The Kadazan Bobohizan, often referred to as priestesses, are the ritual specialists of the Dusunic tribes. They are working as guardians of the ancient wisdom, and they are looking after the spiritual well-being of their people.

In Sabah's societies, the Bobohizan occupied an important place. They were called upon when important decisions had to be made, such as the construction of a new house, moving of the whole village, warfare, head-hunting, the planting of rice, and much more. They were consulted when people fell ill or had bad dreams, when crops failed to grow, to read omens and much more. 

A Bobohizan is also a medium, a person through which spirits can voice themselves. In a long apprenticeship, young girls are taught the ancient wisdom, especially the inait, the magical incantations necessary to reach trance, in which the Bobohizan becomes the medium for spiritual contact. Not all girls are able to learn the long inait, which traditionally have never been written down. They will not reach to become a Bobohizan. Only a few will be able, after long years  of learning, to succeed their masters, the experienced Bohungkitas (high-priestesses).

They will then in turn take care of the harmony between human beings, nature and the spiritual world. Besides healing with natural herbs - and also spiritually - a wisdom they team from their masters together with the mystical teachings, the Bobohizan performs regular rites to appease the spirits that surround us and inhabit nature. This ensures that man can live in harmony with its environment. 

The most widely known rites and ceremonies obviously occur during the rice-harvest festival, the Pesta Ka'amatan. Man thanks nature, and the spirit of rice Bambaazon in particular, for the abundant harvest. This ensures equally prosperous future years. The Pesta Ka'amatan in Sabah occurs during the whole month of May, and has lost nothing of its significance.

With the advent of missionary religions, and even more so over the past twenty years with the adoption of new, western life-styles, the Kadazan have changed, much to the detriment of their culture. Little is being remembered, and virtually nothing is passed on. The few remaining Bobohizan do not teach their wisdom any more. Life has changed dramatically. Children go to schools, where not survival in the jungles of Borneo, but a 'normal' curriculum, is being taught

Modernisation cannot and should not be held up. However, it is sad that it should be at the cost of an ancient, proud culture. We here at the Monsopiad Cultural Village try to compile, research, study and conserve some of the old wisdom, and make people aware of their invaluable cultural heritage, as well as of their cultural identity.