Buffalo sacrifice at foot of Kinabalu to appease spirits

93-year-old 'bobolian' medium carries out ritual at entry point of mountain trek

KUNDASANG: A buffalo was sacrified to pacify the guardians of Mt Kinabalu today, two weeks after a group of tourists posed naked at the summit, by village elders of the Kadazandusun community for whom the mountain is sacred.

The liver, heart, a portion of the meat and the tip of the animal’s nose were taken for the offering.

The rest of the meat was cooked for a simple meal for those in attendance including dwellers around Mt Kinabalu.

Before the ritual began at 8.25 am, the bobolian (spirit medium), Abas Arinting, 93, led 10 elders from from Kampung Bundu Tuhan and Kampung Kiau to mark the site for the ceremony.

The 30-minute ritual was conducted in the vicinity of Timpohon, Kinabalu Park, the starting point of the ascent to Mt Kinabalu., a buffalo was slaughtered as a sacrifice to the mountain guardians.

The bobolian used a lumai talisman to communicate with the spirits.

The local community believe in the existence of spirits that guard the mountain, and the need to respect them and their role.

Ceremony coordinator Johnny Ghani described Mt Kinabalu as sacred to the community; although the public could freely have access to the mountain, customs that had been entrenched for generations must be followed.

Any transgression, such as the recent action by a group of foreign visitors posing nude on Mt Kinabalu,m was tantamount to desecration or utter disrespect, not only to the mountain guardians but to the people that love it.

“So in a way, this ritual is to restore our mountain’s dignity and particularly pacify the wrath of Mt Kinabalu’s guardians and us, for that matter,” he said when met after the ceremony.

For Johnny who is also a member of the Mt Kinabalu Advisory Council which arranged the ceremony, the ritual would hopefully restore calm and harmony within the community already devastated by the earthquake at Mt Kinabalu.

A 5.9 magnitude earthquake shook Mt Kinabalu on June 5, killing 18 people and causing extensive damage to certain areas in the vicinity.

Sabah Parks manager Maipol Spait said the agency was determined to play its part to safeguard the customs, hence its involvement in the ceremony.

He said the ritual was also significant as Sabah Parks would be starting work to rehabilitate the mountain trail and other relevant structures damaged in the earthquake.

- BERNAMA