Published on: Friday, May 07, 2010 |
Kota Kinabalu: Tourists from Russia and Penang couldn't stop raving about Sabah's unique living cultural heritage on show in conjunction with the Sabah Fest 2010, at Sabah Museum's Heritage Village.
"It is very interesting and stimulating experience because I am looking at a life style which is totally different from what I know in Russia," said Moscow hailed teen, Julia, in her first trip to Sabah with her parents.
"There is nothing like this we know of in Russia," said Julia, through her interpreter, Oleg, after emerging from the Rungus long house where they saw women donned with massive leg and neck brass coil accessories.
Lucky Julia got the treat of her life because her father, Vicheslav, decided Sabah was where he wanted to go to celebrate his wedding anniversary to his wife and brought her along.
Penang hailed professionals, Josephine Chan Le Lyn and Ooi Bee Hoon, were equally spirited in their comments.
"This is a very good experience for tourists," said English teacher Josephine cum an Administrative Manager at Disted, Penang.
"It brings the culture closer to the visitors and also shows Sabah has such a rich melting pot of cultures," she added.
"Their traditional costumes are very nice with intricate designs and from the beads alone you can see all their endlessly different ways of using them," Josephine said.
"Just visiting the museum alone can be boring after a few visits but when you have a display of your living heritage like this, it creates interest," Josephine raved on.
"The moment you enter the Heritage Village you can feel the cultural ambience.
On the outrageous leg and neck brass coils worn by the Rungus women, Josephine said: "It is a unique tradition. I really admire the elder women who keep up their tradition and not let their culture die off."
Josephine's best friend, Ooi, a Purchasing Officer with an American company, is a first visitor to Sabah.
"This proves to be the best place to see Sabah's different types of cultures because one village explains it all and reveal the life style of the people," noted Ooi who said the reason for her maiden visit to the State was to bring her mother, Khor Choo Siew, to visit her best friend Untie Imm whom she had not seen for more than 30 years.
"From here, we get to know the ethnic and cultural background of Sabah," Ooi added.
"I took the opportunity to take my mom to the Heritage Village to help her understand Sabah's cultures," Ooi said.
Meanwhile, Sabah Museum Assistant Senior Research Curator, Judeth John Baptiste, said that the Rungus priestesses will perform their traditional healing rituals at the replica long house daily between May 7- 9 while other rarely seen ethnic groups from remote Sabah, such as the Nabai and Paluan sub Murut groups from Keningau and Sook respectively, the Kwijau Dusuns, the Bajau Kubang from Semporna etc, will intensify their performances in their replica houses, especially on the coming Saturday and Sunday (May 8-9).
In addition, there will be special cultural stage shows at 10am and 3pm on those two days at the lake-side mini theatre.
