Momolianism

The Kadazan-Dusun of Sabah, formerly North Borneo, are natives of the land who share the same indigenous peoples's view shared globally that the land is a gift from the creator, the earth is a centre of the universe and the land connects them to the past, present and future. This view has given rise to a belief system, known as Momolianism. This system of belief, inherited from the ancestors, was passed down through the Bobohizan, (Kadazan term) or Bobolian (Dusun term) priestesses, and has guided and ensured the survival of the Kadazan-Dusun people, throughout their social evolution from small community of settlers in what was said to be a 10 household longhouse at Nunuk Ragang to the present population of more than half a million individuals(2010 Malaysian Census figure). The term Momolianism itself is derived from word Bobolian.

This belief system has its origin in the first ancestors' interaction with the natural and spiritual environment at Nunuk Ragang the legendary ancestral home of the Kadazan-Dusun. This belief system was an integral part of the Kadazan-Dusun life before the advent of Organized religion. Central to Momolianism is the belief that the Kadazan-Dusun live in an environment consisting of the "seen material world" and the "unseen spirit world". It was most important to ensure continuity of the balance and order between the natural and spirit environment.. Some scholars would equate this to Animism.

The Kadazan-Dusun believed that there is as much effort on the part of the denizens of the spirit world to communicate with the denizens of the material world as are the denizens of this material world attempting to communicate with the denizens of the spirit world. This effort at communication gave birth to the office of the Bobolians, categories of members of Kadazan-Dusun people with special gifts and abilities to communicate with the counterpart in the spirit world. The Bobolian's counterpart in the spirit world is known as the "Susukuon" or "reference spirit being". The ability to communicate with each other is described as "kih gimbaran" or "osundu" (in possession of spiritual power). This power is at the same level as another category of members of Kadazan-Dusun people known as "osiou" (in possession of fearlessness in war/warrior). It was for this reason that in past times when the early egalitarian Kadazan-Dusun community faced unprecedented crisis, the Bobolians would provide the spiritual guidance whilst the warriors rendered their warfare services. Gifts and sacrifice play an important part in establishing communication between the material world and the spirit world. To initiate communication, a bobolian has to initially provide gifts to the counterpart spirit in the form of prepared food(boiled chicken flesh and egg) and drink(fermented sweet tapai/lihing). The counterpart spirit or spirits in the spirit world may also establish communication with humans via medium that impact directly on human senses such as hearing, sight, smell, touch and taste. Thus, for example a Kadazan-Dusun on his way to the farm is informed by a spirit of impending danger by the frantic warning call of the "Lokiu" bird (a woodpecker bird) or a "lontugi" (giant millipede) stationary on his or her pathway. He or she would then desist from continuing with her journey.

...
Wikipedia