KOTA BELUD: There is a 100-year-old traditional dress known as Rinangkitan, still well-preserved in Kampung Bangkahak Lama here.
Now a group of teachers at SK Bangkahak are making efforts to document and preserve that piece of collection to woo visitors.
The century-old attire belongs to the Dusun Tindal tribe.
They had invited Sabah Assistant Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Joniston Bangkuai to unveil the dress to promote cultural tourism during the Karnival Bahasa Kadazandusun and Tinimungan Tradisi Bangkahak held in recent months.
According to the teachers’ research, they found evidence to suggest that the garment has existed since 1920 and was worn by Bangkahak women.
The Bangkahak women are also working to recreate the traditional garments by returning to the use of threads made from tree barks.
They are also writing a book on Rinangkitan and its history.
Joniston encouraged the Bangkahak community to be creative and innovative in identifying opportunities to promote their areas as a tourism products.-HS
