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Tenom - Home of the Men of the Hills
 Tenom
is a small town
in the Interior District of Sabah and it is also the centre of the
Murut, a group
of hill tribes (Murut means "Men of the Hills"), who have lived in this region
for times immemorial. Although many young people of the
tribe have adopted the fast pace of a modern civilisation creeping inland from the
capital, some of them still prefer the life in the jungle, hunting
with a dog, a parang (machete) and maybe even their traditional
blowpipe. Others have turned
to cultivating the countryside growing a variety of crops, from rice
over tobacco to coffee.
In the
heart of Tenom town is the Antonom Memorial. Ontoros Antonom,
according to the locals, was born in 1885. At the time of of the Rundum Revolt he was only 30 years old. Possessing exceptional
leadership qualities, he was able to unite the Murut people in Rundum
and Pensiangan. His statue stands tall to signify the bravery of
the hundreds of Murut warriors who together with Ontoros Antonom were
killed in the great uprising against the British colonists in the
Rundum District in 1915. Those killed included Balayang, Ingkun,
Anarus, Kalur, Angsakul, Singadu, Linggam, Marantai, Impal, Lampang,
Singkunan, Angkubus and Kuluntur.
Tenom is
therefore an important centre for the Murut community, and this small hilly town
is surrounded by longhouses, where young "warriors" still take
their blowpipes and hunting dogs out for a 'stroll' in the jungle to
catch supper. Tenom boast agricultural products and is a centre
for orchards and vegetable cultivation. Also near Tenom is the
world-famous Sabah Agricultural Park.
Located about 10 km from Tenom town is the Murut Cultural Centre
which
displays the legacy of the unique Murut Culture by the Sabah Museum.
 A
popular pastime in the longhouses is the 'lansaran', a type of
a trampoline used during festivities. About 15
miles south of Tenom, in Kemabong Village you can see one of the few 'lansaran'
dancing platforms in the area. The wooden platform built on bamboo
springs is somewhat similar to a trampoline and is strong enough to
support 20 to 40 people in the an energetic, uniquely Murut dance.
About 30
miles south of Tenom, close to the village of Tomani are Sabah's only
rock carvings. It is said to be as old as 1,000 years. Huge distorted faces and figures are depicted on huge boulder the
size of a double storey house, while a few of the smaller surrounding
rocks are also adorned with carving.
15 km from
Tenom town is the Sabah Agricultural Park, a newly upgraded
development by
the Sabah State Government for research as well as tourism. Located at
Lagud Sebrang, the park extends over 1,500 acres! This is also were you
can visit the Tenom Orchid Farm, with over 1,000 indigenous orchids.
The place has been developed into a highly interesting and educational agro-tourism park
well worth a visit.
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