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1 Naked at Mt Kinabalu, Sabah: Appeasing the mountain spirits
2 SABAH EARTHQUAKE! 5 June 2015.
3 Sabah Earthquake: Aftermath

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3 July 2015

Star

Friday July 3, 2015 MYT 6:13:06 PM

Three-day ceremony to appease Mount Kinabalu spirits begins

by ruben sario

KOTA KINABALU: The sacrifice of seven chickens began the first of a three-day ceremony at the foothills of Mount Kinabalu as part of an elaborate ritual to appease mountain spirits said to reside there.

Some 50 bobolian or Kadazandusun shamans representing tribes began chanting age-old prayers as part of the monolob-monogit ceremony from Friday afternoon.

Led by senior bobolian Aman Sirom from Kota Belud, the shamans’ rituals will continue until Sunday.

The ethnic groups involved were the Tambanuo from Pitas, Kimaragang (Kota Marudu), Tobilung (Kota Marudu), Tindal (Kota Belud) and the Kadazan of Kimanis and Papar.

Kadazandusun Cultural Association executive secretary Benedict Topin said said the gathering of so many ethnic communities for the appeasing ritual was unprecedented.

“What the bobolian will try to do is reach out to the spirits of the mountain ” he said.

He said the chickens, goats and a pig would be sacrificed over the course of three days.

“The ceremony is the coming together of the people to call on the spirits of the mountain and surrounding areas,” Benedict said.

He said the dates were chosen to coincide with the occurrence of a full moon.

http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2015/07/03/Mountain-spirit-ceremony-starts/

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20 June 2015

I  KK ‏@KKCity 16m16 minutes ago

KKians! Cuba share part mana yg lucu. Motif? #KKCity

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Upacara “Posogit” dijalankan di Timpohon Gate bagi menenangkan semangat Gunung Kinabalu #KKCity

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• 1. I  KK ‏@KKCity 4h4 hours ago

Kerbau yang dikorbankan dalam upacara “Posogit” bagi menenangkan semangat Gunung Kinabalu #KKCity

— 20 June 2015

Star

Saturday June 20, 2015 MYT 12:17:51 PM

Sacrificial rituals conducted at Mount Kinabalu to appease spirits

by ruben sario

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. http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2015/06/20/Mount-Kinabalu-quake-ritual-to-appease-spirits/ — 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.

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INDEPENDENT NATIONAL NEWSPAPER OF EAST MALAYSIA Established since 1963

Published on: Saturday, June 20, 2015 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. http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=100802 —

“Posogit”, offering ritual held at Mount Kinabalu http://www.nst.com.my/node/88980  #nst170 #sabahquake

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Potential slope erosion at #MountKinabalu due to continuous rain http://www.nst.com.my/node/88860  #nst170

KOTA KINABALU: Continuous rain would potentially erode the slopes of Mt Kinabalu, according to the Sabah Minerals and Geoscience Department. The department’s Mineral Resource Unit chief Jontih Enggihon said the erosion would also result in an avalanche of rocks, soil and other debris such as wood, down the valley, ravine and river below. “The erosion will form a mud flow that will bring thousands of tonnes of soil and rocks which will inundate the riverbed and riverbank as what happened to Sungai Liwagu and Sungai Mesilou,” he told Bernama when contacted here yesterday.

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Another weak earthquake hits Ranau in #Sabah: http://tinyurl.com/pyeb4rc 

KUALA LUMPUR – A weak 4.0 magnitude earthquake hit Ranau, Sabah, early Friday. The temblor with a depth of 10km and 11km northwest of Ranau was felt by those living in the area, the Malaysian Meteorological Department said in a statement. — 17 June 2015 Borneo Post Online

Sabah considering calling army to remove logs clogging river

Posted on June 17, 2015, Wednesday

KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Infrastructure Development Ministry is considering to seek the army’s assistance in removing timber that have clogged Liwagu River, following the mud flood in Ranau. Its minister Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan, who is also Sabah deputy chief minister, said the massive pile of timber might to too risky for the contractors tasked with removing the logs. “The idea of calling the army to participate in the clearing-up is fair and should be considered in extracting the logs from the river. “If the contractors are afraid to do the work, we need the bravery of the army to do it. “This is a very critical situation because the piled-up logs seem to have formed a dam which could burst and gush out a high volume of water any time it rains heavily,” he said at a press conference, here, today. Pairin said it was discovered yesterday that old logs had drifted into Liwagu River, a water intake of the state’s Water Department, and blanketed over half a kilometre of the river. He said the situation was dangerous to over 3,000 people at five villages downstream.

— Borneo Post Online

Families in Ranau and Kota Belud face water shortage, flood

Posted on June 17, 2015, Wednesday

Mud, stones and wood debris caused the Ranau water treatment plant to cease operation. RANAU: Clean water supply for the people in Ranau has been affected as mud, stone and wood debris have flooded its main rivers, causing the district water treatment plant to cease operation. Ranau is reportedly facing piped water shortage since Monday after the district water treatment plant ceased operation when the river water was found to contain too much mud and stone and wood debris, clogging its intakes at Sungai Bambangan and at other main rivers.

409 flood victims evacuated in Kota Belud, Ranau

Posted on June 17, 2015, Wednesday

Kota Belud district officer Abdul Gari Itam told Bernama that 28 residents from 10 families at Kampung Gunding and Kampung Linau had been moved to the relief centre at Dewan Tun Said Kota Belud. According to him, the river had also risen to the ‘alert’ water level of 4.4 metres and being monitored continuously.

Ranau district officer Faimin Kamin said 381 residents from 89 families at Kg Kirambang/Kg Liwagu were temporarily housed at Dewan Masyarakat Ranau. He said the families were evacuated to avoid a potential overflow of the dam situated near the villages, which was being clogged by logs washed downstream by muddy floods.

— 16 June 2015 https://youtu.be/fFKlV571-tc —

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#SabahQuake: Villagers at foothills of Mount Kinabalu now facing mudslides http://tdy.sg/1HNjnn0 

— https://youtu.be/fFKlV571-tc …

Hundreds flee homes after Mount Kinabalu floods http://str.sg/wkZ 

— Daily Express ‘All is not well on Mt Kinabalu’

Published on: Monday, June 15, 2015

Tuaran: It took a few hours before the libabow made contact with the guardians of Mount Kinabalu and it quickly dawned on the tantagas that all is not well on the mountain. Communication was only established long after the media glare died down at the Kg Bantayan community hall in Tamparuli where the monolibabow ritual took place Saturday night to explore how the mountain spirit, who many fervently believe was disturbed after a group of Western tourists disrobed near the summit recently, could be appeased. The idea was to offer a sogit to placate the spirit in the hope of restoring the balance on the mountain following its desecration by the tourists on May 30. But, as the libabow found out, the naked-on-the-mountain episode was just the latest transgression by humans, much to the disappointment of the guardians of the mountain which spoke of having grown weary as a result. “They do not want anything anymore (from the Lotud community). They are fed up. They have been promised so many times, and now they are angry. Try and think of it, they have been promised many times, but nothing. “Now they are given something but only the Dusun gave us. The Dusun Darat (in Ranau) not yet,” lamented the gimbaran of libabow Odun Lumanjar during the monolibabow ritual. Draped in dark blue traditional costume and chains of amulets on her neck, Odun Lumanjar was one of the two libabow whose gimbaran were appointed to speak with the seven guardians of the mountain; Gunsangod, Singkarad, Rangkai, Liso, Rongko, Tanggung and their leader Raja Gugur. In local tradition, libabow is believed to be able to send her gimbaran by having it fly off to other places to meet specific spirits. While all these are happening, the gimbaran will take possession of the libabow’s body and will speak through the libabow. Read the whole article: http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=100623 — 16 June 2015 Star

Tuesday June 16, 2015 MYT 7:27:28 AM

Hundreds flee Mt Kinabalu floods

by ruben sario

KOTA KINABALU: Tonnes of mud, boulders, rocks and debris flowed down Mount Kinabalu after three days of heavy rain, forcing the evacuation of hundreds of people from their homes at the foothills of the mountain. The mudflows – after the June 5 earthquake – hit Mesilau on the eastern face and Kiau on the western side, washing out and seriously damaging bridges as firemen began rescue operations in affected villages. The mudflows began at about 3pm yesterday, blocking roads into Kiau and Mesilau, which is one of Sabah’s key highland vegetable-growing areas. … Hundreds fled the Mesilau area after mudslides flowed down on the eastern face of Mount Kinabalu. The mountain was hit by a magnitude 5.9 earthquake on June 5. Mesilau is also the location of the Kinabalu Parks Mesilau nature centre, located adjacent to a resort. Numerous holiday chalets, homestays and the Mount Kinabalu Golf Club are located at Mesilau. Roads leading to the nature centre and the golf club were among those cut off. The mudslides also flowed into Kampung Kiau Taburi, Naulu and Bersatu apart from Lobong-Lobong, and Kg Kaung on the western side of the mountain. The SK Kiau Taburi was also hit by mudslides, although immediate damage could not be ascertained. http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2015/06/16/Hundreds-flee-Mt-Kinabalu-floods-Mud-boulders-and-debris-flow-down-to-villages/ — Star

Tuesday June 16, 2015 MYT 7:27:34 AM

Move to safer ground away from rivers, villagers urged

KOTA KINABALU: Villagers in the Kundasang highlands have been told to move to safer ground due to earth movement and potential flash floods in upper Mount Kinabalu. Ranau district fire station chief Jimmy Lagung said a lot of water could be collecting in the forested areas which could result in sudden flooding. He said the villagers should be cautious and must stay alert because of these uncertainties. “It is advisable to move to higher ground, away from the rivers,” he said. He said the worry was that if more rain were to fall, water at the upper reaches of the Sg Mesilau could overflow, causing much destruction. http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2015/06/16/Move-to-safer-ground-away-from-rivers-villagers-urged/ —

Mudslides hit villages at foothills of Mt Kinabalu http://fw.to/8k3vwsX  #PrayForSabah

KOTA KINABALU: Firemen in Sabah are on alert after massive mudslides triggered by rain in earthquake-hit Mount Kinabalu swept through villages at the foothills of the mountain. The affected villages were Kg Mesilau, Kg Kiau, Kg Lobong-Lobong and Kg Kaung. A primary school, SK Kiau Toburi, was also hit by the mudslides, which began at 3.30pm on Monday, though the extent of damage could not be ascertained. http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2015/06/15/Sabah-mudslides/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter —

#SabahQuake: 12 families leave houses at foothills of Mt Kinabalu http://bit.ly/1dEILiG 

Sunday June 14, 2015 MYT 11:34:22 PM

Sabah quake: 12 families leave houses at foothills of Mt Kinabalu

by muguntan vanar, ruben sario, stephanie lee, AND natasha joibi

KOTA KINABALU: Twelve families living at the foothills of Mount Kinabalu have voluntarily moved out from their houses following the June 5 earthquake. Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan said the affected families in Kampung Naulu were worried as their houses were located in a hazardous area. They have moved in with relatives, he said on Sunday after visiting the village, where another 148 houses are under threat from possible rockfalls on the western face of the mountain. He said geologists from the Mineral and Geoscience Department would be carrying checks on the houses to ascertain the safety of the structures. http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2015/06/14/Sabah-quake-12-families-move-out/ ———–