Crafts: Tinangol - PINAKOL

I'll be covering about crafts here in Kg. Tinangol.

Tinangol (Matunggong District) is 130km away from Kota Kinabalu. Rungus being the main ethnic. Crafts mainly derived from beads; some being yarns and vines. Lets take it on from beads.

Model is wearing a classic pinakol which is usually bright in colour. Pinakol comes in a pair and is worn across the body forming an 'X'. The upper part of pinakol is splashed with several motives that has meanings and the lower part of it consists of triangular patterns.

Pinakol's 'X' shape gives a curvy illusion of the body, therefore, it is mainly worn by the women. Usually worn for celebration occasions; wedding, dance and harvest festival.


Model wears an improvised pinakol to suit the modern era, but not losing the originality of what pinakol is. The only difference with the classic is, that the text/type addition between the upper and lower part of the pinakol. And the colors are less striking now that the Rungus opted for more black beads to suit modern taste.

The improvised version made barely much difference, this is because Rungus people are very particular about preserving what the ancestors had passed down for generations and generations. The modern the things get, the less value and attraction it can make. That explains why people values antiques so much.

Finally, this one is a modified pinakol and it's not to be worn on the body. It is more like a banner-like sign to be hung on walls or doors; being texts in the middle (ie. Kotobian Tadau Do Kaamatan) and motives on both ends. It resembles Inavol but it is made of beads, therefore it is still regarded as a pinakol.

I would categorize this pinakol as modern because of the creative improvisation of getting out of the box. Although i can definitely say, this wont outdo the classic types.

Cuisine: Sombilikan

.Sombilikan with anchovies.

A tasty tikana (dish) for those who likes to satisfy their sour taste buds. Sombilikan is the greens itself; anchovies are a fine addition and so are gipa topodok (small prawns), whichever gets you best. Fooled not by the appearance of curly long leaves, Sombilikan are very healthy and addictive.

The sour taste is very natural and fine, thus the reason to finish the whole plate by yourself. Its texture is thicker than spring onion leaves and definitely has more 'spring' than spring onion, you wont stop chewing and you'll ask for more.

But once Sombilikan is served, finish it before it turns dark green. Not that it turns bad. Like apple slices left in the air, it would turn dark as time goes by.

Wildlife: Ondoyutung / Slow Lorris

• English: Slow Lorris
• Rungus: Ondoyutung [ohn-doh-you-toong]
• Scientific: Nycticebus coucang

No they are not monkeys. They are very much different from their primate relatives in terms of physical size, coat, personalities, intelligence, movement and social. There should be a list of it but lets just keep things simple; they're cute and cuddly!

How can we differentiate between male and female ondoyutung?

Female:

• More existent eye ring (varies from dark brown to reddish brown to almost black)
• Wider body stripe that goes from the head or continues from the eye ring down to the tail
• Longer fur (more than 1cm)
  
• Provoked and it will bite you; small wound but damn painful
• They will usually target your fingers; bite

Male:

• Less prominent eye ring, almost non-existent
• Thinner body stripe from head down to the tail
• Shorter fur
  
• Provoked and it will try to grab your hair and pull it
• They will usually target your ears; friendly lick

So lets see if anyone can guess whats the gender of these ondoyutungs^^ Answers are in the comment.


Recently, i went to Kampung Tonsom to visit Sainggim family. They have an ondoyutung pet and i had a fun time playing around with it. Lets see if you can guess its gender. Answer is in papayachannel/youtube.

I had an ondoyutung pet back in 1995. It went up a tree one night in the end of 1996 and never came back TT^TT

More info on Ondoyutung:

• Little Voice
• Cuddle me!

Cuisine: Tudtul, Guol, Sinamu

Rungus tribe dishes! Today i am covering on small family lunch.

.Tudtul with Umbut do Nizuw.

Tudtuls are river rock snails shaped like a conch by the size of 2inch. The shells' tail are broken before cooking; to eat the snails' meat, we suck it from the tail opening, not the head. Of course, if you suck at sucking *lol*, another alternative is by scratching the insides with a toothpick or a needle (yes) from the head opening. The alternative is the most troublesome method, besides, when it gets cold, it taste funny. Tudtul textures are quite similar to squids' meat.

They are usually cooked without any other side flavors. For this dish, it is cooked with the young stems (umbut) of coconuts (nizuw).

.Guol with Gipa.

Guols are yams. They are best cooked with any meats and seafoods. Gipas (prawns) are the most appetizing mix for guols because both produce a combo of delicious aroma~

My first impression upon hearing the guol word is... its some sort of an orc-ogre stew XD

.Sinamu.

Sinamu is made out of preserved mango, mixed with some fish but usually in a very little amount. The mangos used are the young green ones and they turn pale yellow during preservations. Sinamus are very sour and can be kept in jars for months. But Rungus people can usually finish it up like desserts; its near taste like alcoholic are sometimes a turn off for some though.

Some of my cousins find eating sinamu is a great challenge. We often regard is as a Fear Factor due to the unappealing look and strong sour smell. Putting all fears and doubts aside, if you have guts left in your stomach, sinamu is a dish you should never miss when eating at a Rungus house.