Seamex Sabah

24/04/2026

Once again, we continued listening to the voices of the Dusun Lotud communities reflecting on the diminishing and fading role of their ritual priestesses called Tantagas. With every story shared, we found ourselves deeply moved both humbled and heartbroken by the profound truths and lived experiences of our interviewees.
Their voices carry not only memory, but the soul of a heritage that is slowly slipping away. As our journey unfolds, we cannot deny the quiet sorrow that accompanies this realization, nor the responsibility we now carry to honour and preserve what remains.
We Sabah SEAMEX extend our deepest gratitude to the British Council for the Small grant supporting this short documentary and to Prof. Dr. Yunci Cai from the University of Leicester for her invaluable support and collaboration in making this milestone project possible.
It is our sincere hope that this project will awaken greater awareness of the fragile loss of our intangible heritage, an identity that defines who we are, yet risks being forgotten if left unheard.

24/04/2026

JOM MOJUMBAK‼️

FESTIVAL MOJUMBAK DUSUN DAN MONGIGOL-SUMAYAU (FESMOD)
ZON PARLIMEN 170 TUARAN.

*Tarikh : 12-14 Jun 2026*
*Tempat : Dewan Serbaguna Seri Sulaman, Tuaran*
*Masa : 10 pagi - 10 malam*

Suatu festival berkonsep pertandingan yang mengetengahkan muzik dan tarian tradisi Dusun di sekitar Tuaran, Tamparuli, Kiulu dan Tenghilan dengan tema ;

*"MEMPERKASA TRADISI DUSUN DAN MEMELIHARA BUDAYA"*

Kategori yang dipertandingkan dan Yuran penyertaan:

Kategori A - Muzik Tradisi
(RM 100)/kumpulan
Kategori B - Tarian Tradisi
(RM 100)/kumpulan
Kategori C - Tarian Kreasi Etnik
Baru (RM200)/kumpulan

Borang Penyertaan:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SRltcFgbxur0qY3Vzh37vTBC1byzqSJ7/view?usp=sharing

Orang ramai dijemput hadir dan masuk adalah percuma.

Maklumat lanjut, sila hubungi
Pn. Sainah : 0198118383
Rita: 0168202966
Avril: 01133233678

19/04/2026

Today, the SEAMEX team embarked on a new project where we rediscovered the voices of the Tantagas by documenting the thoughts and opinions of key members of the Lotud community. Today marks the first day of interviews where we rekindle questions regarding the role of the Tantagas in a rapidly modernising world. After a long day of interviews, we concluded our documentation work at 7:30pm. Tomorrow, we will continue another round of interviews with the help of our strategic partner, Videographics Productions Sdn Bhd.

06/04/2026

01/03/2026

Sambit Walu (The Weave of Eight a.k.a. The 8 Wives)

Consisting of eight right-angled triangles that share a common vertex at the exact centre of the square, the Sambit Walu or The Weave of Eight is a way to cut a square into eight equal slices so that everyone gets a piece of the centre and a piece of the edge. This is achieved by four bisections: a horizontal, a vertical, and two diagonal bisections. This is also why it is jokingly referred to as the 8 Wives as there are folktales that counsel the equal parting of property between one's wives.

These four bisections produce a shape that has the full symmetry group of a square: the dihedral group of order eight. Thus, Sambit Walu is a square that is perfectly mirrored across all four lines and has rotational symmetry that repeats every 90° (order 4).

Though this shape is known by the Dusuns as Sambit Walu, it is a common enough geometric pattern that occurs in many other cultures as well. In Islamic iconography, it is known as Rub el-Hizb (the 8-pointed star). In Indian geometry, it is called the Star of Lakshmi—a symbol of wealth. In navigation, it is known as the Compass Rose layout with each of the vertical and horizontal lines representing the cardinal directions with the ordinal directions represented by the horizontals. In quilting, it is often called a Pinwheel or the Ohio Star base and the 8 triangles are the foundation for hundreds of traditional quilt patterns.

01/03/2026

01/03/2026

Yesterday, SEAMEX travelled to Tambunan to observe and attend the Linangkit workshop organised by KDCA Women's Council. Professor Jacqueline Pugh-Kitingan and Tindarama Datuk Joanna Kitingan were in attendance with the teacher Puan Juati Lomog.

Linangkit is a rare needlework found in the southern Philippines and North Borneo. An intricate textile-making technique that takes patience to learn in order to join two pieces of cloth together. During the workshop, incisive questions were posed by Judeth John-Baptist on the naming of the Linangkit patterns of Tambunan while Vynn Suren queried the participants on questions regarding their sense of ownership over Tinombunan Linangkit and the general Linangkit technique and pattern across the region.

Altogether it was a interesting workshop and discussion with much to learn. All of this will hopefully contribute to the revival of Linangkit culture.

25/01/2026

We open our Ticket booths at 12:30pm today! Showing will be from 3pm until the evening followed by dialogue and discussion with the Tantagas and organisers.

20/01/2026

Behind the scenes set preparation

19/01/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/1FZyiU49Jb/