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A preliminary report on the University of the Philippines' anthropological research in Kota Belud, Sabah.

Article Excerpt
The 2007 University of the Philippines Anthropology Field School was undertaken in Kota Belud, Sabah, Malaysia from April 23 to May 20. The field research team consisted of three anthropology professors and 17 undergraduate anthropology students from the University of the Philippines.

Various anthropological research methods were employed during the Field School, including key informant interviews, key word listing, kinship charting, material culture inventory, and participant observation. Researches were undertaken in two general areas, namely: social anthropology and ethnoarchaeology.

This paper discusses the initial findings of the anthropological research conducted in Kota Belud. Eight research papers in social anthropology and seven papers in ethnoarchaeology were generated by the Field School. The topics covered by these research papers included cultural heritage, customary law, death rituals, emotions, fishing technology, gender politics, gong music, heirloom items, the market system, marriage customs, and weaving, among others. Aside from these research papers, several essays and articles on various topics were also produced by the students in the areas of anthropological linguistics, ethnohistory, folklore, informant biography, and material culture studies.

The UP Anthropology Field School

The U.P. Anthropology Field School (UPAFS) is an annual undertaking of the Department of Anthropology of the University of the Philippines. The UPAFS aims to train senior Bachelor of Arts students in Anthropology on field techniques in archaeology, social anthropology, and physical anthropology. The first UPAFS was undertaken in 1970 in the Tabon Caves of Palawan, Philippines. Since then, the UPAFS has been conducted in several parts of the Philippines, including the Batanes Islands, Benguet, Bohol Island, Cagayan Valley, Capul Island, Cavite Province, Davao, Kalinga, Nueva Ecija, Pangasinan, Rizal, Sorsogon, and Metro Manila.

Research Area

In 2007, the UPAFS was, for the first time, held outside of the Philippines. Three communities in Kota Belud were selected to represent three distinct ethnolinguistic groups found in the District, namely the:

* Bajau of Kampung Taun Gusi;

* Dusun Tobilung of Kampung Dudar Laut; and

* Iranun of Kampung Pantai Emas.

The three communities were selected based on the recommendations of the Mahkamah Anak Negeri, the Native Court of Kota Belud, which acted as host institution. The Native Chiefs of the three...

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