Pic courtesy of Dee Layun
KOTA KINABALU: This year's Tuaran Unduk Ngadau pageant should focus on the originality of the Suang Lotud clothing to highlight the authentic image of a Lotud "sumandak".
Making the call, Suang Lotud arts, culture and tradition activist Dee Layun said it is timely for the Lotud community to maintain and uphold the originality of their clothing before the costume's classic style faded.
"The non-modernised Suang Lotud costume should be worn during the final competition of the district and state Unduk Ngadau Kaamatan pageant.
"And this should be matched with the Lotud traditional hairbun known as the 'sinulug kiginuli' or 'sinungkok'," he said in a statement.
The Suang Lotud traditional costumes are dominantly black in colour and adorned by intricate and colourful designs of 'linangkit' (embroidery) on the 'gonob' (skirt) and the 'kuluwu' (shawl).
"I hope this year's Tuaran Unduk Ngadau will focus on the originality of the Suang Lotud clothing to highlight the authentic image of a Lotud "sumandak".
"The Unduk Ngadau pageant is the perfect platform to empower the Lotud traditional costume aside from improving the mastery of the mother tongue among the young generation.
"Now is the time for the Suang Lotud community to play their role in maintaining their culture, customs and language for the sake of the future generation," he added.
Dee who has years of experience in judging as well as arranging costumes and makeup for beauty pageants, stressed that not everything should be modernised though "we are in a globalisation era."
"The Suang Lotud clothing, for example, should not be modernised as it has a high-value in aesthetics.
"I do not mind the sewing of sequins on the clothing but it should not cover half of the clothing as this would only ruin the aesthetic value of the traditional costume. The modern version of this costume is sometimes heavily-ornamented with sequins," he lamented.
"I believe the Lotud Museum in Tuaran also has a guide on the correct way of wearing a Lotud traditional clothing as a workshop had been conducted previously on this matter which was attended by the chief 'tantagas' (traditional spiritual and ritual leader) as well as elders.
"The conclusions from the workshop were recorded and kept as the official reference for the Suang Lotud clothing standards," said Dee.
With a population of more than 20,000, the Suang Lotud ethnic group is mainly found in Tuaran.
Just like the other Dusunic ethnic groups in Sabah, the Suang Lotud has its own distinctive culture, ranging from costumes, to dance and music.
