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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 paraphernalia that weighed up to three kilograms up to the summit. Sir Low also mentioned that his guide slaughter a chicken once they reach the top in a ritualistic manner. From known local knowledge, these rituals were performed to appease the spirits that dwell there and the mountain itself. Nowadays, a ceremony is conducted annually by the Kinabalu Park’s guides. Seven chicken and eggs, cigars, betel nuts, sirih leaves, lime, and rice are sacrificed and later enjoyed by the guides.
There is also another story that tells the tale of how the mountain got it’s name. This of course is a personal story that is always on my mind which I find very interesting about the mountain. When I was a small boy, a very distant aunt told me that there was a Kadazandusun legend about Mount Kinabalu. She said that a Chinese prince from a faraway land came to Borneo a long time ago in seach for a huge pearl that lies atop the mountain. However, the pearl was guarded by the mountain’s guardian, a ferocious dragon. However, the dragon had a friend. This friend of his was a young and beautiful Kadazan woman. So, in order to get the pearl, the Chinese prince unfeelingly marries the Kadazan woman and with the sacred bond he had with the dragon’s friend, the prince hoped the dragon would not hurt him. With that thought in mind, the prince went up to the mountain and grabbed the pearl. The dragon was of course enraged and he cared little between the bond the prince had with his friend. So with the pearl in his hand, the prince ran back to his ship from atop the mountain with the dragon chasing him from behind. The prince succeeded in stealing the pearl as he got to his ship with his men and sailed back to China, but in doing so he abandons his wife. His wife, heart-shattered, went up to the mountain and wept till she turned into stone. My aunt told me, the wife became the peak. The wife became a widow by her husband’s departure in a way. And so from this tale, the mountain’s name comes from the derivation of Kina means ‘Cina’ in Malay which translates to ‘Chinese' and Balu means 'widow’. From this story I’ve always thought that’s the reason why many Kadazandusuns look a bit Chinese in a way. Maybe some of the prince’s men stayed and married the locals and have their own family in Sabah. That’s always a thought in my head.](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_sMb4zqYRvj2c29MFDqz0r7yEjRAD77DP2BPymsZCkEb3sJb1FkvFEEzOh8yuh2hrfUZVLYgXvP3lrQhHI4vJtOmh3FeBI8sZ2kZIe9p5FrIWf0-ipKmP_DVaUEwG0wfXEUyPnqB4e5AzBeK5Qa6ptQxOfrx1Hc9SZ83Q1ircm51t0=s0-d)
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 paraphernalia that weighed up to three kilograms up to the summit. Sir Low also mentioned that his guide slaughter a chicken once they reach the top in a ritualistic manner. From known local knowledge, these rituals were performed to appease the spirits that dwell there and the mountain itself. Nowadays, a ceremony is conducted annually by the Kinabalu Park’s guides. Seven chicken and eggs, cigars, betel nuts, sirih leaves, lime, and rice are sacrificed and later enjoyed by the guides.
There is also another story that tells the tale of how the mountain got it’s name. This of course is a personal story that is always on my mind which I find very interesting about the mountain. When I was a small boy, a very distant aunt told me that there was a Kadazandusun legend about Mount Kinabalu. She said that a Chinese prince from a faraway land came to Borneo a long time ago in seach for a huge pearl that lies atop the mountain. However, the pearl was guarded by the mountain’s guardian, a ferocious dragon. However, the dragon had a friend. This friend of his was a young and beautiful Kadazan woman. So, in order to get the pearl, the Chinese prince unfeelingly marries the Kadazan woman and with the sacred bond he had with the dragon’s friend, the prince hoped the dragon would not hurt him. With that thought in mind, the prince went up to the mountain and grabbed the pearl. The dragon was of course enraged and he cared little between the bond the prince had with his friend. So with the pearl in his hand, the prince ran back to his ship from atop the mountain with the dragon chasing him from behind. The prince succeeded in stealing the pearl as he got to his ship with his men and sailed back to China, but in doing so he abandons his wife. His wife, heart-shattered, went up to the mountain and wept till she turned into stone. My aunt told me, the wife became the peak. The wife became a widow by her husband’s departure in a way. And so from this tale, the mountain’s name comes from the derivation of Kina means ‘Cina’ in Malay which translates to ‘Chinese' and Balu means 'widow’. From this story I’ve always thought that’s the reason why many Kadazandusuns look a bit Chinese in a way. Maybe some of the prince’s men stayed and married the locals and have their own family in Sabah. That’s always a thought in my head.
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