E- Newsletter 73

8/14/2019 E- Newsletter 73

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TALKSTALKS

Current Status on the Taxonomy and

Diversity of Malaysian Medicinal Plants

by Kamarudin Mat-Salleh

Shangri-Las Tanjung Aru Resort

Kota Kinabalu

Friday, 11 July 2003

Ten years after his retirement, Isaac Henry Burkill

accomplished his dream of having a Dictionary of

Economic Products of the Malay Peninsula . Published in

1935, nearly 25 years after his arrival in Singapore from

Calcutta, the Dictionary described 4656 species from 1630

genera and 223 families of plants. Although out-of-print (last

reprinted in 1966), the Dictionary is still the de facto reference,

although many of the species referred to are no longer valid.

The Dictionary was superseded by the newly published

Tumbuhan Ubatan Malaysia, a recent documentation on

medicinal plants of Malaysia. Some 35 species of ferns and fern

allies, 9 species of gymnosperm, 768 species of dicotyledon and

103 spesies of monocotyledon were treated, covering all

important botanical aspects including vernacular names,

taxonomic citations, diagnostic descriptions and traditional

medicinal uses in Malaysia. This is part of an effort to document

our national heritage and is useful for researchers as well as the

public as a source of reference. It was started in late 1980s, with

a dedicated database on Malaysian ethnobotany in UKM.

Several other books published last year included the

Compendium of Medicinal Plants Used in Malaysia by the

Institute of Medical Research (IMR) with 2002 species of

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THE SABAH SOCIETYTHE SABAH SOCIETY

TALKS AND FIELD TRIPSTALKS AND FIELD TRIPS

TALKSTALKS

DATE TITLE VENUE

11 July 2003 Current Status on the Taxonomy and Shangri-Las Tanjung Aru Resort

Diversity of Malaysian Medicinal Plants (STAR), Kota Kinabalu

Prof. Madya Dr Kamarudin Mat-Salleh

14 August 2003 US-Malaysian Relations under the Bush Shangri-Las Tanjung Aru Resort

Administration: The Political, Economic, (STAR), Kota Kinabalu

& Security Aspects

Dr Pamela Sodhy

19 August 2003 Projek Etnobotani Kinabalu: Shangri-Las Tanjung Aru Resort

The Making of a Dusun Ethnoflora in Sabah (STAR), Kota Kinabalu

Dr Gary J. Martin

FIELD TRIPSFIELD TRIPS

DATE DESTINATION NO. PARTICIPANTS

July 2003 Padas River White Water Rafting 13

1113 July 2003 Educational Fieldtrip to Danum Valley 19

Tengku (Dr.) Z. Adlin presenting a certificate of appreciation and a

copy of the Pocket Guide to the Birds of Borneo to Assoc. Prof. DrKamarudin Mat-Salleh after his talk on the taxonomy and diversity of

the medicinal plants of Malaysia.

THE SABAH SOCIETY NEWSLETTER73


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medicinal plants in Malaysia. Several other books will be

published this year, includingEthnobotany Malaysia: Plants as

Food, Cultural Heritage and Medicines , an extensive

documentation of usage and claims of our ethnobotanically

important plants and A Dictionary of Malaysian Medicinal

Plants to replace the out-of-print monumental classic, Gimlette

and ThomsonsA Dictionary of Malayan Medicine.

USMalaysian Relations underthe Bush Administration: The Political,

Economic, and Security Aspects

by Pamela Sodhy


Kota Kinabalu

Thursday, 14 August 2003

Dr Sodhy examined the USMalaysian relationship at thestart of the 21st century when the ties between them are

closer and more complex than in earlier years, in large

part because of the new global war against terrorism. The paper

covered the time span from January 2001 to the present, a

period that marks the administration of George W. Bush, the

43rd President of the United States, and the closing years of Dr

Mahathir Mohamads long premiership in Malaysia. Three

aspects of the bilateral relationship were examinedthe

political, security, and economic links.

Projek Etnobotani Kinabalu: The Making

of a Dusun Ethnoflora in Sabah

by Gary J. Mar tin


Kota Kinabalu

Tuesday, 19 August 2003

Dr Martin discussed the results of a community-based

inventory of useful plants carried out in Sabah from

19921998. Over this period, seventeen local collectors

from nine kampungmade more than 9,000 uniquely numbered

plant collections from more than 500 sites around Kinabalu

Park, and recorded ethnobotanical data from fellow villagers.

These community collectors obtained specimens from a broad

range of natural and anthropogenic vegetation types around

their communities. The inventory was the main component of

the Projek Etnobotani Kinabalu, an ethnobotanical research and

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FORTHCOMING EVENTS

until end of 2003 Padas River White Water Rafting

11 September 2003 Talk on Pulau Lankayan:

a sanctuary in the Sulu

Sea

by Wendy Hutton1314 September 2003 Visit to Sabah Tea Garden

1420 September 2003 Maliau Basin expedition

10 October 2003 Launching of The Sabah

Societys new publication

Orchids of Borneo Vol. 42123 November 2003 Visit to Kapalai Island

Dr Pamela Sodhy receiving tokens of appreciation from Mr Albert Teo,a Sabah Society committee member, after her talk on USMalaysian

Relations under the Bush Administration.

Datuk C. L. Chan, President of The Sabah Society, presenting a

certificate of appreciation to Dr Gary J. Martin for his talk on the

ethnobotanical project in Kinabalu Park.

CORRECTION

In Newsletter No. 72 we reported that Trusan, theorang-utan captured so brutally in the Kinabatangan,was happy in his new American home and sired many

offspring. In fact, he pined for some time before dyingof pneumonia. The other, happier animal was onenamed Bujang.

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training project at Mount Kinabalu supported by the MacArthur

Foundation and the WWF-UNESCO-Kew People and Plants

Initiative.

Through this research Dr Martin and team partially fulfilled

their goal of carrying out ethnobotanical research with a team of

local people, Park personnel and visiting researchers who

studied Dusun knowledge, management and use of plants. Atpresent, as Director of The Global Diversity Foundation, Dr

Martin is searching for ways to reinforce ethnobotanical

research and enrich interpretative programmes and exhibits on

useful plants in collaboration with various institutions in Sabah.

In one follow-on project, they are planning to build on their

complete inventory of palms around Mount Kinabalu to study

the transmission of local knowledge of basketry materials and

of crafts manufacture in general.

A long-range goal is to return the results of the floristic

inventory and follow-on projects to local communities in the

form of a Dusun Ethnoflora. It is hoped that these actions will

provide a continuing incentive to local communities to manage

unprotected forests in buffer zones around the park and to

promote the viability of Dusun ecological knowledge.

FIELD TRIPSFIELD TRIPS

Danum Valley1113 July 2003

by Aw Chak Teng

Iwas mildly excited with high expectations when I set out for

the airport in the early morning. No, it was not because I wasto be the only rose (and one that has seen better days,

perhaps) among the nine thorns (and all pretty ladies in a row)

going on the same trip (Wow! some would say; what a lucky

guy!) The real reason was because it was a trip that I had missed

repeatedly and had now made itto Danum Valley.

We landed safely at Lahad Datu, and were promptly

greeted by none other than Jimmy Omar. (A sign on the wall

reads Simply the bestreferring to a hotel. But the idea is

there.) Then we met Chris and family (from Sandakan), and

Stanley (all the way from KK).

First things should always come first, and secondary things,

left out. So, we ate breakfast before departing on the first leg ofour journey to Borneo Rainforest Lodge (BRL)and promptly

got lost before we even got started!

At the gate into Danum Valley, we met the two good

dentists from Tawau, Dr Chung & Dr Giam and their families.

The journey towards BRL was rather uneventful, except for

the exquisitely shaped gravel lining the road. Until the car in

front (with JO) suddenly braked, kicking up a lot of fuss (I

mean, dust). Later when the dust cleared, we were told that they

actually saw an elephant!

We were given a briefing upon arrival at BRL, and were

allowed to roam freely around the 5-star lodge. We even visited

a VIP suite complete with a helipad and a red-river valley/

gorge type of view. This was definitely first-class touristy

stuffand absolutely not what we came for.

Then we went for what we came fora short jungle walk

through a lowland dipterocarp (trees with 2-winged fruit) forest.

On the trek we saw the giants (strangling figs, staghorn ferns,

coils of liana) and the midgets (luminous mushrooms and tiny

orchids). All these gave us a feeling of walking through a

wonderlandjust like Alice. Alas, the magic ended as soon as

the trek ended. But hopefully, some magic stayed inside us.Not short of magic, either, was our sumptuous lunch,

wolfed down with much laughter. Next up, the rain came, and

halted our scheduled trek to Coffin Cliff and the Jacuzzi

pools. For me, it was not time wasted. I took a nap. And I paid

for itwhen I woke up, the mandatory group photo (the one

with the society banner waving in the wind) was already taken.

(Maybe Ill just tell Grace I took that photo. Yea, thats it.)

With everyone armed to the toes with leech socks, we

marched confidently towards The Cliff & The Pools. But alas,

the rain followed us. And the leeches, armies of them, sensing

their opportunity (and our body heat) launched both ground and

aerial offensives. Needless to say, there were casualties, mostly

on our side. Anyway, there was no view to be seen, and we were

wet to the skin without getting into the pool. So, our brave

leader Florence took the tough (and only sensible) decision to

abort the entire mission.

Once out of the woods, body-parts count began in earnest.

Among the heaviest casualties were Stephanie and Ann, being

injured in some indescribable places. I was lucky to get only

one bite on the right shoulder (or so I thought).

Our clothes may have been dampened, but certainly not our

spirits. So, after a change of clothes, we took the canopy walk

(about 100 ft up and 300 ft long) among the giant 400-year-old

menggaris and majau trees. For brief moments, relieving us

from our earlier traumas, we breathed in the fresh after-rainair, and soaked in the breathless view.

Suitably refreshed, we headed straight for Danum Valley

Field Centre (DVFC), about 2 hours away. This was what we

came fora field research centre tucked in the middle of

primary forests. We were instantly welcomed by a pair of

beautiful rhinoceros hornbillsdoing quite a song & dance

number on the canopy. Unfortunately, this was also when

Stanley pointed out the bloody truth to menow the left

shoulder of my T-shirt was stained with blooda fine souvenir

from a terribly crushed leech.

Dinner was surprisingly sumptuous, considering this was

the middle of nowhere. The after-dinner talk on Danum Valleyby chief scientist Glen Reynolds was both educational (in terms

of problems in forest conservation and management) and

entertaining (in highlighting the tremendous biodiversity in

the valley, and various ingenious ways to study it).

After the big talk, small talk always follows, and invariably

is more interesting. A few of us gathered outside the dining hall

(by now our favourite place), and just reminisced on the days

events. What struck me most was the lack of mosquitoes and

cicadas. In short, a quiet forest, which was a bit disquieting.

Anyway, since lights would be out at 11, we trooped back to our

annex quarters and called it a day (a night?).

Next morning I was up by 4:30 am (the alarm sounded an

hour earlier than requested). If I had snoozed further, I would

miss the early bird(s). So, I (literally) sat in the dark. I was

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updating my field notes (no, I definitely cant see in the dark

I just used my headlamp) when the first call sounded at 5:35

from the Bornean gibbonsthe best rousing wake-up call if

there ever was one. The first bird called at 5:45, and, as they say,

the rest were too late.

The early birder did catch a lot of birds. In about an hour, I

spotted and heard the followingdusky munias, hill myna,bulbuls, barbets, magpie robins, shamas, swallowsuntil the

mist thickened, fell, and blanketed the place. Anyway, it was

time to feed this bird.

After breakfast, we decided to trek to Tembaling Falls, thus

proving yesterdays traumas were short-lived. We trooped out

much like the famous dwarfswhistling while we walked (or

at least with a song in our hearts).

Soon, I was walking slower and slower because I was

developing blisters without the proper socks (lesson #1).

Fortunately, I had my Adidas Kampung on, and a stout staff to

lean on (cut from none other than simpoh laki, a common local

tree with beautiful yellow flowers, which I immediately dubbed

simple lucky!) For this, Ive to thank Mike Bernadus, our

excellent jungle guide (lesson #2). He cut several staffs for us.

So, as long as Mike was behind me, I was okay, which

turned out more than okay, for both of us. Since we were

walking slower, we saw much more (lesson #3), and were less

winded (lesson #4), and therefore, enjoyed the trek so much

more (lesson ultimate).

A quick & dirty summary of some of the plants we saw:

luminous mushrooms (various sizes, shapes, colours)

lin-zi (a fungus believed to have medicinal values)

tongkat Ali (the locals believe its roots are special)

water vine (a vine you want when you run out of water)starfruit tree(a tree you want when you run out of juice)

darah-darah tree (a tree that bleeds, literally!!)

meranti/seraya tree (white, yellow, and red varieties)

epiphytes; parasites; saprophytes (satisfied?)

Of course, animals and birds were more difficult to spot

because of their mobility, and in daylight (more later, at night).

But, we did see evidence of their beings and doings:

wallows of bearded pig (small, medium, large)

wallows of Sumatra rhino (XXXL!)

nest of a bat (xxxs)

mounds of termites (on vital parts of the trees)

elephant dung

Finally we reached the Falls. The other members were

already in the waterdipping, preening, and screaming. I just

applied cold therapy to my feetby soaking them in the cold

mountain stream. It was heaven sent. Soon, too soon, we had to

go. With my sturdy staff and guide, the return journey was

swifterbut we were waylaid again by sightseeing and were

caught again in the heavy downpour. We made it to DVFC

very wet, very late for lunch, but very full in knowledge.

Much of the afternoon was taken up by siesta &

recuperation. Those whose batteries were recharged got a good

intro on bin techno (how to use binoculars) by Jimmy.

Just before dinner we had a surprise visitorMichael

(formerly called George, but now named after Mike our

guide)a full grown bearded pig! I noticed the ladies were

visibly stirred, especially Sharon, who had met the beast the

previous night, near our quarters.

After a good dinner, we were hungry for moremore

adventure! A few hiccups later, and we were off, herded onto

an open truck. We were chattering excitedly, much like cattle to

the market, after a good fed. I looked upand saw the fullmoon, smiling sweetly down.

The night safari began in impressive fashion. We spotted

(using a spotlight) in quick successiona palm civet, a family

of kancil (mousedeer); a bearded pig and young crossing the

road with some urgency (perhaps looking for Michael). Then no

sightings for the next half-hour. But the moon-maiden kept

smiling, ever so sweetly.

But all was not lost, for Mrs Chung spotted (without a

spotlight!) a musang hugging a tree trunk (trying to avoid the

spotlight?). Alas, its eyes had itcaught in-the-red by the

light. Then the finale. A yellow marten (juvenile perhaps?

because of the colour) was spotted, and what a sport he was! He

even put on a high-wire acrobatic act by jumping from branch

to branch. Yea, the larger spirit was contagious. I bet all of us

went to bed that night wearing a sweet smile.

On Sunday morning I was up again at 4:30 am for another

good causeto watch the sun. We piled into the same truck,

picked up two fellow sun-watchers (Dutch, I think) and headed

off to the INFAPRO Tower to watch the father of all sunrises.

We were actually earlier than the sun. But the view from

top of the tower (about 3-storeys high, on the top of a hill) was

quite spectacular. The sea of cotton-white clouds surrounding

several emerald-green islands (actually tips of mountain-tops)

took away (some of) my breath! I noticed this scenery put some

into a meditative mood until Kooookooooookoko (ably doneby Dr Giam) announced the rising of the sun by the ayam

kampungat sunrise tower!!

More surprises awaited us on our morning safari. First, Mrs

Chung spotted a eagle, then Dr Giam spotted another. To cap it

off, we nearly cut short the morning walk of two sambar deer.

After breakfast, the final challenge awaited usthe scaling

of the 120-ft tree observation platform! Perhaps Jimmy wanted

to put some fear into us, since we had been able to overcome all

that he had thrown at us so far. Mike, Sharon and I were last to

arrive at the arena. The rest had reached the top (120) or were

half-wayleaving Ann, Stephanie and me on the ground.

Sharon decided to pass because of an injured finger.Yea, the mighty tree (Seraya majau) stood mightily tall and

imposing before us, challenging us. Not ones to give up easily,

we got going. Ann was first to go, climbing liked she had stayed

there for years. I went next, without breaking a sweat. Stephanie

brought up the rear. All of us were a bit shaken inside, but as I

saythe trick was never let them see you sweat.

The second half was even easier, because the top platform

was sunnier and drier. That was when the girls noticed the

leech marks on my back left shouldernot one but two fang-

marks, red and swollen. Jimmys beckoning broke my

musings. The descent was even swifter and surernothing to it.

So, all of us conquered the last fear factor.

Soon we were packed, strapped, and ready to go. Parting is

always such sweet sorrow, but Ill be back.

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Tomb Hunter

by Stanley Chee

OOn the morning of 31 July, I went online to check for Sabah Societys latest e-newsletter (No. 72) which had

been sent by our lovely secretary Grace Tsang a week before. Luckily I was not that busy that day, so I read

through all the articles in the newsletter. Then, after the last article. I saw a very interesting letter from Mr St.

John-Jones from the United Kingdom who needed help in his research into Sabahs history. In order to help him, one

had to go into the cemetery and look for peoples gravestones.

Due to the influence of the newly released movie Tomb Raider, I decided to take this mission alone as a test of my

own guts. First, I went to check the exact location of the cemetery with our companys land surveyor, Mr Loh. He also

had never heard of Jesselton Cemetery before. However, he knew there was an old cemetery just behind Sri Gaya at

Jalan Istana. I wrote down all the names of the nine men on a piece of paper and prepared to go to the cemetery the

following day.

Next morning at 10:30 am, I arrived at the cemetery and immediately started my mission. For the first fifteen

minutes, most of the gravestones I found were quite new and in Chinese styles. Those werent the old gravestones that

I had in mind (a traditional English style or a simple cross), so I changed my searching strategy.I walked down to the other side of the cemetery, which is just beside Wisma Fook Lu Siew. Surprisingly, on my

right-hand side, there were some old gravestones. I ran down and checked the names on each gravestone carefully. In

the fifth row, the name on a gravestone looked very close to one of the names on my list. He was Mr Donald Mcdonald.

Mr St. John-Joness list said only Mr Mcdonald. Immediately, I checked the next gravestone. Bingo!!! The name was

Mr H.W. Webber. His name was on the list. This had to be the place where they were buried. The rest of the gravestones

that I discovered later were those of Mr V.A. Stookes, Mr Le Gros Clark, Mr S.G. Hill and lastly Mr R.S. Abbott. But

where were the gravestones of Mr Cho Huan Lai, Mr Bunte and Mr Kribbe? On the spot, I called Grace to check

whether any information had been left out. According to Grace, the gravestone of Mr Cho Huan Lai had been moved

back to China right after the war. As a result, the number of names on the list was cut down to eight.

To complete my mission, I quickly inspected most of the gravestones around that area. Still, no trace of Mr Buntes

and Mr Kribbes gravestones. Suddenly, I noticed a fallen gravestone on the right-hand side of Mr Donald Mcdonalds

grave. I didnt know what to do next because it seemed like moving somebodys gravestone wasnt the right thing todo. But my curiosity overcame my fear; and I decided to go for it. While lifting up the gravestone, I kept thinking that

I was doing this for Sabahs History, not trying to disturb him. Finally, the lift paid off in a big way. It was Mr Knibbes

gravestone. Refering back to Mr St. John-Joness list, the name he gave was Kribbe. However, I thought they were the

same person. Right, only Mr Buntes gravestone was missing.

Since the cemetery had been beside Wisma Fook Lu Siew for quite a long time, I expected that I would be able to

find the answer there. I thought Wisma Fook Lu Siew was the party which managed this cemetery, but I was wrong.

One of the workers from Wisma Fook Lu Siew told me that the cemetery was under the management of the Anglican

Church situated beside Kota Kinabalu Police Headquarters. Without any delay, I headed toward that Anglican Church.

There I was directed to see Miss Lily Liaw as she is the only person with the records of burials at Jesselton Cemetery.

After a short conversation with her, my last hope had faded. All her records are from 1969 onwards; nothing was

recorded before that date. Furthermore, she had no record of Mr Buntes gravestone having been moved out of the

cemetery. Like the case of Mr Cho Huan Lai, there was a possibility that Mr Buntes gravestone had been moved back

to his own country or somewhere else. This last piece of puzzle really needs help from every member of The SabahSociety to solve it.

In conclusion, I was very excited to find those gravestones. In fact, I never thought that the discovery could be that

easy. But the feeling of success was awesome, definitely better than hitting a jackpot. But we have to remember that

we still didnt know where Mr Buntes gravestone is. I hope any member who has any good idea or information on the

location of Mr Buntes gravestone could share it with me, so I could further my search. In addition, after I studied the

locality plan, I noted that the name of Jesselton Cemetery has already changed to S.P.G. Cemetery.

Directions to S.P.G. Cemetery: Turn off Jalan Tuaran into Jalan Percetakan, go straight until the parking lot of Wisma

Fook Lu Siew. On the left-hand side, there is a staircase leading up to another small parking lot on the small hill. Go

up the staircase and walk straight; you will see the cemetery. Start counting from the hillside or your right-hand side;

the fifth row is the place where you can find their gravestones. (The cemetary can also be accessed from Jalan Istana,

but the condition of the road is much wose than Jalan Percetakan.)

JULYAUGUST 2003

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E- Newsletter 73