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Sabah
(known as the Land of the Wind) is a wonderfully exotic state in Malaysia, on the island of Borneo. Covering 72,300
square kilometres, Sabah's rich cultural heritage and diverse ecology make it a perfect place to explore pristine rainforest,
mangrove covered coastline and South east Asia's highest mountain.
Sabah is famous for its diverse wildlife, including proboscis
monkeys, orang-utans, Pygmy elephants, bearded pigs, hornbills and sea turtles.
Orang-utans (a
combination of the Orang meaning people and Hutan meaning forest) are an endangered species endemic to the jungles of Borneo and Northern Sumatra and they are the
only representatives of the great apes living outside Central Africa.
The biggest threat
to the survival of Borneo's rainforest and Orang-utan populations is deforestation related to Palm-oil production.
The Friends of the Earth Trust, the Orang-utan Foundation, the Sumatran Orang-utan Society and the Borneo Orang-utan Survival
Foundation helped to fund research that resulted in a publication called The Oil for Ape Scandal.
We may be able
to visit the Sepilok Orang-utan rehabilitation centre in Sabah where we can watch the great apes feeding.
Contact with humans is limited as the aim is release the apes back into the wild.
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The rainforests are very diverse and home to some remarkable plants
and animals.
The worlds largest flower is the Rafflesia and can reach a width of over 50cm, it blossoms for only 24 hours
before it dies. Finding this elusive flower is a botanists dream. |
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Borneo is also home to Malays, Chinese, Indians, Eurasians and over 32 indigenous tribes such
as the Rungus and Murut (head-hunters) with over 80 different dialects are spoken.
The Muruts (translates to "hill people") are a collection
of about 12 different sub-groups and live in the hilly south-western region of Sabah and are the third largest indigenous
group in Sabah - Northern Borneo. They are also agrarian hunter-gatherers who often shift locations and settle in more
remote areas of Tenom, Keningau, and Pensiangan.
They also live in community longhouses near rivers and were
the last of Sabah's ethnic peoples to renounce head hunting They were renowned as hunters and even today, it is rare
to see a Murut on foot without several hunting dogs in tow. The Murut have adopted modern housing, but they still retain
one important element of the longhouse in the village Balai Raya (community hall): the lansaran, an ingenious wooden trampoline
that adds a very special touch to Murut celebrations.
The largest indigenous group are the Kadazandusun who live
primarily on the west coast and interior of the island. There are rice growers whose ritual life ties in with the harvest
of the rice crop. The ritual celebrations involve complex ceremonies presided over by priestess who chant prayers in
native language. Among the Kadazandusun, the Rungus people still follow their traditional lifestyle and live in the
northwest of Sabah and are renowned for their skill in weaving baskets; the Rungus not only make some of the finest baskery
in the state but also weave fabrics, do intricate beadwork and fashion metal gongs used in ceremonies. It is possible
for visitors to taste the traditional longhouse life in Bavanggazo, a small settlement south of Kudat. |
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The Orang-Sungei are the 'river people' and live in the
north and centre of sabah and along with the Ida'an converted to Islam in the 15th century. In the past the burial practice
of these groups involved the use of caves and it it is still possible to remains in caves and overhangs along the Sabah's
east coast and in the Danum Valley. The Ida'an also harvest the caves, gathering nest from limestone caves between Semporna
and Lahad Datu. The nest are gathered twice a year and the small village at the mouth of the cave bustles with collectors,
owners of rights to harvest, traders, cooks and families.
The Bajau settled along the east and west coast
after crossing the Sulu Sea. The people of the west coast are famous for their colourfully costumes and skill as horsemen.
Their animals, mainly buffaloes, cattle and horse, are traded at the Tamu (market) at Kota Belud. The Bajau Laut
are of the east coast and speak a different dialect. There are Sae Gypies who have only recently adopted a more settled
lifestyle. Their traditional homes were on their Lipa-Liap boats and the only visits to shore were to gather wood and
water and to bury their dead. The people of this coast celebrate the Lipa-Lipa festival where boats are decorated for
races. Traditional games and dances are also performed. |
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Among the tribes in Borneo, tattooing was mainly associated with headhunting (a visible sign of success) for
men and the coming of age of women - in some cases it symbolizes their social status. Tattoos are part of the "rites of passage"
and next to blackened teeth and long ear-lobes, intricate tattoos on fingers, hands, lower arms, thighs, calves, and feet
served asimportant elements of beauty for women. The darker the colour, the better.
The practice of head hunting has symbolic meaning that
is shown in tattoo style and location of on the body. Men who have fought or taken risky expeditions were tattooed from
the shoulders to the pit of the stomach, and all down the arms three-parallel stripes to the waist. The risky expeditions
may have been for the purpose of head hunting.
A result of head hunting were star tattoos on the front
of the shoulder, above the breast, are often seen... each star denoted a head having been taken. When the third had been taken,
another star was placed on the throat; then the forearms and thighs were tattooed, but with no special design.
Murut Legend of how tattoos protected men and
women from crocodiles
A crocodile family was having difficulty in producing the
eggs needed to begin their family. The father was then sent by his wife to locate help. Not far upriver, a Murut kampong (native
village) was discovered. The father approached a woman who was cooking dinner and she apprehensively agreed, fearing that
her body would be snatched and eaten by the imposing crocodile. Together, they swam to a deep pool. The woman held on to the
father's tail and they rapidly descended into the dark water until they reached the crocodile's nest. Soon thereafter, the
Murut woman gave the ailing mother much needed advice and to the delight of the parents the eggs suddenly appeared.
The Murut woman returned to her home and because the crocodile
parents were so pleased with her efforts, they promised all the Murut that if they tattooed an image of the crocodile on each
shoulder, or two tattoos around their legs, all crocodiles would recognize them as friends and would never bring harm to them. |
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