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Showing posts from January, 2015

Mythology of Borneo / Sabah - Mount Kinabalu [Part 1]

Information on the picture: it is drawn by Yeng Kiat [ source ] Mount Kinabalu’s (Malay:  Gunung Kinabalu ) [pronounced ki-na-bah-lu] name is a mystery to this day even among the locals. Because to each family, and to each person living in the state of Sabah the origin of the mountain’s name have their own different meaning. However, there is a common derivation of the name from the Kadazan words that is well known among the people of Sabah (mind you, the Kadazans aren’t the Dusuns, and the Dusuns aren’t the Kadazans, and there is an abundance of people living in the state),  Aki Nabalu , meaning ‘the revered place of the dead’. The local Kadazandusuns believe that when they pass away, their spirits will climb the mountain top and dwell there. Sir Hugh Low , a British colonial administrator and naturalist made the first documneted ascent to Kinabalu and he reported that his Kadazandusun guide carried an assortment of charms such as pieces of wood, human teeth, and other