Art Doesn’t Sell, this is what most Malaysians think. That’s why Malaysian parents want their children to become an engineer, doctor, accountant or other “money-making” careers. If we say we want to be an artist, our parents will worry that we would starve to death. Even in school, Malaysian students are somewhat being hint that art class is not an important subject. Creating art is the most intellectual ability that differentiate human from other animals. You won’t find monkey drawing graffiti on your wall.
Pic: this is what your parents think you do if you study art. A nice piece of street art anyway.
Art does sell. For example, a digital artwork called Huminodun by Sabah-born artist Yee I-Lann was sold for USD38,000 at Christie’s Auctions in Hong Kong in 2008. Sorry, I don’t mean artwork should be valued by a price tag , but only monetary figure can get people’s attention.
I believe there are many other local artists who make Sabahans proud too (I have to confess that I’m ignorant in this field), but they are lack of exposure and platform for their works. It’s a great news that the new building of Sabah Art Gallery was completed in Aug 2012, so more people can appreciate the artwork of these talents.
Pic: the entrance to Sabah Art Gallery (Local Name: Balai Seni Lukis Sabah)
Pic: this 4-storey Sabah Art Gallery takes USD5 millions and 2 years to construct.
I love its unique architecture. You are right if you think it looks like a basket.
The design of the building is based on the concept of Sabah’s traditional basket such as Wakid. The building itself is an art. From Feng Shui aspect, it is good because it’ll store the fortune? If you have strong interest in knowing the design concept of this building, you may watch this 5-min video which tells you why it was built this way.
The walls of Sabah Art Gallery tapering outward from the base at an angle of 30 degrees, giving it a distinctive appearance. This “basket” is holding over 3,000 pieces of art works, painting, carving, sculptures and other art collections.
Pic: the back view of Sabah Art Gallery
If you look from the air, the building is octagonal shape. Malaysia government has been pushing Art Tourism, so this building is a welcome attraction.
This building is also friendly to handicapped visitors (parking, toilet, ramp access, elevator).
You can find Sabah cultural elements from exterior to interior of Sabah Art Gallery. Like the decorative motif panels on the wall, it’s an integration of common patterns used by Dusun, Murut, Bajau, Irranun and Rungus, the indigenous people of Sabah.
The reception desk is a design by Henry Ginibum, a local artist and sculptor. That day I was the only visitor, guess many don’t know this place. Below is the entrance fee:
Malaysian 13 years & above: RM5.00 Student (Student Card): RM3.00 Child (7-12 years old): RM2.00
Non-Malaysian 13 years & above: RM15.00 (≈USD3.40) 7-12 years old: RM10.00 (≈USD2.30)
Free entrance for special needs and senior citizens
Even toilet sign also looks artistic. Hope my poop looks like a piece of art too (I admire my poop sometimes lol).
The building has 4 floors, the gallery is on 3rd and 4th floor. 3rd floor is called Public Gallery. 4th floor is known as Yaman Gallery, which is named after late Datuk Yaman, the founder of Sabah Art Gallery. He produced many art works and design (many are displayed at Yaman Gallery), including the Sabah State Crest and logo of KK City Hall (DBKK).
To save electricity, they use movement sensor light. The light will turn on when you approach the painting, but it will only last 5 or 6 seconds. It is quite strange that I have to move my body constantly to keep the light on, while checking out the painting. Hope they will make the light stays at least 1 minute.
The gallery space is spacious. They hold different exhibition every month, so visitors can appreciate fresh collection throughout the year. They also welcome local and overseas artists to rent this area to hold a forum or exhibit their art works. FYI, the rent for top floor (Yaman Gallery) is more expensive.
Note: Due to copyright, I have to blur the art works and show a small portion of them. You have to go there to see the whole piece, sorry..
There are variety of painting created by acrylic paint, Chinese ink, watercolor, pencil, intaglio (printmaking), mixed materials, etc. Sabah is a beautiful land full of natural wonders and colourful cultures, so the most common themes are flora & fauna, landscape, countryside / village life, culture, etc. Another reason is – tourists like to buy this sort of painting. Local artists love to use very bright and vibrant colors.
Sometimes bad incident can inspire artists too, like the painting above titled “The Black March Intruders”.
Pic: a cool iron sculpture called “OPS Daulat Tanduo Lahad Datu”
There are other nice clay, metal and wooden sculptures on display too in this gallery.
Pic: “Sumazau Dance” by Abdullah Ehlid Al Walid bin Luli
Some paintings are for sale, the prices range from 3 to 5 digits. I think the local art works are really undervalued, consider artists in other countries can sell each piece for a few thousands US dollars. Probably the local market is small, so they have to lower the price for a living.. FYI, Sabah Art Gallery accepts payment by cash and cheque only. If you plan to buy any painting, you have to come during government office hours (Mon-Fri: 8am-5pm), or there will be no staff to process your order.
Sabah Art Gallery is the first Green Building in Sabah (and 1st green public gallery in Malaysia) because it uses various methods and technologies to save energy and water. e.g. solar panels, movement sensor light, rain water harvesting system, good heat insulation. The translucent roof also allows more sunlight to lit up the interior.
Pic: old location of Sabah Art Gallery
Just to let you know that some outdated websites would point Sabah Art Gallery to its old building next to Sabah State Museum (see photo above). The new Sabah Art Gallery is located near Malaysia Archive and JKKN Sabah Complex (see location map). Below is the latest contact and info of Sabah Art Gallery:
Sumazau is the iconic dance of Sabah. It’s a traditional dance originated from the Kadazan and Dusun (or Kadazandusun) people, the largest indigenous group of Sabah. The dancers imitate the eagle in flight by stretching their arms to both sides and swing them up and down like bird wings. Usually Sumazau is danced in group of male and female partner as pairs, who move with rhythm of beating of gong and drum. Normally Sumazau is performed in cultural events and celebrations.
Sumazau dance on the stage during a cultural show. Crowd would be invited to join after the first dance.
Sumazau is a generic term for “dance” in Kadazan. It can be called Sumayau, Mongigol and Maragang in other Kadazandusun tribes and it comes with several styles (more on this later). The most classic version is by Kadazan Penampang, one of the sub-ethnic of Kadazandusun living in west coast of Sabah. When Malaysians talk about Sabah, an image of Kadazan Penampang couples dancing Sumazau would appear in their mind.
The “standard Sumazau” by Kadazan Penampang. Sumazau can be called Sumayau, Mongigol and Maragang in other Kadazandusun tribes with variations in music, costumes and movements.
Why Sabahans dance Sumazau?
Sumazau is mainly performed during wedding, festivals, celebrations, social or tourism events, and welcoming of dignitaries. It’s also a must-try dance for tourists who want to experience the colourful cultures of Sabah. Overall, Sumazau is a happy dance so you won’t see people dance Sumazau with sad faces.
Which girl you would like to dance Sumazau with? Leave your choice in comment section.
As a matter of fact, Sumazau is also a sacred dance links to rituals and religious ceremonies. The traditional belief of Kadazan divides the living place into supernatural world and physical world. Both worlds have rules in order to maintain a peaceful balance. If any wrongdoing causes the imbalance, troubles such as illness, infertility of livestock and unproductive farmlands would hit human. If this happens, Bobohizan (high priestess of Kadazan) would be called to restore the balance between the worlds by performing rituals with long poetic chants and Sumazau that bridges the worlds.
Sumazau can be performed to heal sickness by dancing around a group of people sitting under blankets who suffer from bad dreams and illnesses.
The following are some ceremonial functions of Sumazau dance:
To restore the well-being of “Bambaazon” (rice spirit), to ensure a bountiful harvest
Summon the spirits in the spiritual world to cure illness
Celebrate a triumphant return from head-hunting
To appease the house spirit guardian (miontong) so things get back to normal
Sumazau is a living Kadazandusun heritage and the state of Sabah’s dance.
Traditional Attire of Sumazau
Though Sabahans can dance Sumazau in T-shirt and slippers, an appropriate and authentic attire is important for an elegant presentation of Sumazau. In formal setting, dancers dress in their traditional Kadazandusun costumes. For Kadazan Penampang, it’s the black dress with gold trimmings. Male wears Siga, a headgear folded by handwoven cloth in a distinctive way. Female wears silver belts (Himpogot) and brass belts (Tangkong) over their waist and hip. And they dance with barefoot. Everything looks like the old days (except girl’s armpit is shaved).
Traditional outfit and accessories of Sumazau dancers in formal or cultural occasions.
As the accessories for Sumazau, female wears Selendang (Husob), the folded plain, batik or sarong cloth made into one or two sashes cross over both shoulders. Husob can be any colour, red and yellow are the popular choices. All female dancers wear the same colour of selendang in a dance, but bride can be different, just to be special.
Sumazau is also danced in wedding. In the circle are the bride and groom. This is a mock wedding in a tourism event.
Men dancers have a bunch of dried and curly fan, licuala palm or sago (Hisad or Silad) leaves hanging by their side like pom-pom. It’s called Sandangon (or Sansandangon), which is believed to possess talismanic powers to ward off evil spirit and spells.
Sumazau is often performed during ritual and social occasions, with the males partnering the females.
Dance Moves and Music of Sumazau
Sumazau consists of two basic dance moves. In the first move, usually starts in the beginning, the dancer steps from side to side, shifting weight from one foot to another, while gently swinging the arms at the sides to the beats of the gongs. In the second moves, the dancer lifts the heels slightly, with both arms raised slowly and stretched out slightly lower than shoulders, with hands swinging gracefully up and down to simulate flapping wings. While moving, dancers bounce and heave their bodies gently by bending the knee and pumping the heels like a spring in a simple one-two (up-down) rhythmic movement. Just watch the video below and you will get the idea.
During the dance, Sumazau dancers do different formations such as circle, double rows, split and regroup and changing partners. They always dance in pairs and there is no limit on group size, in fact the more the merrier. Throughout the dance, you would hear spontaneous outbursts of the pangkis (loud cry) from time to time. It’s a show of energy, and also serves as a signal to change formation. The rhythm of Sumazau movement is from the music and beats from sompogogungan, the musical ensemble comprised of six hanging gongs and a gandang / gendang drum.
The music band for Sumazau is call Sompogogungan, which uses six hanging gongs and a drum in standard setting. In this photo is Tambunan musical ensemble, which uses eight gongs. Its music is called tinondot and have faster tempo.
Sumazau and Sabah Songs
Sumazau is deeply rooted in Sabah culture, Sumazau to Sabahans is like Samba to Brazilians. You can bet that many famous Sabah songs are of “Sumazau genre”. Just listen to some of them, for example, Anak Kampung, Sayang Kinabalu, Sumandak Sabah, Original Sabahan, Jambatan Tamparuli, and Sumandak Kinabalu, Sabahans will feel the distinctive beats and rhythm that make them want to dance Sumazau.
Most Sabah songs are “Sumazau ready” so you can dance Sumazau while singing, like this chorus.
When you are invited…
Everyone from young to old can dance Sumazau, tourists and outsiders are invited to follow too sometimes. For gentleman, if a girl hangs a Sandangon over your shoulder to invite you to Sumazau, it’s a great honour and please don’t refuse (you don’t need to marry her if you accept the invitation, just for your info). In formal occasions, only VIPs and guests with Sandangon can do the opening dance. The rest will join after the first dance, beginning with the elderly men and women and then the young people.
When a Sandangon is passed to you, you must dance Sumazau once the gong beating starts. Only VIP and dignitaries deserve such honour.
Don’t worry if you don’t know Sumazau. Just have fun and swing your arms up and down like a flying bird. Nobody will judge you. Having a couple of Tapai or Lihing wine would improve your moves.
Tourists have fun bobbing around with T-pose
Cultural Heritage of Malaysia
Sumazau dance is officially listed as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Malaysia in 2007, under the federal and state laws (National Heritage Act, 2005, and the Sabah Cultural Heritage (Conservation) Enactment, 1997).
Sumazau can be a folk dance or sacred dance, depend on the purposes of the performance.
Sumazau is a universal dance among Sabahans, but it comes with different styles. For example, my favourite variation is Tambunan Sumazau (Maragang) by Dusun Liwan. It’s more fast-paced, the gong beating is more uplifting (7 or 8 gong are used, other than 6), and female dancers have more feminine movement and outfit.
Dusun Liwan from Tambunan is also a champion of Sumazau dance, with unique gong music and girls have more elegant movement. They call the dance Maragang.
Depends on the performance types, some Sumazau would include some creative elements such as prop (e.g. basket, farming tools) and drama for story-telling. The following is a playlist of 16 different Sumazau styles (it also contains some playful ones) for your enjoyment. (you can click Forward button to skip to next video):
Different styles of Sumazau from different districts and Kadazandusun sub-ethnic in Sabah. Sumazau is a generic term for Kadazandusun dances (with flying movement).
Sabah, without Sumazau, is not Sabah. If you want to see or try Sumazau, the best time to watch is in May, the harvest festival (Kaamatan) month of Sabah, especially the Kaamatan Grand Finale at KDCA Penampang (Hongkod Koisaan) on 30 and 31 May every year.
You know this graffiti corner if you live in Kota Kinabalu city (KK). It’s the ruin of a nearly 100 years old British Colonial building (a.k.a. Old Welfare Building or Old Land & Survey Building) constructed between 1918 and late 1920. Unfortunately, though it survived the bombing during WWII, it was blazed by fire in 1992, otherwise it would be another great heritage building in KK.
Pic: the remnant of abandoned former Welfare Building behind HSBC Bank
Now this site is unofficially known as Sabah Art Gallery Art Space, which serves as an outdoor gallery for community art projects.
Former Land and Survey Department building burnt down on December 31st 1992 (Source: Bernard Lee)
Now what’s left now is a concrete step platform with many pillars on it. This site is located between HSBC Bank and Suria Sabah Shopping Mall (see Location Map), next to a busy road in KK city centre.
Pic: It’s next to a busy road where thousands of cars pass by every day.
However, for over 20 years, no development is carried out on this golden real estate, so KK people was wondering. Then graffiti appeared and that area also became a hideout for drug addicts.
To most, this is an eyesore, because such graffiti looks like a mark of slums or high-crime area, which is nothing better than the scribble in toilet. I shared the same feeling too.
Later I noticed more decent murals showed up shouting for attention since 2010. Even though many still have mixed feeling about it, we start to appreciate it and call it street art.
Though these street art is not something of mainstream art, its colourful and free form of expression has attracted many tourists come for a closer look or a few snapshots.
This site has become an open air gallery for community art projects
Occasionally you would see model shooting there, because the vibrant mural makes a great backdrop. And it’s free. No artists would sue you for copyright infringement because you use their artwork in photograph. Many of them didn’t even sign their works.
In fact, some local and foreign talents have used the walls and columns as their canvas here in different time. Based on the info from the Internet, among them are Cracko Art Group (Facebook), Lidia Iliyas @ Lybby, Harold EGN, Lybby and more.
It’s interesting to see the murals in different styles and subjects. Most of them are cartoony and cute stuffs in bright, cheerful and bold colours. I came across some excellent pieces that are so professionally done that I’ll be happy to hang them on wall or paying their artists to paint my house.
Pic: losers who have no talent destroy the works of others.
However, none of these graffiti will stay long, as they would be vandalised or overlaid by another new one in days or weeks. Anyway, that’s the life cycle of street art, another fascinating aspect of this culture.
Now I think this site is adding some local flavors to KK, consider most building in KK is lack of creative and cultural element (you would agree with me if you have visited Thailand or Bali). There is not many places in KK where you can get a glimpse of Sabah folk art that represents the voice of our community.
Pic: The area behind is where drug addicts party. I can smell urine and shit here. It’s perfectly safe to visit in daytime because there are many cars and pedestrians passing by, but don’t go there at night.
I don’t know how long this graffiti building will stay. I doubt it would go next level like the popular street art in Penang. Whatever its fate, I’m sure I’ll miss this spot a lot when it’s gone.
This place turned into a makeshift memorial site after Cracko Art Group drew a mural for remembrance of victims in Sabah Earthquake 2015 (titled In Solidarity with Everyone on Mount Kinabalu). Hundreds of people came here to pay tribute.
Now the local art community and street art artists are making good use of this space to showcase some Sabah-themed artworks.
Pillars of Sabah version 2.0 (April 2019) to introduce the important people and celebrities of SabahWonders of Wilderness – The Ocean – WOW 1.0 exhibition (Jan 2022). Left: 3D sculptures of marine lives. Right: Sabah’s first Marine Underwater Art UV room
Photos taken in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo
After making your friends envious with your Sabah vacation photos in social media, let’s buy them some souvenirs, so they can get a share of your happiness. In this article is a list of recommended items to impress them, all fulfill three criteria of a good souvenir:
Exotic and unique local products
Easy to pack and not overly big or fragile
Good quality and look decent
Icons of Sabah: Orangutan, Sompoton, and Mount Kinabalu
To make the souvenir special and personal, give some thoughts into what the receiver loves, don’t just buy random things in the airport in last minute. It’s a plus if the souvenir shows iconic elements of Sabah such as orangutan, long-nosed monkey, hornbill, pitcher plant, wakid (basket), Mount Kinabalu, sompoton (music instrument), rafflesia flower and native motif.
1. Sabah Tea
10 out of 10 Sabahans will recommend you to buy Sabah Tea.Sabah Tea is harvested from the only organic tea plantation of Borneo. It’s a household brand. You can get a small pack for only a few bucks, or buy those with beautiful gift packs. Sabah Tea also has a few flavors such as Pandan (my favorite!). If you are a real tea lover, go for tea leaves rather than tea bags. Now you can order these from Sabah Tea online shop.
Sabah Tea in different packing and flavors
2. Tenom Coffee
Tenom Coffee is also another best choice. You can’t go wrong with Tenom Coffee. Just imagine the nice aroma that reminds your friends about you. Tenom is a highland town in Sabah interior and famous for its fruits. Some Tenom Coffee are sold in funky and colourful packs. Besides standard coffee, you may consider white coffee or the ones with special ingredients such as durian and Tongkat Ali (a herb that improves vitality).
Tenom Coffee is a popular buy among tourists
3. Lihing Wine
Drinking is an important part of Sabah culture. Lihing is Sabah’s signature wine that we can’t live without. This golden distilled rice wine tastes sweet and can be used in cooking too. My mom uses it to make delicious drunken chicken. Most lining is homemade, but tourists can find some sold commercially in nice bottles, some even have fruit flavors like mango and rambutan. As Lihing is a liquor, do check with your airline and customs for regulations if you want to bring some home.
Sabah Lihing: Homemade Vs Commercial
4. Snacks
How about some delightful and interesting treats for your friends? Once you start, you just can’t stop. You can find many types of Sabah snacks, and you should stuff the following yummy snacks into your bags:
Crispy Peanuts: peanuts fried with mix of flour, garlic, salt, and sugar.
Kuih Cincin: a sweet and tasty cookie. Go well with tea break.
Amplang: crunchy and savoury cracker that looks like marshmallow. Available in fish, prawn and squid flavors.
Sabah Chocolate: comes with pretty boxes and different flavors
If your return flight takes less than 8 hours, you can buy some fruit popsicle (ice-cream potong) at the airport, the shop will seal it tightly in a styrofoam box so it can last until you reach home.
Ice-Cream Potong (packing may vary)
5. Stingless Bee Honey
Ok you want to be healthy, stingless bee honey is for you then. Stingless Bee (locally known as Kelulut) is a small honeybee that lives in warm climate, and they produce sourish sweet honey that claims to have better medical properties. This honey is more expensive than normal honey. A small bottle can cost RM35 or more.
Stingless bee honey
6. Handicraft & Artworks
The most distinct souvenirs are handicrafts from indigenous people of Sabah. They are mainly made of materials from bamboo, rattan, palm, coconut, pandan leaves, etc. Some people are creative to weave these into diary items such as baskets, tissue box, wallet, and handbag. Each ethnic group has different patterns and style. For example, Bajau people love to use bold colors and Rungus is skilled in weaving beads. Personally I like to store some items into a bright-coloured Serdang box to make a gift.
Variety of handicraft created by Dusun, Bajau, Rungus and Murut people of Sabah
For those who appreciate advanced craftsmanship and collectible items, you may check out the Lepa-Lepa boat figure, Dastar or Tinohian (richly embroidered / weaved traditional cloth), Bajau machete (parang), and Sompoton. If you want the finest painting or folk art by local talents, you may visit Sabah Art Gallery or Laman Seni near Wisma Budaya.
From left to right: Traditional Machete / Dagger, Lepa-Lepa sailboat figure, and some artworks by Fara in Laman Seni (Wisma Budaya)
7. Apparel and Accessories
T-shirt with Sabah graphics is available everywhere, but after travelling hundreds of miles to Sabah, you want something more than a I♥Sabah T-Shirt right. Sabah batik is what smart tourists buy. Sabah batik is usually dyed and painted with native motif or other cultural drawing. Shawls, scarf, sash, tapestries, fabric, and table runner with colourful Sabah theme are tourists’ favorites too. A visit to KadaiKu and Chanteek Borneo won’t disappoint you.
T-shirt, Sabah clothing and Batik
Don’t forget hand-weaven beadworks and accessories too (e.g. string necklace, bracelet, earring, handbag, wallet), which can add some exotic touch to your fashion. Many West Malaysians also like to buy the freshwater pearls of Sabah, as the price isn’t high. If you want precious jewelries with Sabah elements, you can visit CherleC.
Traditional beadwork and Sabah pearls (at KadaiKu)
8. Toys
Got kids? Get them a cute plush toy of orangutan or proboscis monkey, the most charismatic wildlife of Borneo, even adults love it. Another alternative is lovely dolls dressed in traditional costumes.
Toys of Sabah (Disclaimer: Pixie Lott and Hong Kong artistes received Sabah plush toys as gift, they are not promoting it.)
9. Dried or Salted Seafood
I leave this item near the end because non-Asians are not so fond of dried seafood. However, for tourists from East Asia, these are great buy at a bargain price. Sabah is blessed with seafood, so you can find tons of high quality dried or salted fishes, sea cucumber, scallops, shrimps, squid, seaweed, ikan bilis (anchovy fish) and fish maw here.
Dried Seafood of Sabah
Most dried seafood stalls are just next to fish market, to name a few, KK Central Market, Sandakan Central Market and Tawau Tanjung Market. The hawkers can help you to pack these smelly goods properly into a box, to keep them from stinking your luggage. Believe me, for Malaysian moms, salted fish of Sabah is one of the best souvenirs. The more smelly, the better.
10. Knickknacks and Others
Here are more suggested items for your shopping list: keychains, fridge magnet, drink coaster, stationery (e.g. bookmark, paper weight, notepad, pen, postcard), mini pottery, Bak Kut Teh spices, and fruit candy. They are inexpensive and ok to give to friends and colleagues who are not close.
More ideas for you. Don’t go home empty-handed
What would you buy in Sabah? Please share your shopping list in the comment section below. ?
Where to Buy
Most shopping malls in Sabah have souvenir shops. Our supermarkets also sell some of these food and snacks. Most souvenir shops are small with limited range of souvenirs. To find everything you really want, you would need to visit two or more places. Below are a few great places to shop.
1. KK Handicraft Market
Located in Kota Kinabalu city centre and adjacent to KK Central Market, KK Handicraft Market is an ideal starting point to buy cheap souvenirs such as keychain and fridge magnet. They are also famous for pearl jewelries. In addition, dried seafood market is just next door, making this place a convenient shopping spot of tourists.
Souvenir stalls and dried seafood at KK Handicraft Market
2. KadaiKu
Kadaiku (means “My Shop”) is a midsize souvenir shop less than 100 Metres away from KK Handicraft Market. Personally I think it is the best souvenir shop because they sell 100% (almost) authentic Sabah products and have the most complete and diverse collection of Sabah merchandises for tourists. Their prices are relatively higher but reasonable.
Interior of KadaiKu Souvenir Shop
Besides enjoying the air-conditioning, it’s like taking a Sabah cultural tours inside. The knowledgeable shopkeepers can tell you the origin and features of each product. One thing I really appreciate is they can package and wrap your order nicely. Just pick a few items and let them make a classy gift hamper for you.
3. Gaya Street Sunday Market
Gaya Street Sunday Market is a well-known tourist attractions that is open weekly (every Sunday morning, 7am to 12pm) in the oldest street of Kota Kinabalu City. Basically it is an open-air market that sells almost anything to locals as well as tourists, from durian seedling, sarong, snacks, fruits and vegetables, local herb, knickknacks, pet, flowers, cloth, antique and myriads of everyday items. Do bargain, or you would pay for full “tourist price”.
Gaya Street Sunday Market in Kota Kinabalu City
4. Local Market
You can find tamu (weekly open-air native market) in most towns of Sabah countryside, the famous tamu are in Kota Belud (Sunday) and Donggongon (Friday) towns. For hundreds of years, farmers, fishermen, hunters and vendors from different villages gather in tamu every week to sell (or barter trade) their products. This tradition is carried on until today with more modern items (e.g. electronics, gardening tools, gadget) for sale.
Hunting for good deals in native market is fun
Due to different culture and lifestyle, every tamu is unique, the goods, the people, and the smell. Tamu is also a fun place to sample local snacks, buy some fresh fruits and souvenirs and practice your haggling skill.
Some Advice…
Souvenirs is a global business. Why? Say, some souvenirs you buy in Thailand may be also available in the souvenir shops of Bali, Maldives and even your hometown! It will be quite awkward if your friends tell you that your “Sabah souvenirs” are sold in local shop too. Many souvenirs shops across the world seem to source the similar items from Indonesia, China or 3rd world wholesalers with custom-made label (e.g. adding the word “Sabah”).
These are NOT Sabah Products. They look like alien objects to Sabahans. I saw dreamcatcher from America, and African drum.
Unfortunately, many Sabah souvenir shops sell such items. Anyway, if this is matter to you, you can always confirm with the sellers. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t buy non-Sabah products. If you like it very much and you don’t mind about its origin, of course it is perfectly ok to buy.
Don’t Buy These!
What you really shouldn’t buy are the items that contain partly or wholly seashells, corals and protected flora / fauna (e.g. shark fin, pitcher plant, giant clam, turtle eggs, endemic orchid, pangolin). Though they might be sold openly here, it’s illegal to bring them out of Sabah. Not only that, you would indirectly hinder our conservation efforts for endangered animals and plant of Borneo.
Happy Shopping! Please share this list with your friends and relatives who will visit Sabah (and tell them what you want haha).
Sabah culture is so colourful. We have over 30 indigenous and 200 sub-ethnic groups, most of them have distinct traditional costume, a heritage that tells the world their identity, traditions, and stories. Sabah is beautiful because of this cultural diversity. I’ve been photographing Sabah traditional costumes for 15 years and would like to share what I think are the 10 most beautiful traditional costumes of Sabah (not in any order).
Please note there are always variants in costumes due to different occasions such as wedding, ceremony and social status, so I only can give you a general view. FYI, many ethnic groups share common elements such as linangkit (needlework), siga (headgear) and belts (e.g. Tangkong, Himpogot).
1. Kadazan Penampang
Kadazandusun is the largest indigenous group of Sabah, and Kadazan Penampang is the biggest sub-ethnic. Their traditional costume has become an iconic dress to represent Sabahans.
Kadazan Penampang couple in traditional costume
Kadazan Penampang costume has basic trimmings and embroidery and may look a bit plain. However, simplicity is beauty, like Vietnamese Ao Dai and Chinese Cheongsam. Though it has relatively less shining ornaments and accessories, it is an elegant cloth inspired by sarong kebaya.
The costume of young female consists of a long cylindrical wrap skirt and a sleeveless blouse (Sinuangga’), and decorated with gold trimmings running along the opening for head and arms, and along the seams at the side and along the middle of the back. Around the trimming on neck and front is 20 or more gold plated Betawi buttons.
Bobohizan is the high priestesses of Kadazan people. They wear large headgear with feathers and beads.
Silver-dollar chains (himpogot) and brass ring belts (tangkong) in set of 2 to 3 are worn around the waist and hip to emphasize the curve. Some himpogot and tangkong are antique passed on to women as heirloom or wedding dowry, they can cost thousands of dollars!
“Light version” of Kadazan Penampang costume could be a daily wear
The jacket and trousers of Kadazan Penampang men bear some Chinese influence. They wear headgear called siga, a very intricately woven square piece of headcloth, handwoven or embroidered, and folded to the shape of the peak of the Mount Kinabalu. Most men from Kadazandusun ethnic group wear siga.
The basic material for clothing is black commercial fabric, silk or velvet for ceremonial occasions. It is also made from cotton for daily wear.
2. Dusun Lotud
With a population of only 6,000 in Tuaran district, Dusun Lotud is very famous for weaving the embroidered panel called linangkit, which is used to decorate the skirt, sash and trousers of many Sabah tribes. Without linangkit, Sabah traditional costumes would be far less colourful.
Dusun Lotud couple in ceremonial attire. Note the siwot on her head, an ornament which is stuck into the hairbun. It consists of four bunches of red cloth and black cock feathers. The strings of silver-green beads in forehead was used to be the iridescent wings of beetles in old days.
In English, linangkit is sometimes referred to as needle weave or tapestry weave. a technique closely resembles the tatting or frivolite in Europe. Strips of linangkit are used by various native tribes to decorate and join the seams of their clothing. Different ethnic groups have different patterns and colours of linangkit.
Dusun Lotud girls in ceremonial attire with the following items: Sandai: long sash draped over one shoulder to the front and over the next shoulder falling to the back. Karo: a necklace made of mostly long barrel beads of glass, shell and carnelian.
The traditional costume of Dusun Lotud, be it the long sleeve ceremonial attire or short sleeve version, is just gorgeous. In fact, this costume is one of the favourite choice for contestants in Unduk Ngadau beauty pageant (Harvest Festival Queen) during Kaamatan (Sabah Harvest Festival).
Women in Dusun Lotud traditional costume. Gonob: knee-length black cotton tube skirt. From the waist down is a panel of linangkit needle work. Kuluwu: circular sash with gold trimming along the edges. At the seam is wide band of linangkit. Lilimbo: wide girdle of interconnected loops of split rattan worn around the hips. (Red colour for childless women, black colour for mothers)
Man is wearing headgear called sundi can be folded in different ways. When two points stick out, the weaver has two wives and so on (now you know!).
3. Rungus
Rungus of northern Sabah is considered as the most “traditional” and unique tribe among all Sabah indigenous groups. Rungus women wear a dark bandeau with delicate hand-stitched patterns, a matching knee-length tube skirt and a slipover that drapes over the arms like sleeves. The narrow upper zone of the bodice is decorated with horizontal bands filled with floating weft and/or embroidered motifs. The lower part of the bodice is embellished with vertical bands.
Rungus people dancing Mongigol Sumandai
The women’s hair is pulled back in a neat bun and decorated with a titimbok (a multi-colored floral headpiece), sisingal (a thin band of beads tied together around the forehead) and rampai (a hairpin which has two or three rows of folded pieces of colourful cloth strung together and which float down to the nape)
Rungus woman costume decorated with exotic accessories. Hip band looped with brass rings and antique beads called orot and two pinakol, beaded shoulder bands worn diagonally across the chest. Togkol: string of carnelian, glass and shell beads looped crossed over the shoulders. Sulau: necklace of old beads and a disc of white shell (giant clam) in front and back.
The dress is “musical” too, by having many tiny brass bells attached to bottom hem line of their skirt, making delightful tinkling sounds when they walk or dance.
Rungus women wearing brass ring necklace (Ganggalung) and legging (Lungkaki)
Some older Rungus women wear heavy brass ring necklace and legging. It’s a fading costume. Ganggalung: discs of brass coil worn as necklace. Lungkaki: tightly coiled brass ornament covering the lower legs.
The headgear of men is brightly coloured Kain tinohian (a.k.a. kain pis), a richly embroidered cloth with legendary creatures and takes four months to weave one.
4. Murut Tagol
Murut means “People of the Hill”, and majority of this third largest indigenous group of Sabah lives in interior. They were used to be fearsome headhunters in the past, and men preserve their wild warrior outfit until today (they prefer proper shirts anyway).
Girls in Murut traditional costume
Murut has over 15 ethnic groups, and Murut Tagol is the most skillful for their weave work. Murut women wear black, sleeveless blouse and a long, black skirt decorated with colourful beads motifs of daily objects such as flowers, insects, animals and ferns. Female skirt has hip belts made of chained white round seeds collected from Job’s Tears plant (Coix lacryma-jobi).
The men costume is even more interesting. They wear vest, frontal and rear flaps made of tree bark. First, barks of the tarap or tamarang (timadang) trees (Artcocarps tamaran) are peeled from the trunks, soaked in stream for days to soften them up, then it is pounded, washed and rinsed, and lastly dried under sun for the fabric. However, man costume is too “sexy” so they also wear short pants for more cover.
Beautiful female traditional costume of Murut
The headgear of Murut may be adorned with long tail feathers of Great Argus Pheasant. To see more Murut costumes, you may check out Kalimaran Festival which is held annually in Tenom.
5. Bajau Sama
While most Kadazandusun and Murut people use black as the base colour, Bajau goes bold with striking colours such as yellow, red, green and blue. This also reflects in their multi-coloured and elaborate floral motifs in their crafts, an element greatly inspired by Islam. Bajau in Kota Belud town is also known as Cowboys of the East due to their mastery in horse-riding skill.
Traditional costumes of Bajau Same
Bajau women wear an unusual headgear called sarempak, which is a two-pieced head decoration in the shape of a ship made of gilded silver or modern substitute. Small ornaments dangling down from both ends of sarempak are called garigai. Next is the brightly colored satiny blouse usually in yellow. The flared sleeves show the cuffs of an underblouse in contrasting hue.
Mock wedding of Bajau people
Shining metallic accessories complement their traditional costume really well. Bajau women covers the front from below the neck to waist with beautiful mandapun, a flat collar-ornament accentuating the neckline decorated with stylized leaves in silver, goldleaf or substitute. To add more colours, long and wide band of linangkit embroidered panels (berangkit in Bajau) are sewn into their long black wrap-skirt.
Bajau men wear the traditional headgear called kain dastar, which is also used in women skirt. See more their vibrant culture in Tamu Besar Festival which is normally held in October in Kota Belud town. They even dress up their horses!
6. Kadazan Papar
I wonder who designed the traditional costume of Kadazan Papar. It’s so cute and “flowerish”. The lovely girl costume looks neat and modern. Kadazan Papar women wear a short jacket with gold or silver buttons over a white blouse, and their knee-length black skirt is decorated with a horizontal and vertical cross-stitched panel lined with gold thread. Gold or silver trimming is used on the seams.
Kadazan Papar couple
The mini conical hat is made of fine bamboo strips and features coloured feather-down or artificial flowers at the top to show the wearer’s marital status. Feather-down for the single lady and flowers for the married woman. Another hint is the silver belt (antique British trade dollar), unmarried ladies wear four and married wear two.
The flowers of Kadazan Papar
If no feather or flower, the woman is widowed, grandmothers or elderly ladies then.
7. Dusun Tindal
Influenced by culture of Bajau Sama in the same district, Dusun Tindal is also the most colourful Kadazandusun sub-ethnic group. Just look at the girl costume, 3-colour slashed and flared sleeves from the elbows, rainbow-like beads girdle around the hips, and also embroider on their arms and hem of the skirt. To add more colours, in formal occasion they also carry sunduk, a multi-color hood with embroidered border.
Dusun Tindal people from Kota Belud
On top of colours is extensive use of metallic elements: line and line of gold or silver trimmings and sequins are sewn into their blouse and skirt, two to four Himpogot (or Simpogot) silver-dollar chain belts on the waist, one or more of kuapu (a round embossed silver tobacco container made by the Bruneis) are worn around the neck on a silver chain.
Close up of Dusun Tindal girl dress
Dusun Tindal has brought the creativity of native fashion to the next level. You would be surprised that Dusun Tindal extracts fibre from a wild banana or pisang lanut (Musa textilis) which is processed into a coarse yarn for weaving their skirts, jackets and headwear.
8. Sea Bajau
While Bajau Sama in West Coast of Sabah has the best horse-riding skill, Sea Bajau (or Suluk) in East Coast is an expert of seafaring. Also known as the Sea Gypsies, Sea Bajau spent most of their time on the boat and sailed around the sea of South East Asia. Now they are not as nomadic and many have called Sabah their homeland.
Sea Bajau girls in Lepa-Lepa boat
Similar to Bajau Sama, Sea Bajau is also a fan of bright colours. Their dresses are almost fully covered with colourful patterns, and gold / silver trimmings, sequins and embroidery. Sea Bajau dancers wear long gold or silver fingercovers, to show their fingers dance.
Sea Bajau girl dancer
Backed by beating of drum and kulintangan (small brass gong) music, the dance of Sea Bajau is one of the most mesmerizing in Borneo. They shake and move every part of their bodies, combine with rich facial expression to dazzle you, even to a seductive level. To see more of Sea Bajau, don’t miss the Lepa-Lepa Festival in April every year in Semporna.
The traditional costume of Sea Bajau is really fancy and shout “Look at me! Look at me!”
9. Dusun Lebou
Dusun Lebou (or Lobu) is a sub-ethnic of Kadazandusun lives in Sook (in Keningau district of Sabah interior). Their big woven cloth (called Binaduan) takes a month to weave and consists of different Rungus motifs and even some Dayak motifs from the southern part of Borneo. The complete costume is 2 pieces of woven Binaduan sewn together to create the front and back covers. Binaduan is used in skirt too.
Dusun Lebou girls from Sook
The size, design and complexity of Binaduan is simply astonishing. Men’s costume has a finer motif called Inambau. Unfortunately, the last person who knows how to weave Inambau has passed away. The traditional costume of Dusun Lebou is complex and special, but this art can go extinct.
Binaduan cloth of Dusun Lebou
In old days, married woman with child was not allowed to be a Binaduan weaver. The story was:- a mother was too engrossed with weaving Binaduan from morning until night that she accidentally starved her baby. Devastated, she forbade any married woman to weave Binaduan. The ban was lifted later so more people can pass on this heritage.
Back view of Binaduan is as beautiful as butterfly wings
10. Lundayeh
Most Sabah Lundayeh lives in Sipitang, Tenom and Long Pasia. Different to other groups who mostly use black as main colour, white blouse and black skirt are the signature wear of Lundayeh ladies. Lundayeh men wear jackets made of tree barks called kuyu talun.
Smile of Lundayeh girls, so sweet. Marry one?
Traditional costume of Lundayeh people is simple, but sharp and catchy
Bead cap made entirely of beads (it can be glass, carnelian and other materials) is worn by every Lundayeh woman. In the past, only upper class ladies could wear bead cap. Other key accessories are multi-strand necklaces, silver waist belts, and colourful bead girdle wrap around the hip. Overall it’s a very clean and stylish traditional costume.
Cute Lundayeh flower girls in Sipitang
That’s all! Have you seen other beautiful costumes that desire to be featured here? What’s your top 10 list? Please share it in comment section below.
Now you can see that Sabahans are totally different breed of Malaysians. Put all 200 traditional costumes together and we can make a Sabah version of Wakanda movie.
Sabah has enough beautiful costumes to film Wakanda. Sakanda anyone?
To learn more about traditional costumes of Sabah, you may visit Chanteek Borneo Indigenous Museum in Tamparuli, which showcases wide array of costume dolls, and it is awarded the title “The First Miniature Indigenous Museum” in the country by Malaysia Book of Records. Want to rent a traditional costume? You can browse Sabah Cultural Board website.
Reference Books
“An Introduction to the Traditional Costumes of Sabah” – January 1, 1997, by Rita Lasimbang and Stella Moo-Tan
“The Beliefs and Practices of the Kadazandusun-Murut Natives of Sabah” – 2017, by John Seet
Most tourists who go for an island vacation in Semporna only see 50% of its beauty. To unlock the fascinating heritage and history of Semporna, you may drop by Tun Sakaran Museum (or Muzim Tun Sakaran), a small museum located in Kampung Inabah Kamal (GPS: 4.475566, 118.603385, See Location Map), only 1.5 Kilometre from town centre of Semporna.
Entrance to Tun Sakaran Museum (Muzium Tun Sakaran)
Built under the funding of RM2.8 million by Ninth Malaysia Plan, Tun Sakaran Museum is officially open in year 2015. It is open to public from 9am to 5pm every day (temporarily closed now due to COVID-19). The admission is FREE.
Timeline of political life of Tun Sakaran and Lepa-Lepa boat (left)
Tun Sakaran Museum is a two-storey building. The ground floor is Tun Sakaran gallery, where visitors can learn about the life of Tun Sakaran, the 8th Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Sabah (Sabah Governor or Head of State). The top floor has some exhibitions on culture and historical artifacts of the Semporna and Bajau community.
Tun Sakaran gallery in ground floor
The interior is air-conditioned. You need to take off your shoes before entering. Visitors are allowed to take pictures inside the museum.
Tun Sakaran Gallery
Tun Sakaran Museum is named after Tun Sakaran, who is the Head of State from 1995 to 2002. He donated the one-acre land for this museum. He was the Sabah Chief Minister in 1994, and his nephew, Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal, is the Chief Minister now. Tun Sakaran Marine Park (a.k.a. Semporna Islands Park), the second largest marine park of Sabah, is also named after him.
Photographs and information about the life of Tun Sakaran
Head of State carries the title TYT (Tuan Yang Terutama, means His Excellency). As Sabah has no Sultan / King, Head of State is the ruler. However, he has no executive power in politic system. Sometimes people in Kota Kinabalu would see his black car escorted by group of police motorbikes in siren to make way.
Utensils with gold embroidery and Sabah crest
The ground floor of Tun Sakaran Museum is dedicated mostly to contribution of Tun Sakaran to Sabah State. You can see his personal, political, and family life presented in wall panels and photographs. For me, the best contribution of a Sabah Governor is getting holiday on his birthday. :-p
Fine pieces of souvenirs given to Tun Sakaran
Head of State lives in State Palace on Signal Hill. For people who are curious if there is any gold or treasure inside, the palace has Hari Raya Open House every year. In this gallery, you can check out some goodies that Tun Sakaran received or used over the years.
Playing Game of Thrones 😀
Most of the collection are souvenirs given as memento to Tun Sakaran by other VIPs in the past. Some are really fine piece of artwork or collectible items with historical value, for example, palace utensils with golden embroidery of old Sabah crest, gold plated lepa-lepa boat model.
Semporna and Bajau Gallery
The top floor of Tun Sakaran Museum is mostly about the Semporna community. Before this, there is no exclusive exhibition to display the rich history of Semporna and ethnography of Bajau, the nomadic seaborne people.
Gallery on first floor that showcase the lifestyle of Sea Bajau in SempornaTraditional Lepa-Lepa boat of Sea Bajau in Semporna
There are some exhibits on artefacts and the heritage unique to Bajau. The highlight is a live scale Lepa-Lepa, traditional boat of Sea Bajau near the door. In old days, Sea Bajau spends most of their time on lepa-lepa, includes cooking, fishing, giving birth a baby, and sail around South-East Asia.
Exhibition on culture and historical artifacts of the Semporna community in top floor
A few partitions were setup to showcase the old and present weapons, carving tools, fishing gears, machete (Guluk), ceramic pottery, musical instrument, handicraft, bronze household items, etc. nicely in display cases, glass box, exhibition boards, and cabinets. There is also a section to study the development of Islam in Semporna.
Weapons used by Bajau and pirates in old days of SempornaExhibition of Bajau culture such as musical instrument
Overall, it’s not a personal museum to show off the contribution of a VVIP politician. Most Bajau in Semporna is still living in poverty and not getting much benefits from blooming tourism of Semporna. As a successful Bajau who was born in Semporna, Tun Sakaran can be a role model and inspiration to motivate this community.
A biography walkway of Tun Sakaran
The museum also has cafeteria (not open) and small multipurpose room for the public to use. The information in Tun Sakaran Museum is in Malay language, most have English translation. It’ll be a better experience with deeper feeling if they can use some interactive media such as documentary video and Bajau music. A photo booth with colourful Bajau costumes would be a great addition for tourists to check-in to their social media.
Artifact of BajauTraditional cutting and carving tools of Bajau people
Wherever we go, we will leave our footprints behind. People who walk to the end of Gaya Street, the oldest street of Kota Kinabalu City (KK), would see a small double-storey white building, sitting awkwardly among the modern building around. This hundred-year-old building represents a trace of memory from British colony era. Currently it is the office of Sabah Tourism Board. You can say that it’s the oldest office building of Sabah.
Front view of Sabah Tourism Building
Built in 1916, this British colonial building survived bombing in World War II and is one of three pre-war structures that still remain in KK now. One story I heard is that the occupants removed the roof of this building, so it looked like a ruin and no longer targeted by bomber plane.
Sabah Tourism Board building (yellow pointer) was at beach side in old days
The reason it becomes a heritage building is more than age. Designed by JW Norman, Sabah Tourism building features a very formal axis with two arches at the facade at the front. The building was built of block stones, other than timber which was used more commonly in old day construction. All these make this historical building the best classic legacy that deserves preservation.
Happy 100th Birthday to Sabah Tourism Building
History
Sabah is ruled by British from 1880s to 1963. During British era, Sabah, Kota Kinabalu City (KK), and Gaya Street were called North Borneo, Jesselton and Bond Street respectively. Sabah Tourism building has been housing different government bodies. The following are some important timeline:
1916
Construction starts
1918
Printing Office (British) moved in on 16 Mar
1936
Treasury, Audit, Bank Agency and Post Office
1942-1945
World War II
After WW2
Posts and Telecommunications, Treasury, Audit, Town Board, Resident Office, District Office, Attorney General Office
1950s
Jesselton Post Office
1963
Malaysia is formed
1968
Department of Posts and Telegraphs
1968-1986
KK Post Office
1986
Sabah Tourism Promotion Corporation (now Sabah Tourism Board)
1988
Gazetted as a historical building by Sabah Museum
The look of Sabah Tourism Board building doesn’t change much over 100 years
Some local elders still call this place “old post office”. My dad used to queue there to buy First Day Cover for me, because only this (head) post office has the postal chop with special picture.
Here are something you might not know about this iconic landmark.
Tourist Assistants
Tourists can walk into this building to get some travel information. The tourist counter is right behind the glass door. The friendly tourist assistants there have many years of experience and are capable of answering most of your travel-related questions such as bus schedule, recommended itinerary and sighting of blooming rafflesia. They can speak English and Malaysia languages, even Chinese if one is on duty.
Even if the office closes, you still can ask questions via their e-mail or social media such as Facebook, Twitter and even Weibo. They will get back to you fairly quick. Please note they are government agency and not a tour company, so they don’t sell any tour package or accommodation, but they can give you some recommendation and travel advices.
Brochure rack in Sabah Tourism building
In the lobby is a brochure rack full of free tour brochures for you to take. The most useful ones are Kota Kinabalu street map and Sabah brochures (some available in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean languages, also can be downloaded.
Brochure rack in Sabah Tourism building. Free to take
Zero Kilometre (0 KM)
In front of Sabah Tourism building got a bronze plaque known as “Kilometre Zero” engraved in granite. 0 KM is a starting point to measure the distance between Kota Kinabalu City and other places. Such marker is usually installed in post office because postmen need to know the exact distances to towns or villages where they deliver the letters to.
0 KM plaque is the starting point for measuring distance between Kota Kinabalu City and other locations.
Look closer to the plaque you will see illustration of Mount Kinabalu on top, the citys official flower, the Borneo Orchid, and an ancient motif of the Murut people, called Nantapuan, meaning a meeting place, and four cardinal points. Sometimes wedding couples take photos on this spot to mark the start of their new life journey.
Free Walking Tour
Visit Sabah the first time and interested in learning the history of Kota Kinabalu City (KK)? You can sign up for a 2-hour free walking tour, which is held every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 9am. The walk starts at 0 KM of this building.
Free Walking Tour takes around 2 hours
The hundred-year-old Atkinson Clock Tower is one of the stops in Free Walking Tour
A professional tour guide appointed by Sabah Tourism will show you around the city to visit some interesting landmarks and building such as the hundred-year-old Atkinson clock tower, former Land & Survey Building (now street art graffiti site) and Signal Hill.
Lampoopalooza: largest outdoor colourful lights projection on this building, and celebration with music, food and street party. The next one will be on 27 March 2020 evening
Christmas Tree Lighting: held in early or mid December, with Christmas song and dance performance, food trucks and lighting up of big Christmas tree
Audiences danced and celebrated in Lampoopalooza festival
Christmas Tree Lighting in 2018 (left) and 2019 (right)
Christmas Tree Lighting in 2018 at Sabah Tourism Board Building
Lastly, just for your information, there is a public toilet next to Sabah Tourism building. It is open from 7am to 5pm. Cost only MYR0.30 per entry.
Public Toilet next to Sabah Tourism building, open from 7am to 5pm daily. RM0.30 per entry
Photos taken in Kota Kinabalu City, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo
When I was on a quest to explore the legend of Supirak, I found myself another wonderful seaside vacation at Malubang Village (Local Name: Kampung Malubang), a remote fishing village in Pitas near the tip of northern Sabah. Spend a few days there and you will experience a simple village life without electricity, Wifi, water heater, air-conditioner, asphalt road, etc.
Malubang Village (Kampung Malubang) in Pitas, north of Sabah
Kampung Malubang (Malubang Village)
Malubang Village is located at a beach in Marudu Bay. Most villagers are Sulu people who mainly work as a fisherman. Every morning you can see their fishing boats depart for fishing trip.
Every house owns a boat in Malubang Village
Malubang is facing Kudat town and Tip of Borneo is clearly visible at the horizon. In fact, Kudat is less than an hour away by boat, and Banggi Island takes about 20 minutes.
A fisherman fixing his fishing net
Some houses are still using well for water supply
Though tourists seldom come here, the friendly villagers are ok with outsiders taking a stroll in the village. They are shy but smile a lot. It’s a small fishing village with about 30 houses. Foreigners would find the fence-less stilt houses there interesting.
A house with colorful hanging clothes
During my visit, there was an open house wedding reception (of Mizrul and Mastura) in the village. They were kind to invite me to have lunch with them and watched them dancing and celebrating.
Married couple Mizrul and Mastura
Group photo with the cute village girls who dressed up for wedding function
This village is a close community, in contrast to city. I confess I don’t know most of my neighbours and never visit their home too. May be it’s not only me.. Nowadays kids in same neighbourhood don’t mix around. In old days, I went cycling, fishing and climbing tree with my young neighbours, so Malubang brings back memory.
I enjoyed every moment in Malubang. The only thing I don’t like is that a lot of rubbishes washed up to the shore there.
Supirak Legend
Supirak Island and its surrounding legendary rocks are the main attractions of Malubang (as well as Pitas district). Legend says Supirak Island was a ship turned into a rock due to a curse by mother to her ungrateful son.
Cruising around Marudu Bay
At Malubang, you can charter a small boat easily (for less than MYR80) to visit these island and rocks around the bay, as every villager owns a boat (life vest may not be provided).
Rocks and wells of Supirak legend
Besides Supirak Island, there are many other places of interest in Pitas, to name a few, traditional fishing platform named Bagang, long-nosed monkey in mangrove forest of Bengkoka River, and Esplanade Bengkoka. Due to limited tourism facilities and lack of promotion, Pitas isn’t a popular destination.
Accommodation
Malubang Homestay is the only accommodation in Malubang Village. At the edge of Malubang, the lodge is a longhouse style accommodation with 6 Rooms. The rate is MYR40 to MYR50 (about USD$10 to 12.50) per room per night. It could be fully booked during peak season such as school holiday.
Malubang Homestay is the blue building under the yellow pointer
Rooms of Malubang Homestay
Each room is big enough to fit a group of 3 to 4 people, and it comes with attached bathroom cum toilet, beds, and fan. You can cook in common kitchen area, but you need to bring your own cooking utensils.
What we ate in Malubang Homestay
Please note there is no restaurant in the village. You can request the lodge to prepare the meals for you (Fee per head: Breakfast MYR4.00, Lunch MYR10.00, High Tea MYR2.00 and Dinner MYR10.00).
Enjoy meals with sea view
Everything in this lodge is basic. Power supply is only available from 6pm to 6am (by power generator), which provide lighting and sufficient electricity to charge your phone and camera.
The view in front of Malubang Homestay
But hey, the nice sea view makes up for it, and beach is less than 20 Meters away. Some beach resorts want guests to pay thousands for such view. The little rocky island at the left is Bum-Bum with a half-completed jetty (lack of fund to finish).
Malubang Homestay and its beach
There was no mosquito net in the room. To prevent mosquitoes eating me, I had to position the standing fan to point to my bed to blow those buggers away.
Malubang Homestay in Pitas
For booking, you can contact Mr. Moktar at cellphone: +60 19-8212597 (Whatsapp available). Moktar is Orang Sungai married with 5 kids. He starts the lodge in 2008. The GPS location of Malubang Homestay is 6.956184, 117.060140 (see Location Map). Moktar also can arrange the tour and boat transfer to visit the attractions nearby.
Seafood feast, a treat by Moktar!
Most guests are families from Pitas and Kota Marudu. Moktar will be happy to receive some international tourists. He understands that his lodge could be better, so he plans to improve his accommodation.
Fat crab with juicy meat
When we were ready to check-out, Moktar was missing in action for nearly an hour. Then he suddenly showed up and brought a covered plate, with mysterious smile on his face. He cooked us a big plate of yummy and steaming fresh crabs. Thank you Moktar! You are such a nice guy.
Sunset
Malubang Homestay is facing west, so you can enjoy watching giant yolk sinks into sea every day. I need not to say more.
Beautiful sunset at Malubang
Magic hour of Pitas
After dusk, the brightest thing at night here is the city light of Kudat at the horizon. Power line hasn’t reached this village yet.
Fishing
You might think that this peaceful fishing village becomes even quieter after nightfall. Wrong. Many villagers, both young and old, are busy fishing at the jetties at night. FYI, Malubang Village is famous for fishing giant squid (Sotong Gergasi), which can weigh up to 6 Kilograms and abundant from Oct to Feb every year. Now I understand why every visitors brought a fishing rod.
Local anglers got busy after sunset
Malubang is so lucky to have 3 jetties that extend a few hundreds Meters to the sea, so the people can fish anytime, even during low tide. I didn’t bring a fishing rod, so I was just busybody and check out what they caught. There were mainly stingray and fishes, some are over 2 Kg, quite big.
Many locals come to Malubang for fishing holiday during weekends
FYI, my Maxis mobile phone got one bar of signal at the end of the jetty, enough for me to check Whatsapps and emails.
Milky Way
It’s quite windy in the evening. I felt so relax laying on the platform of jetty and enjoyed the sea breeze. The sky was full of stars and shooting stars appeared almost every few minutes, some are quite big and last 4 or 5 seconds.
Pitas is a good place for stargazing
That’s crazy that by 7:30pm I already could see Milky Way spanned across the sky like a silver belt. I didn’t know Pitas is an excellent place for stargazing.
Kampung Pansuran
I also walked around Kampung Pansuran (Pansuran Village), a smaller fishing village about a stone’s throw from Malubang Village. Most residents there are Bajau Sama people.
View from Kampung Pansuran Village
Visit the water village of Kampung Pansuran
The villagers there are also equally nice and friendly. They were busy with fish caught and dried some of them under the sun to make dried seafood.
A young fisherman in Kampung Pansuran Village
Dried fishes on boardwalk of Kampung Pansuran Village
They still use traditional fishing methods such as fishing net and fishing line. Pitas is famous for its dried seafood.
Dried stingrays and fishes
Talking about village life, you might visualize I become a shirtless muscle guy playing soccer and laugh with the local kids, a cliche scene common in many movies. No, I didn’t do that, LOL.
Mondou Hill (Bukit Mondou)
To make sure I didn’t miss out any attraction near Malubang Village, Moktar took me to Bukit Mondou, a small hill only a few minutes drive from the village.
Mondou Hill (Bukit Mondou) in Pitas
Though Bukit Mondou is the highest point in Malubang, it is less than 80 Meters high, and it took us less than 30 minutes to reach the top. The trail is mostly flat and not challenging at all.
Climbing Mondou Hill (Bukit Mondou) in Pitas
However, the trail is not tourist-friendly and covered by long grasses. Please don’t go there alone.
You can see Berungus from the top of Mondou Hill (Bukit Mondou)
The view on top of Bukit Mondou is nice, as you can see Supirak Island and have a panoramic view of Malubang and Marudu Bay.
How to get there
From Kota Kinabalu City (KK), you need to drive about 5 hours to reach Malubang Village. The first 3 hours drive from KK to Pitas town is on 140 KM of paved road in good condition. The last 60 KM further north from Pitas to Malubang Village will be a bumpy 2-hour ride on gravel road.
The distance from Pitas town to Malubang Village is about 60 KM
Therefore, you need 4-Wheel Drive to enter this remote place. Though small sedan such as Kancil also can make it, it’ll be a pain to move around the potholes, mud ponds and uneven surface. The GPS Coordinates of Kampung Malubang is 6.956184, 117.060140 (see Location Map).
Gravel road from Pitas town to Malubang Village
It’s advisable you stop by Pitas town to have lunch and fill up the gas tank. For first timer, avoid to drive there at night because there is no street light along the way. Please also note that Uber and GrabCar aren’t available in Pitas district. Internet and mobile phone coverage are limited in most part of the journey.
Moktar pointing at Kudat town
Shopping for dried seafood (e.g. dried shrimps, salty fishes) in Pitas
Btw, one the way home, you may buy some dried seafood from the roadside stalls around Pitas, for great bargain.
