Ulu Papar Talk at Muzium Sabah

Heritage Sabah attended the Ulu Papar Cultural Heritage Sites Talk this morning at Muzium Sabah, Kota Kinabalu. The talk was organized by the Community Researchers of Ulu Papar under the coordination of Global Diversity Foundation and was attended by various Sabah NGOs groups such as Heritage Sabah, North Borneo History Enthusiasts (NBHE) and Borneo Youth Revolution.

It was a very interesting talk divided into sections – Kakakapan Id Gayo Ngaran (Pilgrimage to the Sacred Mountain) presented by Remmy Alfie – and Ulu Papar Historical Sites presented by Jenny Sanem and Raymond Simpanis.

‘Kakapan Id Gayo Ngaran’ discusses the Sabah Park’s initiative to allow the indigenous villagers of Bundu Tuhan a chance to reconnect with their spiritual mountain after decades of being denied entry when Mt. Kinabalu was gazetted in 1964.

Re-instated was the Monolob Ceremony – which was traditionally performed before climbing to gain blessings from the spirits and ancestors who were believed to have come home to rest on the sacred mountain.

‘Ulu Papar Historical Sites’ explained to the invited guests about the indigenous community of Ulu Papar, the culture and livelihood of the Ulu Papar folks. We learnt many new things, for instance, the existence of a female leader known as Gayatas who lead an army of female warriors in the area of Ulu Papar.

It gave the invited guests insight to the lives of the Ulu Papar village folk, their cultural heritage – and how they would lose everything, their heritage and future if the proposed Kaiduan Dam were to became a reality. Hundreds of acres of ancestral land and burial grounds would be destroyed.

Heritage Sabah and the other NGOs have pledged to help the Ulu Papar community to raise public awareness about their plight. As a token of thanks, the Community Researchers gave the Director and staff of Muzium Sabah the gift of their hill rice as a token of appreciation, as did the invited guests NGOs.



Pn. Joanna later took the guests and speakers to view Muzium Sabah’s new galleries.

The day ended with Director of Muzium Sabah, Pn. Joanna Kitingan taking both the community researchers and guests for lunch at the Muzium’s canteen.

Heritage Sabah would like to thank the Community Researchers & Coordinators and Muzium Sabah for inviting our participation to this event.

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Atkinson Clock Tower to be repaired, restored.

PRESS RELEASE

Wednesday, 16th May 2012 Kota Kinabalu - The Sabah State Museum has begun a major renovation and repair work of the Atkinson Clock Tower respondingto a public request to fix the clock tower’s faulty light and time keeping accuracy.

Director of Sabah State Museum Joanna Kitingan commented in social network Facebook, “We all agreed that it's time to give the ACT a new face lift, repairs and new coat of paint and change some of the gears that's slowing down the clock timing”.

Datuk Haji Masidi Manjun, Sabah Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment along with the Director of Kota Kinabalu City Hall (DBKK) also echoed the need for this old clock tower to be maintained and repaired.

Heritage advocate Richard Nelson Sokial welcomed the museum’s decision to initiate the clock tower’s repairs and said “It's astonishing how very few people know that the Atkinson Clock Tower still works even after 107 years. It's a living heritage of Kota Kinabalu, the oldest city landmark since 1905. It deserves respect and protection.”

He also hoped that the repair works would keep with the current façade of the clock tower. The Atkinson Clock Tower has been renovated several times over the last 107 years to improve its appearance and upkeep.

The preliminary repair works on the illumination of the clock’s double faces has been completed, while subsequent repairs on the structure wall and the clock mechanism will be progressing within the upcoming few weeks.

Appointed contractors stated that they in the process of evaluating the condition of the clock tower’s timber structure to decide if it needs an overhaul. The clock mechanism is currently supervised by Mr. Tommy from Yick Ming Watch Dealer – a task taken over from his father since 1946, which involves winding up the clock’s antiquated cogs and dials.

The Atkinson Clock Tower remains as the oldest and most popular landmark of Kota Kinabalu with a history that goes back to the establishment of early Kota Kinabalu (then known as Jesselton) in 1899. Surviving the allied bombing of Jesselton during WWII, the clock tower was built as remembrance for the late Francis George Atkinson, Jesselton’s first district officer who died of Malaria or ‘Borneo Fever’ at the age of 28 on December 1902.

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