Sometimes I feel like I don’t get to learn enough about Sabah’s indigenous culture as a KK city-dweller and an American, but at Sabah Fest 2011, I really got my fix. The event was held on 30 April and 1 May at the Magellan Grand Ballroom at Sutera Harbor Resort and featured a food fair, craft stands, and incredible performance spanning Sabah’s diverse native cultures.
Driving into the parking lot at the Sutera Harbor Resort, we could already hear the drums calling us to the event. Our first sign of what was to come was the musicians in traditional dress playing folk music as we walked in. Check out these aunties – they were one of my favorite parts of the celebration!
Then we walked down a red carpet (I repeat – red carpet!) while adorable children wearing clothes from all different ethnic groups showered us with confetti. I loved all the colors and beads on their outifts, and best of all, the kids patiently posed for photos with all the awestruck guests. They were true professionals.
Moving downstairs, we encountered a few food stalls selling basic local food, and then – the craft stalls. I love shopping, and that hasn’t stopped while I’ve been living in Sabah (more on this in future posts). There was gorgeous woven cloth (appropriately selling for quite the price), Rungus beaded jewelry, paintings by local artists (I bought one for my apartment!), and even metal headdresses and fearsome-looking carved knives.
The last section of the “commercial area” was particularly interesting as it featured independent Sabahan businesses selling local food products. I sampled some coffee and kuih cincin, and scarfed down a cup of pineapple ice cream. Yum!
Then it was time for the performance. The ballroom/theatre was packed (mostly with tourists, by my estimation), and the audience included a few VIPs, such as Head of State Tun Datuk Seri Panglima Juhar Mahiruddin and his consort Toh Puan Datin Seri Panglima Norlidah Datuk R.M Jasnitoward. On an aesthetic note, my friends and I particularly loved the way the hotel decorated the ceiling with all the colorful drapery. Check it out!
The audiovisual component of the night started with some well-edited videos featuring Sabah’s tourism hotspots, including many dive spots I’ve never heard of! I’ll have to get the info from The Ministry of Tourism Malaysia (Sabah), one of the sponsors of the event, for a future post. But the best was yet to come.
The performance was based on the ‘Papakang – The Odyssey of Seven Brothers,‘ which tells the story of how the seven sons of the Nunuk Ragang, chief of Kampung Tompios in the district of Ranau, dispersed to found communities across Sabah before being reunited many years later. The tale was simple, but moved quickly and allowed ample time for showing off the dances of each featured culture.
I loved seeing the costumes and dance steps of each Sabahan people. We were lucky enough to see performances from the Dusun Ranau, Orang Sungei, Dusun Rungus, Dusun Tindal, Suluk, Dusun Subpan, and Kadazan groups! At first, I thought the screen-as-backdrop might detract from the overall performance, but I actually think it added to the visual appeal of the production. Check out the way the backdrop complements the costumes!
At the end of the performance, there was plenty of time for group dancing and singalong, not to mention more photos. While some might have found Sabah Fest a little touristy for their taste, it made a great introduction to Sabahan culture and I am looking forward to more festivities as the Harvest Festival approaches!
