The Gayatas woman warrior of Ulu Papar

KOTA KINABALU – Sabah is rich with the folklore of male warriors such as Monsoplad, Antanum and Si Gunting who either defended their villages from invaders or rose up in defiance against the British colonisers.

But there is also a story about a little known legendary woman warrior who defended her ancient village against its rivals.

Her name was Gayatas and she hailed from the Tagahas Dusun ethnic tribe of Ulu Papar.

There are not many historical records about her save for oral tales passed down through the generations about her exploits.

But it is said that she was a fierce warrior who was feared in the upper Papar area and who protected her village from its enemies.

In her day the Ulu Papar area was an area of strife where the Tagahas and Tuhawon Dusun tribes were rivals who fought for generations over territory and land issues.

During those times, headhunting activities were also quite popular and quite in fashion.

It was said like the fabled Amazon tribe of old, Gayatas herself led a group of women warriors whose job it was to fend off enemy raids on their village. Her martial exploits attracted many in her village who wished to be her follower – mostly women but some men also followed suit.

Eventually, the situation led to her deciding to announce that she would only accept new recruits who had passed her test.

She said that those who managed to successfully jump across the width of the river which she indicated, would be accepted as her followers.

However, there was a price to pay for those who failed the test. Those who failed would have their heads chopped off by her.

The scary requirement did not seem to deter many hopefuls, judging from the supposed markings on a rock recording the number of those who failed.

According to legend, Gayatas would mark a specific rock each time she took a head. The rock, which is now referred to as the Gayatas rock at Ulu Papar, has 78 markings, supposedly marking the 78 heads taken by her.

However, like many things nowadays, stories such as the legend of Gayatas are in danger of disappearing as time goes on, as many of the younger generations in Ulu Papar are themselves unaware of this legend. – The Vibes, March 20, 2021