Culture
Putatan, a cultural centre in the making
A Bajau musical festival makes its mark on Sabah’s tourism calendar
Story by Ng Jia Xiang
Pictures by Oliver Majaham
Betitik is the Bajaus’ way of making ceremonial music. Their instruments are brass gongs and barrel drums made from the skin of goats and buffaloes. From them comes a trance-like music that is a cross between a dull drum thump and a ringing clash of cymbals quite similar to that of a xylophone. It is traditional music to celebrate marriages. But Betitik has become an annual musical festival, one that will take centre stage in Sabah’s Putatan district as a tourism event.
Deputy chief minister Yahya Hussin has claimed Betitik, in its third year, for Putatan. He says that it is its home and not Kota Belud, the heartland of the famed Bajau horsemen. Yahya promises a grander Betitik next year when the celebration will move closer to a tourist hotel and shopping mall.
The Bajaus (about 400,000) are Sabah’s second biggest indigenous people after the Kadazandusuns (560,000) in a 3.2m multi-ethnic population that includes other indigenous people, Malays, ethnic Chinese and Indians.
The festival is marked by a battle of the bands. Fifteen six-member bands took part in a three-day contest that led to the final on September 25.
Yahya sees the festival as a way to keep local cultural heritage alive as musicians dressed in their glittering colourful costumes try to outdo one another.
Two musicians in a band of six will strike the Tawak, a big brass gong, while another will beat the smaller Bandil. Two drums the Gendang and a member plays the Kulintangan, a row of small gongs, much like one plays a xylophone. The Kulintangan provides the melody of the music.
Muhamad Delik, 25, leader of Seri Mawar which won the youth champion title, says his band practised for two hours thrice a week for the contest. It won the title in 2008 when the festival debuted but came in third last year. – Insight Sabah
Posted on September 29, 2010
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