The Kimaragang, an indigenous Dusunic ethnic group from the Districts of Kota Marudu and Pitas in Sabah, Malaysia (formerly North Borneo), traditionally practice the shifting cultivation of hill rice with maize. This study focuses on Kimaragang hill rice cultivation and discusses some of their traditional agriculturally-focused beliefs and communal healing and cleansing rituals. Over time, with the conversion to Christianity and the movement towards the towns of Tandek and Kota Marudu, many of these practices have declined. Christianity became the main religion among the Kimaragang during the 1950s and more so after the expulsion of missionaries from Sabah in the early 1970s. The factors that led to this large-scale conversion to Christianity and the gradual demise of some of the old agricultural rituals and some of the associated beliefs are herein examined. Other factors for this decline are also discussed. keywords: Kimaragang-hill rice-traditional beliefs-communal healing and cleansing rituals-Christian conversion

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Suku kaum Melayu Brunei telah menetap di sepanjang persisiran pantai barat Sabah sejak dari zaman awal Kesultanan Melayu Brunei lagi. Seperti suku kaum Melayu lain di Nusantara, berpantun ialah sebahagian daripada budaya mereka yang istimewa sejak dari dahulu hinggalah sekarang. Dalam kerja lapangan yang telah dijalankan di beberapa buah kampung Melayu Brunei di sekitar pantai barat Sabah, sejumlah pantun yang bertemakan cinta dan kasih sayang telah dirakamkan, ditranskripsi dan didokumentasi. Pantun kasih sayang yang terkumpul ini, antaranya menonjolkan unsur-unsur rasa rindu, jatuh hati, naik berahi dan hajat di hati untuk merisik dan meminang. Selain mendokumentasi sejumlah pantun yang bertemakan cinta dan kasih sayang, tumpuan kupasan dalam makalah ini adalah terhadap unsur “berahi” yang terbayang dalam pantun kasih sayang orang Melayu Brunei. Selain itu, perbandingan terhadap pantun cinta Melayu Brunei di Sabah dengan pantun cinta Melayu dan Tionghoa Peranakan terpilih juga akan dilakukan. Menerusi kupasan sedemikian, keistimewaan perasaan cinta dan berahi dalam budaya suku kaum Melayu Brunei di Sabah akan tertonjol kepada pembaca. Kata kunci: Melayu Brunei, pantun cinta, kasih sayang, unsur berahi. Abstract The Brunei Malay ethnic group settled all along the western shores of Sabah since the early part of the formation of the Brunei Malay Sultanate. As is the case with other Malay ethnic groups in Nusantara, reciting the pantun is part of their unique culture since the bygone days until the present time. In a field study conducted in several Malay Brunei kampongs along the western shores of Sabah, a number of pantuns with the themes of love and affection were recorded, transcribed and documented. These love pantuns that have been collected , among other things highlight the elements of yearning, falling in love, feeling amorous and wanting to seek a person’s hand in marriage. Apart from documenting some pantuns with the themes of love and affection, the focus of this article is on the element of lust which is reflected in these pantuns of love of the Brunei Malays. In addition, a comparison will be made between these love pantuns and selected Malay and Straits-born Chinese pantuns. By making this analysis, the uniqueness of the elements of lust and affection in Brunei Malay pantuns will be unravelled. Keywords: Brunei Malay, loved pantun, affection, elements of lust

Many contemporary Buddhist organisations have registered in Malaysia since the early 21st century. This article aims to analyse the issues of rationalisation in terms of the structure of organisational and the business concepts of five contemporary Buddhist organisations. In-depth interview, telephone interview, and observation were the methods used to gather qualitative data from the informants and the websites of the selected organisations. Weber’s concepts of rationalisation were employed to analyse data collected from the field as well as the secondary data. In terms of the organisational structure, our analysis revealed that two out of five selected Buddhist organisations, namely Kechara and Tzu Chi, are highly structured and formalised. In addition, their bureaucracy is in line with Weber’s rationalisation model that emphasised calculability, predictability, control, and capitalism. In terms of business, two out of five selected Buddhist organisations, namely the Buddha’s Light International Association and the Nalanda Buddhist Society do not participate in business. In other words, these two organisations showed that the Buddhist’s norm and values do not rationalise the believers into accumulating wealth as their goal and then creating the spirit of capitalism. However, the Kechara, Tzu Chi, and Buddhist Business Network do actively participate in business activities to generate their own income. The elements of calculability, predictability, control, and capitalism are significant in all the three organisations’ business involvement too. Overall, this study has indirectly highlighted the similarities and differences of the five selected contemporary Buddhist organisations in Malaysia with respect to their structure of organisation and business involvement based on Weber’s concepts of rationalisation.

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