1. Introduction
1.1. Identity and History of the Dusun Community in Terian, Ulu
Papar
Terian is a village located around Crocker Range in the district of
Penampang. This village is one of nine villages found upstream along
Papar River that is famous for the tourist attraction known as the Salt Trail.
Terian Village got its name from an event that happened in the past like
the following story as told by Mrs. Sulimi Matanjou: A long time ago Terian
was once known as “Solimbang”. Solimbang was the name of a river
found in this village and the name of the village was taken from that river.
The history behind the name Solimbang is not known but it was later
changed to “Terian” following a long drought that had occurred.
Solimbang is a beautiful village surrounded by thick forests. At that time,
there wasn't anybody in the village who was formally educated which
made them unknowledgeable of the outside world. One day, a long
drought occurred in Sabah. Solimbang River became shallower and
shallower as time went by until only puddles of dirty water remained.
Those puddles were filled with all sorts of aquatic and land life that died
from starvation and thirst. Solimbang villagers at that time also couldn't
find clean water. This caused a great number of villagers to die of
starvation and thirst.
One day, a villager cruised along Solimbang River searching for water. His
search led him to water dripping (titisan) from between rocks. With the
discovery of this source of water, the villagers of Solimbang were able to
continue living.
Actually “titisan” in the Dusun language means “miri-tiri”. Eventually
miri-tiri was shortened to tirian (Terian). Solimbang River was renamed
9|Terian Dusun Community Protocol