Monday May 21, 2012

Sabah — land of unusual names

By DURIE RAINER FONG
durie@thestar.com.my

KOTA KINABALU: Those who are not from Sabah have often been confounded by the unusual names of some locals in the multi-ethnic state.

Curious names like Mogumbirak, Tigabelas, Ponyrace, Samalia Cuba and even Rothmans tend to bring chuckles as well as raise eyebrows among Sabah's multi-ethnic society.

There are interesting stories behind how these names were given, as in the case of recently retired Sabah Archives director Datuk Datu Tigabelas Datu Zainal Abidin.

“It has been difficult carrying this name. In school, I was teased and it was hard for me to make friends but I've learned to live with it,” he said.