CHINESE BASS DRUM

Chinese percussion instruments have a long history and lots of variety. They can be used to highlight the rhythm in music and create wonderful mood tonal changes, or even grouped together in an ensemble. Percussion ensemble pieces differ in expression as the configuration differs

The annual Sabah Fest is an event which presents the essence of Sabah’s multifarious people. The much-anticipated event includes a multitude of cultural dances and traditional music performances, local food and beverage stalls for all to enjoy and handicraft-making demonstrations by the respective ethnic groups. This is a great opportunity to see skilled craftspeople at work during the handicraft exhibition and a chance to purchase hard-to-find items, from hand-woven baskets to intricately-carved Sea Bajau lepas (wooden boat replicas).

‘A Cultural Experience at the Sabah Museum Heritage Village’. The Village is a replica of the traditional houses of various tribes found in Sabah, all built as one ‘village’. Here, you can interact with the various tribes, watch them perform traditional dances and taste their local delicacies. There’s plenty to enjoy for the young and old, including bamboo-stilt walking (a traditional past time of the Kadazandusun people), slingshot contests and a fishing competition, to name a few. There will also be rarely-seen rituals and rites performed by healers and priestesses.

Kiulu is located about 60 km from Kota Kinabalu and is the venue for this traditional sporting challenge. The Kiulu 4M Challenge consists of four traditional sports.

The ‘M’ in 4M stands for the four Kadazandusun sports comprising of managkus (running 6 km), mamangkar (bamboo rafting for 5 km), manampatau (swimming with bamboo for 1.3 lm) and mamarampanau (walking with bamboo stilts for 0.2 km). All four are indigenous, adventurous and thrilling events that will test your physical and mental skills.

Besides being a sport event, the K4MC is also a noble endeavor to protect and preserve nature, in particular the  Kiulu River.

Among the objectives of the challenge are to promote traditional sports as an eco-tourism product of Kiulu to create opportunities for active local participation in the tourism industry and instill environmental awareness among the community.

Organizer of the one-day event have also introduced a new category called X-treme 4KMC for men above 21 years old only which involves running and bamboo rafting over a distance of 13 km.

Pulau Mantanani consists of three islands namely Pulau Mantanani Besar, Pulau Mantanani Kecil and Pulau Lungisan, a small island just off the western shore of Pulau Mantanani Besar. Pulau Mantanani Besar is about 3 km across and 1.5 km at its widest point. Sandy, calcareous beaches surround the island, except on its northern side. Pulau Mantanani Kecil is a thin island 2.5 km by 0.7 km. The island is composed mostly of limestone bluffs and rocky shores, with little strand or kerangas vegetation (Sheldon, 1983). Pulau Lungisan is a 40 m high limestone stack covered with low trees and steep slopes close to Pulau Mantanani Besar.