Buffalo slaughtered to appease mountain spirits
Posted on June 21, 2015, Sunday
httpa//www.theborneopost.com/
KUNDASANG: A buffalo was slaughtered yesterday at the foothill of Mount Kinabalu as part of the sacrificial offering to the spirit of the mountain after a 5.9 magnitude earthquake that killed 18 people two weeks ago.
The monolob ritual, which was to “cool down” the spirits of the mountain, was carried out simultaneously at the Kinabalu Park in Kundasang and at Mamut in Ranau.
The ceremony was carried out by ‘bobolian’ or Kadazandusun shaman Abas Rintingan, 93, at about 8.20am yesterday, near the Timpohon Gate where climbers began their trek up the mountain.
The ceremony was organised by the Council of Elders of Mount Kinabalu, comprising representatives of the Bundu Tuhan and Kiau villages.
Council coordinator Johnny Ghani said after the buffalo was slaughtered, parts of its meat, including the tip of its nose, liver, heart and some of its flesh were sliced off and taken by Abas.
It is learnt that the shaman brought the animals parts to a location at the base of the mountain that he had earlier chosen to offer the mountain spirits.
“These were the offerings to the mountain spirits while other parts of the buffalo were butchered and cooked at the hall in Kinabalu Park, where the food will be shared among the villagers who came to witness the ritual, also known as posogit,” said Johnny.
According to Johnny, the sharing of the food was to signify the harmony among the people.
“We are hoping that after this ritual, the spirits of the mountain will be cooled down if they are angered by the actions of humans.
“We hope that any imbalance in nature will be corrected and that things will return to normal on the mountain for the safety of climbers, guides and Sabah Parks’ staff,” he said.
Johnny said council also intended to hold another ritual to appease the mountain spirits just before repair works were carried out on the mountain.
“We want to ensure that works on Mount Kinabalu are carried out without any problems or hitches,” he added.
The ethnic Lotud community held similar rituals on Tuesday to appease the mountain spirits.
Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan, the Kadazandusun paramount leader, or Huguan Siou, said earlier that Mount Kinabalu, considered sacred to Sabah’s indigenous communities, had been desecrated by the 10 foreigners who stripped naked on the mountain on May 30.
Just a week later, a magnitude 5.9 earthquake shook Mount Kinabalu, causing an avalanche of rock and boulders that killed 18 people, including four mountain guides.
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Buffalo sacrifice rituals today at Mt Kinabalu
httpa//news.asiaone.com/news/
KOTA KINABALU - Buffaloes will be sacrificed as part of rituals to appease the spirits of Mount Kinabalu at simultaneous gatherings at the foothills of the mountain early today.
Kadazandusun Cultural Association executive secretary Benedict Topin said the monolob rituals would be held at the Kinabalu Park in Kundasang and at Mamut in Ranau at about 8am.
Mount Kinabalu Mountain Guide Association president Richard Soibi said the ritual at Kinabalu Park would be in an open area near the Timpohon Gate at the base of the mountain.
Buffaloes would be slaughtered during the ritual that would be conducted by a bobolian (Kadazandusun shaman), he said, adding that the ceremony was being organised by the folk of Kampung Bundu Tuhan, just adjacent to the Kinabalu Park.
After the slaughter of the buffaloes, the bobolian will hand over animal organ parts to two experienced mountain guides who will take them to a location on the top of the mountain.
The carcasses will then be butchered and the meat cooked and shared among those attending the ritual.
Benedict said the monolob ritual at Mamut, where seven buffaloes were to be sacrificed, was being organised by villagers from around the area.
The ethnic Lotud community held similar rituals to appease the mountain spirit on Tuesday.
Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan, who is the Kadazandusun paramount leader, had said that Mount Kinabalu, considered sacred to Sabah's indigenous communities, had been desecrated by the 10 foreigners who stripped naked on the mountain on May 30.
Just a week later, a magnitude 5.9 earthquake shook Mount Kinabalu, causing rock and boulder avalanches that killed 18 people, including four mountain guides
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All set for the biggest sacrifice
httpa//www.dailyexpress.com.my/
Ranau: All is set for the biggest sacrifice ever by the Kadazandusun Murut (KDM) community to appease the spirits of Mount Kinabalu.
The sacrifice will see the blood of at least seven buffaloes and an unspecified number of chicken poured out in the monogit and monolob rituals overseen by at least seven bobolian (traditional priestesses) in the district today (Saturday).
The rituals will start as early as 8am in two places, Jalan Mamut and at the Timpohon Gate.
District Native Chief Taip Rashman said the monogit ritual in Jalan Mamut and monolob ritual in Timpohon Gate were organised following requests from locals who considered the naked-on-the-mountain episode on May 30 by a group of 10 Western tourists as sacrilegious.
"We received complaints from seven villages around here. Thus, the seven buffaloes, one for each village as sogit while the monolob ritual in Timpohon will probably see one buffalo sacrificed and distributed to villagers in Kg Bundu Tuhan," he said.
The large number of buffaloes to be sacrificed within one day and under one ritual is an unprecedented event among the KDM community.
Last Saturday, during the monolibabow ritual conducted by the tantagas (traditional priestesses) of the Lotud community in Tamparuli, the people were told that the guardians of the mountain are demanding seven fowls and pigs from the Dusun Darat, namely the Dusun living at the foothills of Mount Kinabalu.
The gimbaran (familiar spirit) of libabow (spiritual medium), Odun Lumanjar, had said that the guardians complained about the behaviours of some climbers who "behaved like animals" and performed sexual acts while on the mountain, just like snakes, deer, pigs and squirrels.
The guardians also bemoaned the conduct of the KDM people who committed terrible sins especially incestuous relationships between father and daughter, first cousins and siblings who marry one another.
They expressed their grief that the people are no longer able to learn to care for Kinabalu and that the only people in the position to take care of the mountain are the Dusun Darat in Ranau.
"But they do not do it. They all run away. I can see there are still some of them there but they do not do it anymore."
The guardians also told the people that they are waiting for the Dusun Darat to 'soothe' the spirits of Kinabalu by offering seven fowls and pigs, warning that if their requests for sogit from the Dusun Darat were not granted, the mountain will crumble.
The tantagas had already offered gifts of tanyang (gong), karis (keris) and kamagi (special necklace) during their tumabur ritual on Wednesday, the first time the ritual was held to appease the spirits of Kinabalu.
Meanwhile, Taip said that the monogit ritual will begin with the sacrifice of a white chicken followed by chanting of rinait and thereafter the slaughtering of the buffaloes.
The ritual is expected to last for several hours from morning till evening and the meat of the sacrificed buffaloes will be distributed to the seven villages that made the initial complaint to the native court.
In the meantime, the monolob ritual in Timpohon Gate is an annual event although, due to the recent earthquake coupled with the desecration of the mountain, the natives living near the area requested that the ritual be pushed forward and conducted earlier this year.
A deadly earthquake measuring 5.9 on the Richter scale claimed the lives of 18 people on June 5, stoking further anger, leading many to believe that the desecration of the mountain, deemed sacred by the natives of Sabah, had triggered the earthquake.
However, the rituals in Ranau, considered to be the biggest of ceremonies due to its proximity to Mount Kinabalu, do not equate the desecration to the earthquake and will be held purely to appease the spirits of the mountain.
Five villages perform own rituals: Chief After unable to impose 'sogit' on nudists
httpa//www.dailyexpress.com.my/
Kota Kinabalu: Disappointed they could not impose a "sogit" or traditional compensation on the tourists who stripped on Mount Kinabalu, several local villages took it upon themselves to hold traditional rituals to appease the mountain spirits.
Ranau District Native Chief Mohd Din Solinggong said at least five villages have performed this ceremony already, each sacrificing chickens and cows in the process.
"They have done their own 'monogit' ceremony, a ceremony to appease the spirits and 'cool down' the heat caused. They organised this on their own," he said at the Ranau District Office.
Some parts of Sabah abide by native laws, which are governed by the Native Court Enactment 1992.
On May 30, a group of 10 tourists stripped atop Mount Kinabalu in a dare to see who could stand the cold the longest, despite being told by their mountain guide not to.
The act had angered and outraged the local community who demanded that they be brought to native courts for "sogit".
Deputy Chief Minister and Huguon Siou (the paramount leader of the Kadazandusun people) Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan later blamed a deadly magnitude 5.9 earthquake on the act.
On June 12, four of the 10 tourists were sentenced to three days' jail (which they had already served), RM5,000 fine in civil court of law for public indecency, and were deported home the following day after they pled guilty.
"We were at first happy to hear that they had identified the tourists who had breached the laws and we wanted to bring them to face our court of law. They had after all breached the laws of 'akinabalu' – the mountain's spirit.
"We, however, did not have the authority to remand anybody so we waited but they were sentenced in civil court and then deported immediately. We could not impose any sogit on them," lamented Mohd Din.
He said that communities in Kundasang and Ranau such as Kampung Lohan, Kampung Kiau, and in Kampung Bantayan in Tuaran had conducted their own rituals in the recent weeks.
"The communities there do it small scale on their own accord. They've sacrificed chickens and cows and brought seven eggs to appease the mountain spirits.
"We hope that this 'cooling down' will be enough not just for the spirits, but so the native people will feel calmed down because we could not impose sogit on the foreigners," he said.
On Saturday, Dusun Lotud shaman and spiritual medium Belud Ebin told reporters that her "familiar spirit" told her that the mountain gods were angry with the disrespect shown to the mountain of late.
She said that many acts of misbehaviour have been going on for years and people did not respect the earth or pay enough compensation.
"Whatever we reap, we must pay our dues to the land. It doesn't matter what religion or what beliefs we have, in the end, our ashes and bodies will return to the earth," she said after a "monolibabaw" ceremony to consult with the spirits.
The district of Ranau, the epicentre of the earthquake, has been wracked with aftershocks, totally some 82 since June 5. The latest reported quake was a magnitude 4.0 tremblor at 5.58am.
Sacrificial rituals conducted at Mount Kinabalu to appease spirits
httpa//www.thestar.com.my/News/
KUNDASANG: Sacrifices of buffaloes were made at the foothills of Mount Kinabalu Saturday as villagers living in its vicinity sought to “cool down” the spirits of the mountain, just two weeks after an earthquake killed 18 people there.
The monolob ritual was carried out simultaneously at the Kinabalu Park in Kundasang and at Mamut in Ranau.
The ceremony at the Kinabalu Park saw bobolian or Kadazandusun shaman Abas Rintingan, 93, slaughtering a buffalo near the Timpohon Gate where climbers begin their trek up the mountain.
As villagers from nearby Bundu Tuhan and Kampung Kiau held the buffalo down, Abas slit the animal’s throat while chanting ancient prayers, at about 8.20am, with the mountain in clear view.
In his hands were a komborongoh (talisman) made up of parts from animals and plants.
The media was asked to keep at a certain distance as a mark of respect for the ritual.
The ceremony was organised by the Council of Elders of Mount Kinabalu, comprising representatives of the Bundu Tuhan and Kiau.
Council coordinator Johnny Ghani said after the buffalo died, parts of it including the tip of its nose, liver, heart and some of its flesh were sliced off and taken by Abas.
The shaman brought the animals parts to a location at the base of the mountain that he had earlier chosen.
“These were the offerings to the mountain spirits,” Johnny said, adding that the other parts of the buffalo were butchered and cooked at the hall in Kinabalu Park, and the food shared among the villagers who came to witness the ritual, also known as po sogit.
“The sharing of the food was to signify the harmony among the people,” he added.
“We are hoping that after this ritual, the spirits of the mountain will be cooled down if they are angered by the actions of humans,” Johnny said.
“We hope that any imbalance in nature will be corrected and that things will return to normal on the mountain for safety of climbers, guides and Sabah Parks’ staff,” he said.
Johnny said council also intended to hold another ritual to appease the mountain spirits just before repair works were carried out on the mountain.
“We want to ensure that works on Mount Kinabalu are carried out without any problems or hitches,” he added.
The ethnic Lotud community held similar rituals on Tuesday to appease the mountain spirits.
Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan, the Kadazandusun paramount leader, said earlier that Mount Kinabalu, considered sacred to Sabah’s indigenous communities, had been desecrated by the 10 foreigners who stripped naked on the mountain on May 30.
Just a week later, a magnitude 5.9 earthquake shook Mount Kinabalu, causing rock and boulder avalanches that killed 18 people, including four mountain guides.
The rituals of Kinabalu
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RANAU: The Dusun community here believed in appeasing the Mount Kinabalu spirits through the “Monolob” ritual. According to Kinabalu Park manager Yassin Miki, the ritual which is a practice of the Dusun community whenever a group wanted to climb to the peak accompanied by the mountain guide. "However over the years the practise is done only at the end of the year during the Community Day in December," he said. Yassin said the Monolob is done to request for blessing, protection and safety during the group climbing expedition from the mount spirit known as Aki. "For the Dusun, Aki meant great ancestors while Balu means rock thus the name of Kinabalu means the final resting place of the ancestors’ spirits," he said. He said the ritual is carried out by the Mountain Advisory Council where a Bobolian, the high priestess will head in the ritual carried out at the Timpohon Gate. He said among the items used for the ritual offerings is seven white chickens and accompanied with seven chicken eggs, betel nuts, tobacco, lime-stone powder, and sireh leaves which will be place on a tray. Then the Bobolian will lead chant and the chicken will be slaughtered during the ceremony. The meat from chicken is then cooked and distributed to those present and that will be the end of the ceremony. It is learnt in the olden days the cooked chicken meat becomes the food for the climbers to pack for their journey.
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Elders of Mount Kinabalu to perform ‘Monolob’
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RANAU: The council of elders of Mount Kinabalu are ready to perform the Monolob ritual to appease the spirits of the mountain. A member of the council Richard Soibi said there should not be any problem for them to proceed with the ritual, provided that all parties in the Dusun community including the mountain guides agree to do it. "The council will be calling for a meeting soon on the matter," said Richard who is also the Mount Kinabalu mountain guides chief. He added the Monolob ritual aside from obtaining blessing from the mountain spirits before hiking to its peak; it is also a form of way to seek forgiveness for the wrongdoings that had been done at the mountain. "It’s also a psychological healing process to ease those who have been traumatised with the tragedy," he said. Earlier, Sabah Tourism Minister Masidi Manjun said that interfaith prayers will be organised soon at the mountain area including the Monolob ritual.
"Monogit" @ Mamut,Ranau
Organizer: USDA & Mahkamah Anak Negeri Daerah Ranau.
Location: Mamut,Ranau,Sabah.
Date:20 June 2015
Photographer: Augustine Jumat for Documentary KDCA.
