Adriana Dam (middle) trying her moves in the traditional dance by the Murut ethnic group.
KOTA KINABALU: David Disaro had always wanted to visit Sabah after reading and hearing about it from those who had visited the Land Below the Wind.
The Venetian could not have picked a better time to do so as he opted to come during Kaamatan - the Harvest Festival - which is celebrated by the Kadazandusun, Murut and Rungus communities throughout May.
“I had wanted to come to Sabah for a very long time now so, when I found out there was this festival, I decided to go at the end of the month,” said the 42-year-old.
“I’m so glad I chose this period because I managed to see the festival for myself.
“I think Sabah is full of traditions and culture, and this was the main reason why I came,” he added.
Disaro was among the thousands of people who visited the cultural village at the Kadazan Dusun Cultural Association (KDCA) grounds in Penampang near here at the height of the Kaamatan festival on May 30 and 31.
The cultural village features a variety of houses belonging to the many ethnic communities in Sabah, each featuring its own dances, food, customs and traditions.
Disaro, who works in the animation industry, said he had just travelled from Nepal and India, adding the experience in Sabah was totally different.
“The people are very friendly and I really like the local culture a lot.
“I think it’s amazing that you can concentrate the most important elements of this ancient culture in one place so that you can have a very intense experience and a lot of information.
There were many foreign tourists who flocked to the cultural village at the height of the Kaamatan celebrations.
“But one thing I would comment is maybe there’s a bit too much of a mix between traditional and modern music.
“I feel it bothers me to hear (modern music) - to me it’s a disturbance. That’s the only thing I wished that was different,” Disaro said.
As for Adriana Dam from the Netherlands, she was thrilled that she decided to come during the daytime to the cultural village.
“I came last week but during the night so, now I love it that I can see everything,” said the 22-year-old.
Earlier, she was invited to dance by dancers from the Murut ethnic group while she was watching their performance at the Rumah Keningau (Keningau house).
“Yeah, that was so unexpected but it was fun,” she said with a giggle.
Dam is on an internship with the Marine Research Foundation in Sabah for three months and is currently in her second month in the state.
She said she was immersing herself in Sabah’s vibrant and colourful celebration.
“The food is great and the people are so nice. I haven’t tried the rice wine yet so, I must do that.
“But maybe one thing the organisers could do is maybe have a template for tourists before they come in to explain the different types of houses.
“But other than that, everything else is pretty much well organised,” she said.:
