Kampung Names

When two or three people frequently share the use of a meaningful word, a term or a catch-word and or a phrase, an established name of a tree, a name of an animal or a bird or a sound made by each kind, to name a specific place, a river, a tree or even an invented thing, then that frequently used word, term, catch-word or phrase becomes a naturally agreed name for the specific place, river, vegetation and man-made thing.

People of long ago called Kampung Babagon as Kampung Babagon because of the need to commonly refer to the same specific place and to avoid a misunderstanding or a miscommunication in the course of a conversation or an information giving. The Kampung is bigger than a specific spot or a place, for example,. The name “Babagon” was used to call the river that passed through the kampung. Since the early inhabitants of the kampung needed water as their source of life then they stayed closeby the river. They called their Kampung after the name of the river or they called the river after their frequently repeated, agreed and shared knowledge. This naming process is thus argued as established as such especially when the name-word functioned as an action, inter-confusing itself as an adverbial word.

Let us try to follow the following assumed-set scenario. It had been the practice of the uphill people, the Liwan, the Tagahas, and other tribal fellow men and women from the uphill jungle places in between Penampang and Tambunan, to come down to Penampang in search for salt and other subsistence needs. They have, through the course of time, even established and left their rutted trails, the now-made-famous Salt Trail, which cut through the now-established Kampung Babagon.

Gosou: Saira’ katuu yati’ mibok?

When are we leaving?

Lingkid: Sumarapi kosuabon suab.

Early tomorrow morning.

Gosou: Id nonggoo yolo mindad ka?

Where are they waiting?

Lingkid: Hilood bababagon toriirimo, tisan di bawang o babagon kati.

At the usual rest-place, we louse at the river bank.

Gosou: Poiloon ngawi’ toinsanan, yo kosumandakan ngawi’, mimang tokou babag hilod tisan bawang

bababagon toriirimo do sodop suab.

Tell the others, the women too, that we would casually louse around at the usual river-bank rest place

tomorrow evening.

To “babag” oneself is to simply throw oneself down in such disorderly manner so as to rest. To “babag” ones’ own bags could literally mean to simply throw ones’ own bag on the couch or at a corner of a room. The word has now been turned into a Proper Noun to name the river where the travellers used to “babag” themselves. The river, now called Babagon river, got its name in such manner. When the travellers no longer spent the night by the river but in the houses of the original inhabitants staying closeby the river, the name “Babagon” was then used to call the kampung as Kampung Babagon.