Named for Mt. Kinabalu, the countries highest mountain. Kota Kinabalu is the capital of the Malaysian state of Sabah. Today’s modern city was built after Jesselton was destroyed during WWII. Mt Kinabalu is one of Malaysia’s first national parks and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It has lush and mountainous terrain. I did not see orangutans and all 4,500 other species of flora and fauna.
Interesting facts: Bornea is the third largest island on the planet. Head hunting was common until the 20th century.
Male orangutan’s cheeks grow puffier with age. There are 15,000 different plant species in Borneo. Orangutans and pygmy Borneo elephants are nearly extinct. A lot of rain forests are being cut for several reasons. Ethnic and religious influences can be seen in architecture. Examples include striped minerettes and striped domes.
During WWII, most towns were destroyed.
We went to Mari Mari Village and learned about several indigenous tribes. Crossed a rope and board bridge to get to the village deep in a remote forest. Visited the ethnic communities of the Sabahan people and were provided a fascinating glimpse of the island’s traditional ways. The average Malaysian long house has 20 to 60 doors, each representing one family. We visited the residents in their homes and saw many traditions. Each home was built to represent a tribe. We tasted rice wine, honey, fried dough treats, corn, moonshine, cooking in bamboo tubes, rope making, cloth making from bark, pandan juice. We saw the making of a blowpipe, starting a fire with bamboo, dancing on a handmade Lansaran (traditional trampoline-like floor), how cloth is made from tree bark and the importance of tattoos within their culture. Our elected leader offered a greeting with a tribe leader. A lively performance at the conclusion of our visit offered dance demonstrations from each of the five tribes with music by an interesting collection of instruments.
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| Dancers from different Sabah tribes have different costumes. Some are plain, some are embroidered and some are more conservative than others probably due to the influence of missionaries. |
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| Female dancers are stepping between moving bamboo sticks during this part of the performance. Kinikling. |
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| I am not familiar with this instrument but it has a sound similar to a guitar, but no strings. |
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| Embroidered costumes and largest headdresses. |
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| This tribe used the blow pipe. They were also cannibals in earlier times eating their enemies. |
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