About 8 KM away from the developed city of Kota Kinabalu, lies Inanam. Within it lies a living museum of North East Borneo’s 5 main tribes, Mari Mari Cultural village. This quaint little village offers traditional demonstrations and activities pertaining to the rich culture of 5 tribes that are prominent in the culture and history of Sabah. Those tribes are:
- Dusuns, known for their skilled rice farming skills (refer to picture 1 below)
- Rungus, known for their longhouses and beadwork (refer to picture 2 below)
- Lundayeh, the hunters and Fishermen of Sabah (refer to picture 3 below)
- Bajau, the sea Gypsies of Sabah, known for their Seafaring skills (refer to picture 4 below)
- Murut, the Headhunters of Sabah (refer to picture 5 below)
(2)(https://www.instagram.com/p/CYEAgx6MMHl/)
(3)(https://www.dailyexpress.com.my/read/5848/lundayeh-folks-showcase-culture/)
(4)(https://sabahnews.com.my/rencana-papar-turut-warnai-festival-bajau-samah-ahad-ini/#google_vignette)
As you can guess, the Main attraction of this place is experiencing the cultures and traditions of the 5 Borneo indigenous tribes mentioned above. These activities were selected and chosen in order to provide an immersive experience of the day-to-day life of Sabah’s indigenous people. The activities include learning:
- Traditional cooking methods like bamboo cooking (refer to picture 1 below)
- How to use a traditional blowpipe (refer to picture 2 below)
- How to make fire without modern tools (refer to picture 3 below)
- A form of body decoration called Henna Tattoo Art. (refer to picture 4 below)
However, activities aren’t the only attraction this place has to offer. Traditional dance performances and even cultural demonstrations like:
- Lansaran, a traditional Murut dance and game (refer to picture one below)
- Traditional fire-making techniques (refer to picture 2 below)
- Various traditional crafting showcases. (refer to picture 3 below)
- Magunatip, a traditional Murut bamboo dance (refer to picture 4 below)
This cultural village aims to immerse visitors with an authentic and surreal experience of Sabah’s indigenous culture. If you wish to visit this living museum, please head to https://marimariculturalvillage.my/ for more information regarding price and their specific location.