Monsopiad Cultural Village

Monsopiad Cultural Village is located beside the Penampang River which is about 16km or about half an hour away from the Kota Kinabalu City. Monsopiad Cultural Village is a living museum where a fearsome warrior lived in the village of Kuai about 200 years ago. It showcase of Kadazandusun culture. Lets go for the brief history about the Monsopiad Cultural Village. 

Many centuries ago, a lady named Kizabon was pregnant and lived with her husband named Dunggou. A sacred Bugang Bird made its nest and stayed at the spouse's rooftop. When the child was due to be born, the Bugang Bird's hatched as well. Dunggou looked upon this coincidence as a good omen and sign. Dunggou named his son as Monsopiad. Monsopiad's grandfather was the headman of the village. The village however was often plundered and attacked by robbers. Due to lack of warriors in the village, the villagers had to retreat and hide while the robbers ransacked their homes.

Skull victims from Monsopiad

Monsopiad was given special training as the grandson of the headman of the village and turned out to be an excellent fighter and became the warrior of the village. He vowed to hunt down and fight off the warriors that had terrorized his village for so long. He will bring back their heads as trophies and hang them from the roof of his house. Over the years, Monsopiad soon attained a reputation and there were no robbers or evil warriors who dared to challenge him. However, the urge to kill had gotten into Monsopiad's head and he simply could not stop himself from beheading more people. With his changed attitude, all the villagers and his friends became afraid of him. The village got a group of brave warriors together and plan to eliminate Monsopiad when he is resting in his house. As they attacked him, he fought back fiercely but realized that he had lost his special strength that were bestowed upon him by the Bugang Bird and it was that very night that Monsopiad's life ended. Despite his downfall, the villagers still love Monsopiad for all that he had done for them. All in all, he collected 42 powerful warrior's heads which no other man could equal. They forgave Monsopiad for his mistakes and in honor and memory of his good deeds, a monument was erected and the village was named after him.

Monolith

Now at Monsopiad Cultural Village, in order to became a living museum, it showcase of Kadazandusun culture and a unique attraction for travelers to Sabah. In order to continue the culture of Kadazandusun, many daily activities at the Monsopiad Cultural Village are the customary work of the people here such as preparing the rice, the making of lihing or "Rice Wine" and handicrafts. Visiting to the village, there are guided tour available such as the House of Skulls, Monolith, Suspension bridge, Tangkob, Kotos, enjoy the Traditional Games, and Hamin Tinandai. There are many activities and entertainment that are available in Monsopiad such as the cultural dance, cultural drama, and music troupe. At Monsopiad also, you are able to hire per-day or per-piece of the costumes and accessories. Besides that, there are also

Traditional Dancing Lesson

traditional dancing lesson, traditional music lesson, and traditional Kadazan cooking lesson that are available at Monsopiad Cultural Village. Whoever Kadazan that wants to celebrate a traditional Kadazan-style wedding, there are wedding package in an authentic setting at Monsopiad Cultural Village. There is also guided tour to the Monsopiad Burial Ground of the Monsopiad family. Whoever that are cultural and historical lovers, you will be satisfy on your visit to Monsopiad Cultural Village.