| Ethnics
Profile: The
Kadazandusun
Papar
Kadazandusun
 At first glance of their
costume, one will learn that the Papar Kadazandusun costume has
features to tell the lady’s marital status.
The women wear a conical hat or siung made of fine bamboo strips,
a knee-length skirt (gonob) with horizontal and a vertical strip
of cross stitched panel (rinangkit) lined with gold thread, a short
jacket (siya) with Bewati buttons over a white blouse (sia id saahom).
If colorful feathers are presented on the hat this means the wearer
is still single. A widow, grandmother or any senior woman always
wears a hat with neither feathers nor flowers.
The costume material is of black velvet with gold trimming (palada).
Three brooches are pinned on the front of the white blouse, one
below the other. When this costume is worn, the wearer must don
a silver coin bangle (belilit) on each arm. The belts also tell
the wearer’s marital status – three for unmarried, two for married
and one for widow or elderly woman.
In the old days, most maids and servants would wear the same outfit
pattern but without silver belts. However they will usually wear
a sinsing (ring) or a single brass coil to signify their household
position.
Costume
of Women
| Sia |
Short
jacket with large betawi buttons (also known as kubamban)
made of brass or modern substitue. Under the jacket a white
blouse (sia id saahom) is worn |
| Gonob
|
Knee-length
skirt with horizontal and a vertical strip of langkit cross
stitch lined with gold thread |
| Siung |
Conical
hat of very fine bamboo strips with three decorative zones
running to the top: patterns in red and black. Tufts of colored
feather or artificial flowers are placed on top |
| Soundung |
Scarf
worn under the suing |
| Bolilit |
Flat
silver bracelet shaped like a spiral |
| Rupia
|
Silver
dollar (British trade dollar) belt |
Costume
of Men
| Sia
|
Long-sleeved
jacket with gold trimming |
| Souva |
Trousers
with gold trimming |
| Sigal
|
Headdress
of folded kain dastar |
|
