On Friday, 08.02.2013, I met another uncle of mine, Wesley Dungko Pai, in Kampong Ponohuon, Kiulu. He is the eldest son of Dungko Gumpai - a brother of my grandmother. Uncle Wesley shared that he had decided to change the naming tradition of the Dungko's clan, beginning with his generation, by adopting the surname Pai - a shortened form for "Gumpai". Through him, we also learnt more about my grandfather.
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6 4' 46.01"N, 116 17' 8.27"E
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The house is situated next to the spectacular
upstream of Tuaran River |
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| With Uncle Wesley Pai & his wife Jainah. |
According to Uncle Wesley, my grandfather was a skilled carpenter - in fact, he was regarded as one of the best in the Menggatal area. His reputation extended as far as Jesselton (now renamed Kota Kinabalu), where his services were frequently sought. He was so well known that he was even recruited to help maintain the Atkinson Clock Tower.
His carpentry skill was passed down to his son, my uncle Yee Tshan Fah also known as Ah Tai among his peers. Like my grandfather, my uncle Tshan Fah became a highly capable carpenter and was later recruited for the repair and restoration of the same historic Clock Tower.
In those days, the Gumpai family lived in Kampong Lumpoho, a remote area nestled within the Crocker Mountain Range. From time to time, they would gather tobacco, herbs and other local produce to trade in the coastal, more "urban" area. At the tamu grounds, they exchanged their goods for items such as salted fish, clothing, stoneware, salt and sugar. The trading journeys were no small feats - often requiring them to be away for weeks at a time, braving the difficult terrain and long distances.
"In those long-ago days, the only mode of transport was one's two good legs and everyone went barefoot. Walking up and down the Crocker Range while loaded with heavy rattan wakid (big rattan and bark basket used for carrying goods) was no small feat because sometimes only narrow footpaths existed. In many places, one wrong move could mean a quick tumble to the bottom of the valley....... Safety was also a grave concern as the travelers could be waylaid by headhunters from the enemy villages. Traders usually traveled in big groups to lesson the risk of parting with heads on the way to and from the tamu grounds" - Abstracted from "Footprints in the Paddy Fields" by Tina Kisil.
After making numerous trips to Menggatal, my grandmother eventually decided to relocate from Lumpoho. In 1926, she moved and settled in Pulutan.
As for the "romance" of my grandfather and my grandmother, Uncle Wesley spoke only briefly about it - perhaps he didn't know the full story.
It is said that my grandfather, while working as a carpenter in Menggatal, met a Dusun woman named Lotimboi. As for how the marriage proposal unfolded, the exact details remain unclear. Was an intermediary sent to convey the proposal? Did my grandfather approach her siblings? Or did he go directly to her and propose himself? These questions remain unanswered.
It is said that my grandfather, while working as a carpenter in Menggatal, met a Dusun woman named Lotimboi. As for how the marriage proposal unfolded, the exact details remain unclear. Was an intermediary sent to convey the proposal? Did my grandfather approach her siblings? Or did he go directly to her and propose himself? These questions remain unanswered.
What is certain, however, is that Lotimboi agreed to marry this man from China.
3 comments:
My mother and myself often visit Pak Po in her kampong house. At aged 75, she still climb 30 feet coconut tree to plug its fruit. When shedd passed away I was there too. It was 7:00 night ...
I have known Wesley since I was a little child in Tenghilan where he was a teacher at that time. Many years later, when I was already in my forties, I visited Dungko and Wesley at Dungko's home in Malanggang (or was it Kiulu), because I wanted to get their stories about Lumpoho (my father was born there and moved to Kionsom when he was a boy). An interesting little tidbit I got from them was that it was a tradition of Lumpoho to have names that start with G. Hence, Gumpai, Gabandok, Gubenggon, Gimbang, Gusunod, Gulimbang, Gudingking, and so on. Many people apparently chose to shed the G after relocating to the lowland, which I thought was sad.
my grandparents😘miss them so much
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