Pesta Kalimaran, festival of Sabah's Murut community, in Tenom in April

KOTA KINABALU: Pesta Kalimaran, the annual festival of the Murut community in Sabah, will be held at the Murut Cultural Village in Tenom on April 1.

The two-day event celebrates and honours the Murut people’s rich cultural heritage. There will be Murut dances, songs, food, games and handicraft on display during the event organised by Sabah Cultural Board.

With a history of being intrepid head-hunters, consisting of 14-sub ethnic groups that share 12 languages, the Muruts are proud of their rich cultural heritage which has been preserved and observed to this very day.

They still practice many traditional rituals and perform a variety of dances, some of which include the famous ‘Magunatip’ dance, ‘Alang Ra Illau’, ‘Lumansar’, ‘Antitiopoh’, ‘Antabung’, ‘Saminali’ and ‘Alang Ra Amol’.

Apart from showcasing the rich cultural heritage of this unique community, Pesta Kalimaran is part of the State’s effort to promote socio-cultural activities and to further improve the economic status of the Murut community.

For more information on the event, contact Mackey Apison of Sabah Cultural Board at 088-268884 or 268818.

Courtesy of New Sabah Times