UNLIKE other Dusun sub-ethnic groups, Dusun Tatana consider Chinese New Year as their main annual celebration, more important than the Kaamatan Harvest Festival.
Dusun Tatana reside mainly in Kuala Penyu, about 100km south of Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. The group, one of the 79 Dusunic tribes in the state, has a population of about 25,000.
Their adoption of CNY dates back centuries, and was largely due to marriages between members of the group and Chinese migrants.
Many in the community have also adopted Buddhism.
The usual practice of Dusun Tatana during the festive season includes performing ancestral worship and giving ang pow. – February 5, 2019.
Young Dusun Tatana ladies in traditional costume seen after prayers in Kuala Penyu, Sabah. - The Malaysian Insight pic by Irwan Majid, January 5, 2019.Food is laid out as part of ancestral worship in a Dusun Tatana home in Kg Gerowot, Kuala Penyu. - The Malaysian Insight pic by Irwan Majid, January 5, 2019.Family members gathering for a Chinese New Year reunion lunch in Kg Gorowot, Kuala Penyu. - The Malaysian Insight pic by Irwan Majid, January 5, 2019.A Dusun Tatana family burning incense sticks during prayers in Kg Gorowot, Kuala Penyu. - The Malaysian Insight pic by Irwan Majid, January 5, 2019.A Dusun Tatana family tucking into lunch after prayers on the eve of Chinese New Year in Kg Gorowot, Kuala Penyu. - The Malaysian Insight pic by Irwan Majid, January 5, 2019.A Dusun Tatana family folding money into the shape of Chinese ingots. - The Malaysian Insight pic by Irwan Majid, January 5, 2019.Kuala Penyu is located in Sabah's interior. Its Dusun Tatana population is estimated to number about 25,000. - The Malaysian Insight pic by Irwan Majid, January 5, 2019.A view of a fishermen's jetty in Kuala Penyu, Sabah. Kuala Penyu's population comprises Dusun Tatana, Orang Brunei and Bisaya. - The Malaysian Insight pic by Irwan Majid, January 5, 2019.Fourth-generation Dusun Tatana Nuri Suram, 64, in front of his house, which is decorated for Chinese New Year, in Kg Gorowot, Kuala Penyu. - The Malaysian Insight pic by Irwan Majid, January 5, 2019.Family members come together to clean and decorate their home for Chinese New Year in Kg Gorowot, Kuala Penyu. - The Malaysian Insight pic by Irwan Majid, January 5, 2019.A Dusun Tatana family preparing ang pow to be given to children during Chinese New Year in Kg Gerowot, Kuala Penyu. - The Malaysian Insight pic by Irwan Majid, January 5, 2019.A delicacy known as 'tinimbu' being prepared for the Chinese New Year reunion dinner in Kg Gorowot, Kuala Penyu. - The Malaysian Insight pic by Irwan Majid, January 5, 2019.Mercis Nuri, 42, decorating a tree with Chinese 'coins' in Kg Gorowot, Kuala Penyu. - The Malaysian Insight pic by Irwan Majid, January 5, 2019.Sago being extracted from the stem of the rumbia plant. Sago, which is rich in carbohydrates, is one of the staple foods for Dusun Tatana, and is locally known as 'ambuyat'. - The Malaysian Insight pic by Irwan Majid, January 5, 2019.
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