Places of Interest in Sabah: Murut Cultural Centre, Tenom

The Murut Cultural Centre is situated in Kampung Pulong, about 10 kilometers away from Tenom town.



The location of this cultural centre is conspicuously located just by the roadside, on the left hand side of the road if you’re heading from the direction of Kota Kinabalu.



The centre covers an area of 33 acres and lies next to the Pegalan River. The humongous building of the Murut Cultural Centre alone stretches out to 20 acres large. The cultural centre houses an interesting gallery which displays many artifacts such as jars, gongs, and traditional designs of the indigenous Murut inhabitants.



The impressive buildings of the Murut Cultural Centre are mainly constructed out of local timber. The gigantic pillars epitomize elements of Murut architectures. Chiseled carvings on the pillars and the buildings’ interior panels offer a glimpse of the authentic Murut architecture.



The Murut Cultural Centre is open daily from 9am to 5pm.

Source: Sabah Tourism



NOTE: Photo Copyright to e-borneo.com

ED NOTE: A recent visit on a sleepy Sunday found the Murut Cultural Centre to be 'sleeping'. We were not greeted by anyone and we simply tour the compound on our own. The Centre normally only comes alive once a year during the Pesta Kalimaran cultural celebration in April. It would be a shame if this impressive work of art and culture is left lifeless during the majority of the year. It would definitely be hard to impress tourists (both local and foreign) who walk-in to the Centre. More crucially, the colourful Murut culture will lose the opportunity to be introduced to visitors. But, it is still worthwhile to drop by at the Centre when you are in Tenom. With well-written information along all the displays and exhibits, a self-guided tour will be equally intriguing to learn more about the culture of the Muruts, one of the indigenous people of Sabah.

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Sabah Tourism: 9th Pesta Kalimaran, Tenom

Date: 07 - 10 April 2011

Pesta Kalimaran (Kalimaran Fest) is an annual cultural celebration of the Muruts. It celebrates the richness of culture of the Muruts and presents most of their cultural aspects. Therefore, to know the Muruts closely, Pesta Kalimaran is the venue.

The word Kalimaran refers to the craftsmanship activities of the Muruts. It is derived from the Murut's words ralaa and alimar. Ralaa means young lady and alimar means hardworking, strong-minded, diligent and trustworthy. According to the story, there was a young Murut lady called Ralaa. She was a hardworking, strong-minded, diligent and trustworthy young lady. But her brother Yolomor had to sacrifice her for the benefit of their community. Before she was sacrificed she managed to produce many handicrafts like the Tikar, Silaung, Tikalis, Buyung, Lintoyog and Onot by using raw materials like bamboo, rattan and bamban. Ralaa ended her kalimaran by weaving cloth, sampoi (scarf) by using thread, which was produced from Timahan roots. Finally, Ralaa was sacrificed by Yolomor to get seeds for his cultivation farm.

Sabah state government has adopted Pesta Kalimaran as a state level celebration in the year 2003. First state level Pesta Kalimaran was on the 4th and 5th April 2003. Since then it is celebrated in April every year at Sabah Murut Cultural Centre. It is co-organised by Sabah state government through Sabah Cultural Board and Sabah Murut Association in collaboration with Tenom District Office. For this year’s (2011), some of the activities have to relocated to be Tenom town due to the ongoing upgrading works of the Murut Cultural Centre (please refer to the Kalimaran detailed programme). See you there!

Sabah Murut Cultural Centre (Pusat Kebudayaan Murut Sabah) is a cultural centre for the Muruts of Sabah. It is located at Kampung Pulong, 13 km from Tenom Town. The construction of the unique building started in 1994 and completed in 1996. The construction cost was more than twelve million (Malaysian Ringgit). It is unique in a sense that the building itself is a manifestation of the most aspects of the Muruts' culture. What's more, it is the biggest Belian (hardwood timber) building in Borneo (popularly known as 4B building)!

Source: Sabah Cultural Board

NOTE: Photo Copyright to Sabah Cultural Board
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