Don't play play with this mountain, it is sacred!

Mount Kinabalu, Sabah's iconic and mystical landmark shook at precisely 7.17am yesterday morning when it was hit by a 6-magnitude earthquake, sending rocks and loose stones down its slopes causing serious damage to buildings at base camps along the set paths for climbers.

The quake was so strong and powerful that it caused tremors to be felt on the west coast and interior regions of the state, including the state capital of Kota Kinabalu 54km away, Tambunan, Beaufort, Kudat and Kota Marudu. 

The first reaction by locals, who are familiar with the many legends associated with this famous mountain, was to come to a conclusion that the mountain gods are angry and that the natural disaster was a demonstration of their anger and fury. 

What came to mind immediately were images of a group of 10 European climbers, including four women, who recently found it was fun to strip naked and, according to some reports, openly urinated upon reaching one of its peaks. 

It might be considered fun and trendy to these visitors, but their dispicable act that day has caused distress to the indigenous communities living in and around the foothills of the mountain and in nearby districts. 

For, traditionally, these Dusun and Kadazan communities have long considered this stone as the resting place for the good spirits of their dead ancestors, hence the name Aki (grandfather) Nabalu (coffin).

They and other ethnic groups like the Muruts still perform elaborate rituals with symbolic gestures that reflect both the belief and respect of the dead residing on the mountain. 

“Ritual specialists usually face the mountain when reciting ancient sacred texts as a mark of respect to acknowledge the existence of the dead and to the spirits who guard the passage to it,” Judeth John Baptist, an official of the Sabah Museum once wrote in her article on “Aki Nabalu”. 

What is clear is that the earthquake and its resultant tremors shook and sent shock waves far and wide right across this land that is supposed to be outside the typhoon volcanic rings in the region. 

It sent many city and town dwellers rushing out of buildings, shops and homes as a precautionary measure upon feeling the tremors. 

Everyone went wild with the smart phones, busy sending and receiving images connected with the incident. As usual, whilst people are in a state of panic and fear, it becomes difficult to distinguish between falsehood and facts. Some messages containing warning of aftershocks at certain times proved to be just the work of rumour mongers. 

As the day progressed, the actual damages are found to be real and frightening. A large number of climbers are left stranded up on the mountain, desperately waiting for officials of the Sabah Parks department to get helicopters to airlift them down in batches, hopefully before nightfall. 

Its chairman Tengku Zainal Adlin has disclosed that assistance from the Royal Malaysian Air Force and private firms for helicopters was being sought to rescue the climbers. 

“We are doing all we can. We are prepared but the problem is availability of helicopters,” he told The Star Online.

Another bad news is that the Donkey's Ear Peak, the twin peak landmark resembling a pair of donkey's ears has been badly damaged. The top of one of the peaks has fallen off as a result of the Friday morning’s tremors. 

“Bad news confirmed! Part of the iconic 'Donkey's Ear' at Mount Kinabalu is gone due to strong tremor this morning,” tweeted Masidi Manjun, Sabah's tourism, culture and environment minister. 

Masidi also tweeted that rescue operations at Mount Kinabalu were underway following reports of climbers being trapped and injured on the mountain. 

The strong quake reportedly struck at a depth of 10km, with its epicentre located 19km from the town of Ranau. People at the foothill of Mount Kinabalu reported rockfalls and landslips and officials are waiting for the situation to settle before determining the next course of action. 

Many in Sabah just couldn't help but draw the conclusion that the mountain gods are angry with the act of disrespect by the 'Naughty 10” from Europe. Is it right to do so?  Well, only the spirits of Mt Kinabalu could give that answer. 

All I can say is this, don't play play with this mountain, for it is considered sacred by the local folks!

- theantdaily