The sumazau is a dance performed by the Kadazandusun from Penampang and adjacent areas in west coast Sabah. It is usually performed during Kaamatan.^[1] The dance involves male and female pairs who are dressed in traditional clothing. The rhythm of the dance is set by the beat of hanging gongs. It is performed by raising both arms to shoulder height and flapping them.^[2]

Quick Facts Native name, Etymology ...

Sumazau dance

Four dancers dancing the Sumazau in pairs accompanied by a traditional musical ensemble
Native name	Sumazau
Etymology	Sazau (dance) in the Kadazan language
Genre	Traditional, folk
Instrument(s)	Gongs, drum, occasionally metallophone
Inventor	Kadazan people
Origin	Malaysia

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The clothing ensemble most associated with the sumazau is called the sinambiaka or baju sumazau (Malay),^[2] which refers to traditional clothing made out of black cloth and gold braid. For women, it is accessorized with the tangkong (three rows of small brass rings attached to rattan) and himpogot, a belt of 19th century Chinese dollars. Men wear sigar, a colourful headcloth woven by the Iranun people which is obtained via trade with the Sama-Bajau.

The sumazau begins with the first movement where dancers shift their weight from foot to foot while keeping their knees bent and arms swinging on their sides in time to the music.

When a male dancer cues the other dancers, they switch to another position where the arms are outstretched and their feet are on tiptoes. Men move their arms in a gentle rolling motion while women motion their arms with their elbows bent downwards. This move imitates the departure of a bird, specifically an eagle, which would have been visible from paddy fields.^[2][1]

The term sumazau can also refer to the music associated with the dance, known in Malay as rentak sumazau.^[3] Otherwise, it is also called magagung (to hit a gong), the nominalized form pagagungan or magagung sumazau.

The sumazau plays both ceremonial and celebratory roles. The sumazau is performed at certain stages in traditional ritual such as the magang after headhunting and for spirits inhabiting a bangkavan (collection of skulls), and the moginum ceremony.^[4] It is also performed during Kaamatan in honour of the traditional rice spirit, besides wedding celebrations, the 40th night of a deceased person's passing^[5] and other major social gatherings.

Among the Kadazandusun of Tambunan District, there are dances similar to the sumazau called the magarang, occasionally called the mongigol, and mangalai. Sumazau is sometimes also used to refer to the sazau dance of the Kadazandusun of Papar.

As more Kadazandusuns are converting to Islam, the baju sumazau has been modified by female Muslim dancers in accordance with Islamic standards of modesty.^[2]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, a video depicting a medical assistant officer, Norbert Andilah dancing the sumazau in a PPE suit in an effort to combat boredom and depression among quarantined patients via SOP-compliant exercise sessions went viral.^[6]

In 2012, a blog called Suara Pakatan Rakyat wrote an article titled Tarian Sumazau Untuk Golongan Rendah Akhlak (Sumazau is for the Morally Weak), claiming that the dance is a cult. This issue prompted backlash from the Sabahan (particularly the Kadazandusun and Murut aka KDM) community. In response, the then-vice president of the Kadazandusun Cultural Association and Information Chief of Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah, Rayner Francis Udong clarified that "Sumazau is a KadazanDusun traditional dance in the state and has nothing to do with worship", assuming the article had conflated the sumazau with a ritual ceremony called the magavau.^[7] As of September 15th 2012, the blog has retracted the article and apologized for its publication.^[8]