The region of northern Borneo is home to the current state of Sabah, Malaysia. It is located closest to the southern Philippine islands and may have served as a viaduct for ancient human migration onto or off of Borneo Island. In this study, five indigenous ethnic groups from Sabah were subjected to genome-wide SNP genotyping. These individuals represent the "North Borneo"-speaking group of the great Austronesian family. They have traditionally resided in the inland region of Sabah. The dataset was merged with public datasets, and the genetic relatedness of these groups to neighboring populations from the islands of Southeast Asia, mainland Southeast Asia and southern China was inferred. Genetic structure analysis revealed that these groups formed a genetic cluster that was independent of the clusters of neighboring populations. Additionally, these groups exhibited near-absolute proportions of a genetic component that is also common among Austronesians from Taiwan and the Philippines. They showed no genetic admixture with Austro-Melanesian populations. Furthermore, phylogenetic analysis showed that they are closely related to non-Austro-Melansian Filipinos as well as to Taiwan natives but are distantly related to populations from mainland Southeast Asia. Relatively lower heterozygosity and higher pairwise genetic differentiation index (F ) values than those of nearby populations indicate that these groups might have experienced genetic drift in the past, resulting in their differentiation from other Austronesians. Subsequent formal testing suggested that these populations have received no gene flow from neighboring populations. Taken together, these results imply that the indigenous ethnic groups of northern Borneo shared a common ancestor with Taiwan natives and non-Austro-Melanesian Filipinos and then isolated themselves on the inland of Sabah. This isolation presumably led to no admixture with other populations, and these individuals therefore underwent strong genetic differentiation. This report contributes to addressing the paucity of genetic data on representatives from this strategic region of ancient human migration event(s).

In discussing gong ensemble music through the gaze of movement, gaze can be conceptualized at two interrelated levels: firstly, at the general contextual level of the audience (who are the spectators?), and secondly, at the deeper semantic level of auditory-kinaesthetic relationships that manifest social meanings.

The Kimaragang, an indigenous Dusunic ethnic group from the Districts of Kota Marudu and Pitas in Sabah, Malaysia (formerly North Borneo), traditionally practice the shifting cultivation of hill rice with maize. This study focuses on Kimaragang hill rice cultivation and discusses some of their traditional agriculturally-focused beliefs and communal healing and cleansing rituals. Over time, with the conversion to Christianity and the movement towards the towns of Tandek and Kota Marudu, many of these practices have declined. Christianity became the main religion among the Kimaragang during the 1950s and more so after the expulsion of missionaries from Sabah in the early 1970s. The factors that led to this large-scale conversion to Christianity and the gradual demise of some of the old agricultural rituals and some of the associated beliefs are herein examined. Other factors for this decline are also discussed. keywords: Kimaragang-hill rice-traditional beliefs-communal healing and cleansing rituals-Christian conversion

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Heritage trails are an effective way to preserve cultural sustainability. Nowadays, heritage trails have been widely developed as tourism products either domestically or abroad. Megalithic stones are an ancient tradition of high value that has interesting functions and backgrounds. Moderni-zation with infrastutural development, and changes in religion in society have caused the mega-lithic stone tradition to be less practiced and increasingly declining. One of the effective ways to preserve megalithic stones from further decline is by building heritage trails as a tourism product. Many megalithic stones are located in sloping areas. In this study, least-cost path analysis (LCPA) in GIS applications was used to identify cost-effective and sloping routes to produce heritage trails. Study data were obtained from fieldwork in Tambunan. The benefits of this study provide ex-posure to the outside world about the megalithic stone tradition, and determine the appropriate routes to develop heritage trails in the District, and assist in the economy of the local population.

Ritual, according to Victor Turner, embodies symbolic action and has a processual flow (1967:149–50). Some ethnomusicologists have utilized Turner's ideas about symbolic action to examine the symbolism of music and dance in ritual. Marina Roseman, in her study of Senoi Temiar healing ceremonies, for example, observed that music and dance in Temiar ceremonies embody “meaningfully patterned sounds and movements” and “symbol-laden sounds and body movements” to awaken the cosmos and attract spirits to interact with humans (1991:15–16). Although Borneo cultures are very different from those of the Orang Asli of Peninsular Malaysia, this description may also be generally applied to the practice of music and dance in traditional ritual contexts among Dusunic societies of Sabah, the east Malaysian state of northern Borneo.

Situated along upper portions of the Kinabatangan River of eastern Sabah, from beyond Tongod upriver to below Kota Kinabatangan downstream, the Makiang speak a dialect of the Upper Kinabatangan language, one of five languages in Sabah's indigenous Paitanic Family of Languages. Known as the Milian in the Makiang dialect, the Kinabatangan is said to be Sabah's longest river. Over hundreds of years, it has provided a link between indigenous peoples in its upper reaches and east coast maritime peoples. The river has enabled trade between the many different interior communities with coastal peoples, leading to the diffusion of objects, ideas and practices. This paper discusses instruments and genres of Makiang group music that suggest evidence of diffusion from Sama'-Bajau and also Suluk musical practices, including the morunsai vocal dance genre as well as the performances of the ensembles sampasang no gabang and sampasang no kulintangan. It illustrates evidence for the processes of cultural convergences through which east coast Sama'-Bajau musical practices that have been absorbed into interior cultures and transformed over time.

The turali noseflute (also known as turahi among some of the Kadazan Dusun of Tambunan) is traditionally played solo as a form of personal entertainment and expression among most of the indigenous Dusunic societies of Sabah, the east Malaysian state of Northern Borneo. This instrument has the same basic structure and performance technique in all Dusunic communities where it is played, but can vary in length. In most cases, as among the Lotud Dusun and some of the Kadazan Dusun, its music expresses happiness and imitates the melodies of traditional songs. Among the Rungus, it can also be played by a novice priestess (bobolizan) to help her memorise the melodies of ritual chants (rinait) when practising alone outside of the ritual context. Its soft sound is also considered soothing when played at night in the longhouse. For the Kadazan Dusun in the central part of Tambunan District, however, turali music expresses melancholy and usually copies patterns in the stylised crying of female mourners during a wake. It is not played during mourning, but months or years later to express sorrow for a deceased relative. Drawing upon more than thirty-five years of research by the author, this article compares and contrasts different examples of turali music, discussing the sources, sounds and meanings of the music, and showing the transformation of vocal motifs and emotive patterns into melodies played with the instrument. These motifs and patterns may vary and transform over time, based on the personal artistry of the turali player whose cultural aesthetics are shaped by her or his individual improvisatory skills yet rooted in the tradition.