Injin Puput is this year's Sabah Fest 2013 theme theater show which is held at the JKKN Complex in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. While the name of the show sounds odd, it is actually derived from the local term of the old steam Vulcan train that once ran from Kota Kinabalu to Tenom. This is also the 6th year that the themed Sabah Fest Celebrations have been running and as for me, this is my second show where I caught last years theme show titled Adventures of Ngarayang.
Sabah Fest 2013 is celebrated yearly from May 1st till 31st where the entire state celebrates the Kaamatan or Harvest Festival of the local people here. The theme Injin Puput showcases a story of two interesting folktales about the local Murut people and about the reminiscences of a grandfather and his experience with the railway.
Starting the show, the opening act highlights a Murut Warrior (an actual one too) who shares his premonition of his dream of the arrival of white men who came with a steel dragon which then leads into what the Vulcan stream trains that were introduced into Borneo back then.
In the second act, a grandfather named Aki Arusap takes his grandson for a train ride on the current North Borneo Railway train to fulfill an overdue promise to the boy. In this narrative journey, Aki shares with the boy his experiences back in the day and what he saw along his journey.
The highlight was that Aki's own father was once an assistant to a British rail engineer and how his father met his wife, a beautiful Chinese girl who sold snacks when the train stopped at stations.
The story then revolves around the romance of Aki's father (Aki Gounin) and the Chinese girl (Mei Ling) where mixed marriages were then not common. Along that romantic journey, various tribes and people of Sabah are introduced in this exciting and colorful stage performance.
You will see the Bajau Putatan doing their Betitik and Limbai dance and also the Kadazan from Papar who showcase their martial arts called Bosilat Mandung-Mandung and also the Sazau Modsuhung dance.
Continue reading (Incl. Pics) at: Sabah Fest 2013 - Injin Puput
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