Search

Discovery of giant pillars raises questions

Facebook
Twitter
WhatsApp
Telegram
Email
Haslimi shows the giant pillars, found near the beach in Kampung Sangki in Sebuyau.
BY AINI SELIKANG

SEBUYAU: The discovery of giant pillars, believed to be remnants of the Rumah Melanau structure, has raised questions among the public.

Located in Sangki, about 5km from Sebuyau, these pillars are taller and bigger than the Rumah Melanau which still exists in Matu.

According to Kampung Badong village head Haslimi Hassan, the old Rumah Melanau site was found not far from his father’s farm in Sangki around the 1990s.

“Built on an area of about one acre near Sangki beach, the Rumah Melanau is believed to have more than 100 giant belian wood pillars. However, there are only a few pillars left today.

“Even though it (Rumah Melanau) is hundreds of years old, not many people know about the existence of these pillars, which are believed to be staged in stages before a Rumah Melanau is erected.

“The existence of these giant pillars became public knowledge after I uploaded some pictures on my Facebook and it became viral last Sunday,” he said, adding the ‘emergence’ of these pillars might have been due to coastal erosion or floods.

In addition to the discovery of the giant pillars, some old equipment such as tools to produce sekiu oil, belian wood plates, spoons and copper spear points, believed to have belonged to the occupants of the house, were also found and stored by Haslimi’s younger brother Hasmili in Sebuyau.

The Kampung Badong village head added no one knows the reasons why the Rumah Melanau is abandoned or unoccupied until today.

Apart from that, the question also arises as to whether it really is Rumah Melanau.

It is understood that there are several other Rumah Melanau sites around Sebuyau.

However, the pillars of Rumah Melanau in Sangki are the largest to be found so far.

Download from Apple Store or Play Store.