A grasp on the nature of lundayeh through their tradisitional dance culture

Lundayeh populations are found in the areas of Tenom, Sipitang and Long Pa Sia, along the west coast
of Sabah, Malaysia. Lundayeh dance forms and systems have gone through changes and variations
since their existence in Borneo. This paper looks into a variety of aspects, including music, costumes,
movements, functions and stories of the traditional dances practiced in today’s Lundayeh communities in
Kemabong, Sabah. The surviving traditional dances found to have stemmed from the core of Lundayeh
cultural, social and religious aspects of life. The study leads to the discovery of the thinking patterns, life
philosophies and world perspectives of Lundayeh that are strongly influenced by their religion and ancient
culture. Dance music ultimately serves as a tool to understand the nature of Lundayeh people as one of
the minor ethnic groups in the world. The understanding of the nature of Lundayeh would further contribute
toward sharing and discovering another dimension of human knowledge and wisdom.