sTop!: April 2009

A Tribal Encounter...

Wednesday, April 1, 2009 - Labels: Travel and Places - 0 Comments

It was a very sunny Sunday morning, though. I was waiting for my friends from church, so I went to town earlier than usual...to Gaya Street. I have never been there before, on Sunday.

Why??

On weekends, starting Saturdays to Sundays, Gaya Street is locally popular for the city's 'Tamu', which means open-air market. It maybe not as popular as the well-known tamu in Kota Belud, but many citizens turned up to the 'Tamu' until Gaya Street is flooded with people. Sabahan can really be proud of its Tamu in Kota Kinabalu. Traditionally it was a place where farmers, fishermen and vendors trade their produce, Sabah’s Tamu has certainly evolved to become a favorite hang-out place for locals and tourists.

On my recent visit there, I encountered with a program held by KEKKWA (Ministry of Arts & Heritage) named 'Pusat Seni Setempat'. On my arrival, there was a cultural dance performance from the Sabah's Murut tribe. The dance is called 'Magunatip'. This dance belongs to the Murut’s tribe of Kuhijaw (Kwijau). The "Magunatip" word is derived from the "apit" word, which means "trapped". In this dance one must master and show their agility and dexterity in jumping and putting their feet between the clapping bamboos without being trapped. This dance does not usually require any instrumental music because the rhythmic clapping and stamping of the bamboos produce a loud, harmonised, beat and interesting sound or rhythm. This dance is usually performed to highlight any festive occasion.

The warrior leads the dance......

Beautiful dancers in Murut costume...

Girls, let the party begin!!

Musicians in action....

Guys, its your turn!!!

Then, I took a stroll along the Gaya Street's Tamu. I saw a lot of merchandise being sold in the market, such as vegetables, souvenirs, food, flowers, pets and ceramics.