Monolob ritual to appease the mountain spirit

By Luke Rintod

FEATURE Kundasang is famous because here stands the soaring and majestic Mount Kinabalu, a Unesco World Heritage site. But one day in a year, this pristine site is closed to all except the native Kadazandusun community in Sabah. It is the day of the "monolob".

"Monolob" is an age-old ritual which literally means 'appeasing the spirits of the mountain'.

Years ago the mountain and its sprawling verdant foothills was native land but the area is now a gazetted park.

It is still however home to many indigenous people who have lived here for generations and who have a deep and intimate knowledge of the Kinabalu forest.

To them the mountian is scared and its loft peaks, a resting resting place of departed souls as they journey to the afterlife. They refer to the mountain as 'Gayo Ngaran' or Big Name.

On Friday Dec 3, the community's high priest, Lunsing Koroh performed the 'monolob' ritual to appease the mountian spirits and request that they allow for safe passage for the eastimated 15,000 climbers who scale the southeast Asia's highest peak annually.

For many years Koroh used to scale the mountain and perform the ritual at Panar Laban, some 3,353 metres above sea-level, not far from the Low's Peak summit which was 4,095metre (13,435 feet).

But he's 85-years-old now and less able to make the trip. This year he carried out the ritual at the park's Timpohon Gate, the point where climbers start their ascend to the mountain of spirits. And this time he was aided by his son-in-law Dauni Landson, who is 54 years old.

"My old age is slowing me down ..," said Koroh who inherited his "momolian" (high priest powers/wisdom) from his great great grandfather.

"I hope someone much younger will take over this task from me in future..." he told his 97 friends who had joined that morning.

Among these friends were his potential successors. The 'monolob' ritual this year co-incided with a high priest annual pilgrimage to the mountain or what they call in the local dialect "kakapan do gayo ngaran".

The rituals

The "monolob" ritual involved the slaughtering of seven (the magical number for the Kadazandusun tribes) white chickens. White chicken is called "kombura" in the local dialect.

"Kombura" or white chicken is the preferred sacrificial bird for this kind of ritual. Black chicken is also sometimes used in Kadazandusun rituals but for different purposes, said Koroh.

Koroh said the natives of Kampung Kiau and Kampung Bundu Tuhan called the greatest Kinabalu spirits as "Komburawan" . White chicken were refered to as "kombura".

Besides the seven white chickens, the offering for the spirits included eggs, betel-nuts and tobacco.

The ritual started in the misty morning hour with Koroh slowly shaking his "komburongoh", a mystical collections of rare species of Borneo plants which are said to be guarded by the spirits.

He then began chanting age-old incantations of mantras in old Dusun language, barely understood by today's Kadazandusun denizens.

Through this incantations, Koroh would invoke a special relationship between the natives and the spirits of the mountain. He would also remind the spirits of their special inherent positions to ensure safety for good climbers to the mountain.

Koroh would also appease the spirits by saying prayers that those setting foot on the mountain are respectful of mother nature and would not desecrate the place.

At the end of his incantations, seven fowls were slaughtered and the meat set aside for cooked consumption at home.

Honouring spirits

Koroh then planted a piece of sharp-edged wood where the white chickens were slaughtered.

According to him, the speared wood would act as a weapon to punish those who fail to adhere to good behaviour while inside the areas under the purview of the spirits.

Koroh said among the acts which were discouraged are the plucking of plants without good purpose, killings of animals where it is not necessary, desecrating the summit, belittling the seats of the spirits or the greatness of the mountain, and straying from the safe established path.

"But if someone wants to stray from the path, they must be courteous and ask permission from the spirits first," said Koroh.

But if a major trail is to be established then the high priest must be summoned to once again appease and forewarn the spirits, he said.

Koroh added that if the spirits are unhappy then they may manifest their disagreement through dreams, abrupt change in weather or a sudden strange illness to befall those involved in the scheme.

It is said that the famous guide in the 1940's, Gunting Lagadan, a Kadazandusun village headman, who ascended Mt Kinabalu hundreds of time, too conducted the same appeasing ritual before each of his ascends.

This ritual was however discontinued for some unknown reason between 1970 and 1992.

During this time, in 1976, a form five student was reported missing while climbing Mt Kinabalu. In 1989, two other climbers from Sarawak met with the same fate. Their bodies were never recovered.

The Kadazandusuns believe the departed spirits would not have missed the huge Mt Kinabalu in their epic spiritual journey.

The spirits would reach for the mountain and mark their visit by scratching their claws against it or "kumahit" in the local dialect.

This is why the community calls Mt Kinabalu, "kokohiton" which literally means "the place to scratch".

Heritage site

In 1997, a re-survey using satellite technology established Low's Peak height at 4,095 metres (13,435 feet) above sea-level, some six metres (20 feet) less than the previously established and hitherto published figure of 4,101 metres (13,455 feet).

Kinabalu is the tallest peak in Borneo's Crocker Range and is the fourth tallest mountain in the Malay Archipelago after Indonesian Papua's Puncak Jaya, Puncak Trikora and Puncak Mandala.

Kinabalu is also the 20th tallest mountain in the world by topographic prominence.

The mountain and its surroundings are among the most important biological sites in the world, with over 4,500 species of plants, 326 species of birds, and 100 mammalian species identified.

Among this rich collection of wildlife are famous species such as the gigantic Rafflesia flowerplants and the Orangutans. And it is for this reason that Kinabalu has been accorded Unesco World Heritage Site status. - FMT