the Rungus
The Rungus are an ethnic tribe in Sabah who live mostly in the area surrounding Kudat. They are a subgroup of the Kadazan-Dusun, but have their own distinctive language, dress, architecture, customs, and oral literature. As with so many tribes in Borneo, their culture revolves around the planting of rice. Their womenfolk were traditionally skilled at weaving containers from vine and beadwork. Today, many Rungus have abandoned their communal life to join mainstream modern society. The Rungus were traditionally animists with female shamans or priestess, but today many have converted to become Christians.
Rungus are regarded as the most traditional of the tribes in Sabah. In the Rungus longhouse, each family has its own quarters. Every family share a common hallway which is an open platform with outward-sloping walls. This is where the community socialise and engage in their daily chores. Unlike the Murut longhouse, the Rungus longhouse are not perched on high stilts, but are just about three to five feet above ground. In the old days, extremely large longhouses with over 75 doors (hence, families), were quite common. Today, however, they seldom exceed 10 doors.
Clothing
The traditional costume of they Rungus women is black, with hundreds or even thousands of dollars worth of antique beads. The women wore heavy brass coils around their arms, legs and necks. Coral shell bracelets are also worn. They some times also wear rings of brass around their waist. Beadwork is a distinguishing feature of the Rungus from other tribes in Sabah.
Festival
Just like the Kadazan-Dusun, the Rungus people also celebrate Kaamatan, usually on 31 May every year.
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