PENAMPANG – A 25-year-old teacher, Frenerietta Sobitun, representing Sandakan, has been crowned the 2022 Unduk Ngadau held in conjunction with the Kaamatan Harvest Festival.
She is also the first Unduk Ngadau from Sandakan and the east coast of Sabah.
Sobitun, who is originally from Kg Pahu in Tambunan, wowed the judges on stage at the KDCA Hall here with her response to questions. She artfully sang some of her answers with a tune while replying in fluent Dusun.
Sobitun, a Dusun Liwan, had also won the second prize when she contested in the Unduk Ngadau Johor in 2019.
She walked away with RM120,000 worth of prizes tonight.
Meanwhile, the second spot was earned by Esther Marius representing Papar, while Deedee Cassendra representing Ranau took the third place.
They also took home RM53,000 and RM46,000 worth of prizes respectively.
In fourth place was Carolyn Tony representing Penampang, the fifth place went to Allveanna Loimin from Kiulu, sixth to Evanatie Sannie representing Kota Marudu, and seventh to Silverine Belinda from Inanam.
A total of 44 Unduk Ngadau contestants from various Sabah districts and sub-districts took part in this year’s Kaamatan.
The finale was aired online via Sabah TV and viewed by over 72,000 people from across the state, Peninsular Malaysia, and several countries.
It was also the final event to mark the closing of the annual Kaamatan Harvest Festival.
Steeped in culture and heritage, the Unduk Ngadau event is inspired by the traditional story of Huminodun, a mythological maiden revered locally for her all-encompassing beauty of the heart, mind and soul.
The pageant's title is derived from the phrase “runduk tadau” which means “the girl crowned by sunlight”.
The celebration in conjunction with the harvest festival, capped by the beauty pageant, is one of the most popular and extravagant cultural occasions in Sabah. – The Vibes, May 31, 2022
