TUARAN – A one-of-a-kind display exhibition featuring Borneo’s headhunting past is now open here.
Called Susui Sangod Borneo, the exhibition centre located about 45 minutes from Kota Kinabalu is dedicated to documenting and preserving Borneo’s ancient headhunting past.
It also features antique sword from different ethnic groups and those used by the Japanese soldiers during World War II.
Exhibition centre curator Padiman Jabau said most of the artefacts on exhibit are either personal keepsakes that have been handed down through generations or acquired from the Lotud Borneo Museum in its capacity as the artefact trustee.
“The Susui Sangod Borneo exhibition centre is not only one of a kind, but is also a treasure trove of knowledge and history that should be shared with everyone, particularly the younger generation.
“This is done to ensure that the history of headhunters and the customs of Borneo’s indigenous people are kept alive and not lost to time,” he said in a statement here today.
Situated within the popular Crocodile Farm, Susui Sangod Borneo is run in collaboration with Lotud Borneo Museum.
Mainly focusing on the history of Sabah’s headhunting culture, the centre also displays antique brass objects.
Assistant Tourism, Culture, and Environment Minister Datuk Joniston Bangkuai said Tuaran is poised to become a bustling tourism hub with the opening of yet another tourism attraction in the district.
Bangkuai said it is an educational product that enables visitors to understand more about the native heritage of Sabah, and for locals to recognise the significance of their traditions.
In January, Tuaran Crocodile Farm also signed a collaborative agreement with Lotud Borneo Museum and Chanteek Borneo to transform its unused longhouse space within the compound into the Momogun Heritage Lab.
Farm manager Engalbert Awing had previously said the Momogun Heritage Lab would function as a family-friendly activity centre that offers culturally-based fun activities that children will enjoy, such as weaving and beading.
The longhouse was utilised to showcase traditional dance performances to visitors as a side activity until tourism was shut down due to the pandemic. – The Vibes, September 23, 2022
