All articles of culture in Sabah

10Nov

Local traditional foods can be tourist draw: Kamarlin

KOTA KINABALU: The local traditional foods can be promoted as one of Sabah's tourism products. "Tourists visiting our country do not just enjoy our beautiful nature, traditions and cultures but also like to get a taste of our local delicacies," said Tourism, Culture and Environment Assistant Minister Datuk Kamarlin Ombi. "I have seen tourists who are willing to pay a large sum of money just to learn how to make the traditional food ambuyat," he said. According to him, the Ministry welcomes people as well as tourists to experience and taste the traditional cultures and delicacies of the various ethnic groups in Sabah. "Therefore, the co-operation between Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) and the Government is important to promote our local delicacies," he said, adding that he believed the collaboration will gain success through the university's academic manpower. Kamarlin said this when officiating at the Sabah Ethnic Traditional Appreciation Day in the UMS Food Science and Nutrition Faculty, here, Thursday. He said Malaysia has diverse traditional delicacies with each state having its own way of cooking as well as recipes. "For example, Melaka is famous for its sour and spicy food whereas Sabah is famous for local traditional foods such as hinava, ambuyat, noonsom, tuhau, butod and others. "In Sabah alone, we have a total of 35 ethnic groups and there are lots of traditional foods we can enjoy. "The university can also do its part in terms of research on whether or not these foods are halal and be consumed among Muslims," he said. Speaking on the programme, Kamarlin said it was held in order to avoid the extinction of the people's traditional cultural heritage. "Most of the young people nowadays may not recognise the traditional foods or games such as the monopuk due to the evolution of modern gadgets," he explained. "The location for this programme is strategic as there are both local and foreign students pursuing studies in the university," he said, adding that the local students could also take the opportunity to get to know the various ethnic foods served. The event that was held in conjunction with the 20th UMS anniversary celebration also saw demonstrations in preparing local foods, research exhibition as well as traditional game competitions. There were a total of six booths showcasing the traditional foods of the Kadazan, Bajau, Sukang, Dusun, Suang Lotud and Iranun people. Source: Daily Express
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31Oct

Overseas promotion next year for local handicraft

KOTA KINABALU: Local handcraft entrepreneurs will have the opportunity to promote their products in overseas markets next year. This will be facilitated for them through the Overseas Entrepreneurship Incentive Programme 2015 under the Malaysia Craft Entrepreneurship Unit. "There will be a total of 11 overseas expositions next year and we will offer free assistance to those handcraft entrepreneurs involved," said Malaysia Craft Development Corporation Sabah Branch Director Abd Rahman Omar. He also said the programme is organised under the Malaysia Craft Entrepreneurship Unit. "The programme will allow local handicraft entrepreneurs to participate in the overseas promotion. "However, they must first be registered and own licences. The value of their products must also be more than RM10,000," he said, adding that their products must be of high quality and will be monitored. Abd Rahman said this during a press conference on the Craft 2014 Promotion from Oct 23 to Nov 2 at 1Borneo Hypermall, here, Tuesday. Meanwhile, Tourism, Culture and Environment Assistant Minister Datuk Pang Yuk Ming said the promotion programme would enable local craft entrepreneurs to market their products besides helping with the development of the craft industry in Sabah. According to him, there has been an increase in the number of local handicraft entrepreneurs as well as its sales from the year 2012 to 2014. "In 2012, there were a total of 526 entrepreneurs which gradually increased to 1,483 in 2013 and 1,702 up till October 2014. The sales value also had increased from RM31 million in 2012 to RM56 million in 2013. Currently, the sales value is worth about RM45 million," he said, adding that he expects about RM900,000 to RM1 million in sales throughout the 10-day promotion. "The increase is probably due to the success in instilling interest in handicrafts among the people, especially those from the rural areas such as Kota Belud, Kudat and Keningau. "I hope more will have the opportunity to explore this field, especially women and those from the interior, to earn extra income," he said. The craft industry, he explained, would usually go hand in hand with the tourism industry. "There is a huge potential for local handicrafts with the development of the tourism industry in Sabah. Therefore, the Government had provided them with various incentives, outreach programmes as well as courses," Pang said, adding that handicrafts are exempted from the Goods and Services Tax (GST) which will be implemented next April. Pang also dwelled on the fallout from the disappearance of Flight MH370, the downing of MH17 as well as the series of kidnapping that occurred in the East Coast of Sabah. "We must not deny that these incidents had an impact on our tourism industry. We had expected a total of RM60 million generated through the sales of our local handicrafts this year. However, up till now, we have only earned a total of RM45 million. "This can be very challenging to most of us but we will try our best to make the best of it with just a few more months left." Pang later thanked the security forces for their effort in ensuring the safety of the people as well as the nation, especially at the East Coast of Sabah. Resource:  Daily Express
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24Oct

Gong Festival 2014

241014 YB Datuk Seri Panglima Masidi Manjun launching the 2014 Gong Festival at Matunggong's Open Hall on 23rd October 2014. This is an annual festival listed in the Sabah Tourism Calendar to attract more visitors to the small district of Matunggong. Seen in the photo, YB Datuk Seri Panglima Masidi Manjun visiting one of the exhibition booths at the festival. YB Datuk Seri Panglima Masidi Manjun telah merasmikan acara Pesta Gong 2014 bertempat di Dewan Terbuka Matunggong pada 23hb Oktober 2014. Acara tersebut merupakan acara tahunan yang telah diletakkan dalam kalendar pelancongan Sabah yang bertujuan untuk menarik lebih ramai pelancong ke Daerah Kecil Matunggong. Kelihatan dalam gambar, YB Datuk Seri Panglima Masidi Manjun melawat gerai-gerai pameran yang ada bersempena dengan acara tersebut. 
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09Oct

Duo on environmental, humanitarian walk

KOTA KINABALU: Two men, each carrying 20kg of backpack, decided to walk 2,500 kilometres from Tawau to Kuching to raise awareness on positive environmental and humanitarian projects in Borneo. The duo, David Atthowe, 25, from Norfolk England, and Yusep Sukmana, 24, from Bandung Indonesia, calling themselves the Nomadic Lion, attended a press conference here yesterday after 47 days of walking from Tawau to Kota Kinabalu, which covers a distance of 780 kilometres. Their planned journey which will cover Sabah, Sarawak, and Brunei, will take about five months and will be made into a documentary focusing on positive environmental and humanitarian projects and solutions. Walking and relying solely on the help of people they meet along the way for food and hospitality, David, the founder of Nomadic Lion, said they had been blessed as the people they meet here (Sabah) are very helpful and supportive towards their cause. “We share positive stories when learning from the locals here. We focus a lot in documenting our journey and take pictures every day to spread the positivity to the world through the social media,” he said, giving an example that the duo had made the Society for the Deaf in Lahad Datu known to the public. The project in Borneo is the second walking mission for the duo after completing a 1,100 kilometer-walk in Peninsular Malaysia in February. “I am passionate about this part of the world and to help people and nature here. We chose Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo to be the venue of our first two projects because they have one of the oldest rainforests in the world and their precious resources,” David said, while pointing out that the people here are incredibly diverse, especially in Borneo. To date, David’s cause has received an increasing number of followers on social media, including its website (www.nomadiclion.com) and Facebook. Commenting on his experience gained from the journey, David said he found Peninsular Malaysia very different from Sabah in terms of culture and its people. “The Borneo people are more similar to those in Kalimantan. In the peninsula, they have a completely different culture compared to Sabah. It is like being in two different countries. “A lot of people say we are crazy, but we are very passionate about raising awareness as we progress on the walk via our website, social media activities and engaging local people every day, to talk to them about local positive projects,” he explained. Commenting on their success, David said the walk took 47 days and was tough going at times. “We were lucky that we have not encountered serious challenges, and we were continuously supported and spurred on by the warm welcome and generosity of the Malaysian people we met on our route,” he explained. As for David’s partner in the project, Yusep, a student majoring in literature, said he loved the culture, customs and tradition of Sabahans, especially their music. “I love to see different traditional music genres in different places, which reflect their colourful cultures. I am passionate about music and I love to see how people unite through it,” he said. Their walk began in Tawau on August 22, and has taken them to Semporna, Kunak, Lahad Datu, Sandakan, Telupid, Ranau, up Mount Kinabalu, and to Kota Kinabalu. From Kota Kinabalu, they will be going through Brunei before entering Sarawak and walking all the way down to Kuching, where they will finish their journey in February next year. Throughout their journey, they will visit a number of conservation projects, education projects, community empowerment projects and national parks. The have visited the PKPKM (Sabah Society for underprivileged children), which is a project working to help provide education to stateless children around Semporna, as well as the Danum Valley Reforestation Project, Sun Bear Conservation Centre, Kinabalu International School, and the Mescot community. The Nomadic Lion has received a few sponsors locally so far, including from the Sabah Tourism Board, United Sikh, Goldheart Project, Gerakh Sikh, Leap Spiral, PACOS, and three sponsors from London, namely Transglobe Expedition Trust, Water-to-go Foundation, and Naturya. Also present at the press conference was Sabah Tourism Board chairman (STB), Datuk Joniston Bangkuai, who commented that STB was very happy to be sponsoring the Nomadic Lion’s walk.
Source: Borneo Post
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29Sep

Beads still important part of ethnic culture

KOTA KINABALU: Beads were and still are an important component of the culture of indigenous people in the State, said Sabah Museum Director Joanna Kitingan. She said apart from being a cultural symbol of their ethnic identity, beads as part of people's attire as personal adornment is a visual collective expression of an ethnic group. "In the old days such beads were used as currency and also for other purposes such as for the exchange of goods in barter trade, bridewealth payments (dowry), ritual practices and as a status symbol in traditional societies. "We have hundreds of such indigenous traditional beads in our museum collection. Aside from their value as significant heirloom objects, they also serve as a variety of functions and use. "Those endowed with spiritual power are used as ritual paraphernalia. Others were used as collateral or currency or worn as a display of beauty and as an indicator of wealth and prominence in society." She said this at a talk entitled "Importance of beads in our society" at the Sabah Society secretariat in Damai, which focused on Rungus and Murut beads. "Today we are displaying some of the beads which are important in communities such as Rungus, Murut, Lundayeh and Lotud, for example, from our Sabah Museum collection here as part of our efforts to preserve the traditional indigenous cultures of the State." The Museum began acquiring the collection since 1965. She said some of the most expensive beads are typically heirloom beads made of Carnelian or Agate and that some of these heirloom beads can even cost more than the price of three buffaloes, especially beads that have been used in ritual ceremonies. Such old beads are believed to carry potent spiritual powers or possess guardian spirits and are such treated with respect and stored properly. However, in conclusion, she said these days the role of such beads has changed over time with most beads being now used as a adornments for traditional costumes rather than as an indicator of status symbols in society. Later the participants of the talk numbering more than a dozen people comprising Sabah Society members and the public were invited to examine the museum's collection of traditional beads and also purchase contemporary beadwork for sale there. Source: Daily Express
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