Portraits of Sabahans

Sabah is fascinating, not just for being the site of world famous Mt Kinabalu and Sipadan, but for its interesting people. When M and I were in Sabah in March, we observed that Sabahans, no matter their ethnicity or tribe, are mainly most friendly and helpful. Who are the people of Sabah?

"Modern-day Sabah has been shaped by a diverse range of ethnicities, with the majority of Sabahans members of at least one of more than 30 groups. By far the biggest is the Kadazan-Dusun which comprises the Kadazan, people of the plains, and the Dusun, mountain farmers. But it also includes 40 other related tribes. The Sabah coast has long been influenced by outside groups to such an extent that the second biggest ethnic group is the Bajau, descended from nomadic seafarers and emigrants from the Philippines, just a couple of hours to the North" (Niall McIlroy for Sabah Tourism, 2011).

Here I share some photos of Sabahans who(m) we came across during our trip.
1. Pretty Eliccolina, a Dusun, works at the Jim Thompson outlet at the Nexus Karambunai Resort. She was very gracious when I went into the outlet to buy a tee.

2. Janurin works at the Lagoon Park Karambunai. He is a Bajau Darat from Tuaran and very knowledgeable about the fauna and flora in the area. He also made us aware of  the jelly fish season.

3. These girls and a boy are the very helpful front office staff at the Nexus Karambunai. I jotted down their names in my notebook, but mislaced it somewhere. When I do find it, I will name them.

4. Ever smiling Yana is one of the North Borneo Railway stewards serving on the train we took from Tanjung Aru to Papar and back. Her uniform and the thermos flasks complete the vintage train experience.

5. A fish seller at the Kinarut Tamu shows off a fish to customers. I forgot to ask his name or the name of the large fish!

6. A man selling the wakid (traditional baskets) at the back of a van at the Kinarut Tamu. He was quite happy to pose for this photo.

7. These two boys (brothers) were helping out their mother at the Kota Belud Tamu and gamely posed for this picture.

8. This beautiful old lady reminded me of my grandmother Maimunah. The way she wears her selendang as headgear is also reminiscent of how the Malay women of yore wore theirs. Now the 'tudung' is the norm.

9. This jovial lady sells tobacco and sireh at the Kota Belud Tamu. She'd offered me some sireh to try, which I found too 'sharp' for my taste. She obviously loves her sireh as her almost scarlet tongue testify. She was also one of the very few at the Tamu to sport a native headgear.

10. A young Malay woman at the Kota Kinabalu town centre dry food market. We bought some local snacks from her.

March 2013 (All pics by CNB)