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Traditional Wedding in Borneo


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Borneo focus

Text by Benjamin D Golimbi General Manager / Director DYNAMIC TOURS TRAVEL & INCENTIVE PTE LTD e-mail: [email protected] @ March 2009 Edition

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Borneo

, the third largest island in the world, is administratively divided into four political regions – Kalimantan, which

belongs to Indonesia; Sabah and Sarawak, which are part of Malaysia; and a small remaining region, which comprises the sultanate of Brunei. Borneo is also the world’s sixth highest island, with the mighty Mt Kinabalu in Sabah, rising to an elevation of 4,095 metres above sea level to form the highest peak in Southeast Asia. The island has its fair share of environmental problems. Excessive logging has been a major problem for many years, and oil palm plantations have appropriated large sections of the rainforest to the detriment of wildlife. A growing recognition of Borneo’s ancient rainforests and exceptional flora and fauna has therefore led to the formation of many eco-friendly tourism initiatives. From its rocky pinnacles and misty rainforests, to its raging rivers, mangrove-encrusted shores and coral reefs, this living Eden boasts a rich biodiversity, and is home to around 15,000 species of flowering plants, including many rare orchids, and the rafflesia, which measures a metre in width and emits a foul, pungent odour! Known as ‘The Island in the Clouds’, Borneo is the centre of evolution and radiation of many endemic forest species including the Borneo Pygmy Elephant, the Sumatran Rhinoceros and the Clouded Leopard. The rainforest, with trees towering up to 75 metres, is also the only natural habitat of the endangered Bornean orangutan, while the island’s surrounding coastal waters support a magnificent ecosystem flourishing with marine life, corals and species of turtle. Borneo, therefore, sets the scene for intrepid adventure, presenting great opportunities for wildlife observation, mountain climbing, rainforest trekking, and river rafting. Diving is particularly good off East Sarawak and the islands of Sabah. Consider climbing Mt Kinabalu. Always the high point of an adventure holiday! You will need to allow two days to climb and descend the mountain, and if you are lucky enough to have a clear morning sky, the views from the summit are quite amazing.

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Traditional Wedding in BORNEO! All our tour programs are tailor made, to meet your expectation….

The Murut are an indigenous ethnic group inhabiting northern inland regions of Borneo. A large percentage of the Murut communities are in the southwest interior of Sabah, east Malaysia, specifically the districts of Keningau, Tenom and Nabawan Pensiangan, along the Sapulut and Padas Rivers. The literal translation of murut is "hill people". The group is divided between lowland (Timugon) and highland (Tagol) subgroups. They speak the Murutic languages, a branch of the Austronesian family. The Tagol Murut language serves as their lingua franca. The Murut were the last of Sabah's ethnic groups to renounce headhunting. As with the Iban of Sarawak, collecting heads of enemies traditional served a very important role in Murut spiritual beliefs. For example, a man could only get married after he presented at least one head to the family of the desired girl. The Murut were shifting cultivators of hill padi and tapioca, supplementing their diet with blowpipe hunting and with some fishing. They live in communal longhouses, usually near rivers, using the rivers as their highways. Traditional dress for men was a jacket made of tree bark (Artocarpus tamaran), a red loincloth, and a headdress decorated with Argus pheasant feathers. Women wore a black sleeveless blouse and sarong, which fell just below the knees. Like most of the other indigenous groups in Sabah, the Murut decorated their clothing with distinctive beadwork and also made belts out of old silver coins. Another belt made of reddish-brown glass beads plus a yellow and blue bead is hung loosely around the waist. Murut wedding or funeral feasts can last several days. Ancient Chinese jars hold a prominent status in Murut customs. Jars are also a place of spirits, and larger jars were formerly used as coffins….stories continue…

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