Help Communities in Borneo Protect their Heritage

Dusun communities living in the hilly district of Ranau bore the brunt of the earthquake, measuring 5.9 on the Richter scale, that struck the Malaysian State of Sabah early in the morning on June 5th. Local and international attention quickly focused on climbers at the peak of Mount Kinabalu, trapped due to the destroyed trail caused by the earthquake. With the experience of having scaled the mountain countless times, local mountain guides emerged as heroes, braving risky conditions to lead and assist scared and injured climbers back to safety. However, alongside tales of heroism came deep tragedy. Eighteen lives perished at the hands of the quake, four of whom were Dusun guides from the nearby villages of Kiau, Bundu Tuhan and Kundasang.

Robbi, Joseph, Valerian and Ricky are among many from the local community whose livelihoods depend on Mount Kinabalu and its surroundings. As families and friends continue to mourn the loss of their loved ones, their immediate future is dismal. Livelihoods of Dusun mountain guides and porters (there are 250 mountain guides and 50 porters registered under the Kinabalu Mountain Guides Association) were crushed as climbing activities were brought to a grinding halt. While preliminary announcements have indicated that the mountain will reopen in September, the absence of climbers for three months translates to an absence of income for the community.

To the Dusun families, the natural environment is intertwined with their culture and traditions. Many of them play active roles in preserving this heritage which includes the revered Mount Kinabalu, a place deemed sacred as it is believed to be the site where the deceased rest before making their way to Libabou, their eternal resting place. Faced with disaster, this community has risen above all expectations. Those on the risky pathways put their own safety aside for others. Those at the foothills banded together to source and prepare food during search and rescue efforts. 

Adding to the immediate and severe impacts of the earthquake are the landslides and mud floods following heavy downpours of rain in the following weeks, causing further damage to property and the unavailability of clean and treated water. In the three weeks since the earthquake, the Meteorological Department recorded one hundred aftershocks. Life is, in a word, unstable. 

Earthquake affected communities are now challenged with restoring their lives and carving out a living for themselves. We channelled a modest amount of funds to support initial search and rescue efforts immediately following the June 5th incidence. We now urge you to consider making a contribution to ease the hardship felt by these communities in the aftermath of the earthquake.

* Note: All donations made to this project during the month of July 2015 will be channelled to support grieving families, families of those dependent on Mount Kinabalu who have lost their source of income, and other affected families in the process of recovering from the devastating effects of the earthquake.

* Photos courtesy of Julia Chan.