KDCA Compound

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Kadazan Dusun Cultural Association Compound
Koiyonon Pitimungan Koubasanan Kadazan do Dusun
Penampang Sabah HongkodKoisaan-UnityHall-16a.jpg
KDCA Compound gate pictured in 2014
KDCA Compound
General information
Architectural style Traditional indigenous architecture
LocationKM 8, Penampang Road, P.O. Box 907, 89509, Penampang District, Sabah, Malaysia
Coordinates 5°55′23.723″N116°5′25.436″E / 5.92325639°N 116.09039889°E / 5.92325639; 116.09039889
Opened1989 [notes 1]
Website
kdca.org.my

KDCA Compound (Kadazan Dusun : Koiyonon Pitimungan Koubasanan KDCA; Malay : Lapangan KDCA), also known by its full name of Kadazan Dusun Cultural Association Compound (Kadazan Dusun : Koiyonon Pitimungan Koubasanan Kadazan do Dusun; Malay : Lapangan Persatuan Kebudayaan Kadazan Dusun), is the cultural exhibition compound site of the Kadazan and Dusun ethnics that form the larger Kadazan-Dusuns located in Penampang District of Sabah, Malaysia. Operated by the Kadazan Dusun Cultural Association (KDCA), the site features an ethnic village with various traditional ethnic houses related to the Kadazan-Dusun groups, a main hall, and event spaces. It serves as the central location for preserving and celebrating Sabah's indigenous cultures, especially during events like the state's main cultural celebration of the Kaamatan festival.

Contents

History

The KDCA Compound history traced its origin from the establishment of the Kadazan Society of Penampang, Crown Colony of North Borneo in 1953. [2] In 1966, nearly three years after the establishment of the Malaysian federation, the Kadazan Cultural Association (KCA) was formed through the initiative of Sabah's first Kadazan Chief Minister, Donald Stephens. [3] Faced with an identity dispute with the entire Dusun community over the ethnic term, [4] [5] the following year, in 1967, the United Sabah Dusun Association (USDA) was formed. [3] Both the KCA and USDA were then merged into a single entity called the Kadazan Dusun Cultural Association (KDCA) in 1989 under Chief Minister Joseph Pairin Kitingan to unite both the Kadazan and Dusun peoples, since it is acknowledged that the entire tribes and sub-tribes of both ethnic groups come from the similar Dusunic identity. [3] Since then, the KDCA Compound was constructed to hold major events related to both of the ethnic groups as well as other related indigenous groups of the Kadazan-Dusuns. [2]

Features

Hongkod Koisaan Hall

The Hongkod Koisaan Unity Hall front view Penampang Sabah Hongkod-Koisaan-Unity-Hall-02a.jpg
The Hongkod Koisaan Unity Hall front view
The gate to KDCA pictured in 2023 during the Kaamatan KAAMATAN 2023 JJ 09.jpg
The gate to KDCA pictured in 2023 during the Kaamatan

The Place of Unity Hall (Kadazan Dusun : Hongkod Koisaan) serves as the area where the annual Kaamatan events of the Unduk Ngadau and Mr. Kaamatan pageants are being held. [6] [7] It serves as the symbolic centre of the harvest festival celebrations, which take place every 30th and 31st May. [8] In the past, the rituals of the harvest festival were conducted by the bobohizan , or Kadazan-Dusun priestess, in the paddy fields, but in modern days, it is carried out at the unity hall. [9] In 2018, the Hongkod Koisaan Cultural Unity Centre was officially opened to the public. [1] The hall became the focus of thousands of visitors, including tourists, in conjunction with the culmination of the festival celebration. [10] Further, in 2024, local crafts and food stalls were launched within the hall, where temporary booths are replaced with permanent structures equipped with essential facilities and utilities. [11]

Koisaan Cultural Village

The cultural village features 11 different ethnic groups of Sabah houses in one village, comprising the Beaufort, Keningau, Kota Belud, Kuala Penyu, Kudat, Papar, Ranau, Tambunan, Tenom, and Tuaran traditional houses. [12] Within the village sites, there were a handicraft centre, landscape garden, and a suspension bridge. [13] The village features authentic traditional houses, cultural performances, and various activities such as fire-starting, slingshot, blowpipe shooting, and gong-beating, as well as its gallery and craft shop which showcases authentic Bornean handicrafts and artistry. [14]

Notes

  1. ↑ The Koisaan Cultural Village (KCV) which has been the main venue of the annual Kaamatan festival since 1989, showcases and preserves the rich cultural heritage of the multi-tribal Kadazan-Dusun people. [1]

References

  1. 1 2 Miwil, Olivia (2 March 2018). "KDCA opens Hongkod Koisaan Cultural Unity Centre in Penampang". New Straits Times. Archived from the original on 24 October 2025. Retrieved 24 October 2025– via Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Environment, Sabah.
  2. 1 2 "About us [The Kadazan Dusun Cultural Association Sabah (KDCA) is a non-political cultural organization representing 48 indigenous ethnic communities of Sabah]". Kadazan Dusun Cultural Association. Archived from the original on 24 October 2025. Retrieved 24 October 2025.
  3. 1 2 3 Kok On 2003, p. 15.
  4. ↑ "Dusuns will never accept being called Kadazan: Sundang". Daily Express. 27 June 2020. Archived from the original on 28 June 2020. Retrieved 25 October 2025.
  5. ↑ Tombung, Raymond (11 June 2023). "Collective identity tag far from settled". Daily Express. Archived from the original on 25 October 2025. Retrieved 25 October 2025.
  6. ↑ Unto, Ricardo. "Mr Kaamatan ke Hongkod Koisaan" [Mr Kaamatan to Hongkod Koisaan] (in Malay). Archived from the original on 24 October 2025. Retrieved 24 October 2025– via Sabah Cultural Board.
  7. ↑ "51 'Sumandak' bakal rebut gelaran Ratu Kaamatan hujung bulan ini" [51 'Sumandak' to claim the title of Queen of Kaamatan at the end of this month]. Sabah Media (in Malay). 22 May 2025. Archived from the original on 21 June 2025. Retrieved 24 October 2025.
  8. ↑ Barlocco 2013, p. 90.
  9. ↑ Trade & Trade & Travel Publications ; New York, NY 1993, p. 298.
  10. ↑ Unnip Abdullah, Mohd Izham (29 May 2019). "Kemuncak sambutan Kaamatan: Ribuan pengunjung banjiri Hongkod Koisaan" [Peak of Kaamatan celebration: Thousands of visitors flood Hongkod Koisaan]. Berita Harian (in Malay). Archived from the original on 24 October 2025. Retrieved 24 October 2025.
  11. ↑ "KDCA to launch Hongkod Avenue stalls this Saturday, Apr 13". Warta Oriental. 8 April 2024. Archived from the original on 24 October 2025. Retrieved 24 October 2025.
  12. ↑ "What is Koisaan Cultural Village?". Kadazan Dusun Cultural Association, Sabah. Archived from the original on 24 October 2025. Retrieved 24 October 2025.
  13. ↑ Sokial, Sandra; John, Walter (19 September 2011). "Cultural village set to be latest attraction at KDCA compound". The Borneo Post. Archived from the original on 24 October 2025. Retrieved 24 October 2025– via Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Environment, Sabah.
  14. ↑ "Sabah: Koisaan Cultural Village". Power Traveller. Archived from the original on 24 October 2025. Retrieved 24 October 2025.

Bibliography

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