Kota Kinabalu, Malasia 3/2/18

FACEBOOK POST Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia - Traveled to a remote forest location to visit the Mari Mari Cultural Village. Experienced a variety of ethnic communities of the Sabahan people in this one village. We learned about the island’s traditional ways while visiting different homes built to represent each tribe. Each home had young people in traditional tribal garb doing the demonstrations. We tasted rice wine, honey, fried dough treats, corn, moonshine, food cooked in bamboo tubes, and pandan juice. We saw making a blowpipe, a rope and cloth from bark, how to start a fire with bamboo, jumping on a handmade Lansaran (traditional trampoline-like floor), blow dart shooting and learned the importance of tattoos within their culture. At the conclusion of our visit, the young people demonstated dances from each of the five tribes. The band played an interesting collection of instruments. You can see on the right side of the picture long bamboo poles. Tinikling is a traditional dance. Two or more people slide the poles back and forth close to the floor while one or more dancers step over or between the poles. The dancers did an amazing job tinikling. The whole visit was a great educational experience and very enjoyable.

In the Mari Mari Cultural Village 4 hours  We crossed a homemade suspension bridge over a stream to experience five ethnic communities of the Sabahan people.  We were provided insight into the island’s traditional ways.  The average Malaysian long house has 20 to 60 doors, each representing one family. We visited the examples of each tribe's homes and saw many traditions.  We tasted rice wine, honey, treats, corn, moonshine, cooking in bamboo tubes, rope making, cloth making from bark, pandan juice, etc.  We saw the making a blowpipe, starting a fire with bamboo, dancing on a handmade Lansaran (traditional trampoline-like floor), how clothing is made from tree bark and the importance of tattoos within their culture.  Our elected leader offered a greeting with a tribe leader.  At the conclusion, the young people did a dance for each of the five tribes.  Very interesting and well organized day

Bridge over a stream that we crossed to get to the Mari Mari Village in Kota Kinabalu.

Authentic replication of tribal homes.  

Starting a fire with bamboo.  The shavings in the tray are bamboo and he started the fire by rubbing two bamboo sticks together.  

Making moonshine.  

This station showed us making cloth from bark.  

Pandan juice

With his partners jumping on the corners of the "trampoline dance floor", this young man easily jumped up and grabbed the prize hanging from the ceiling.  Clarification - easy for him...

I believe there were ten people from our tour jumping on the dance floor.  Kim and I were in an earlier group.  

.