Eleanor Hawkins, a 23-year-old former head girl from Derby, was feeling stupid and disrespectful one day while traveling to Mount Kinabula in Malaysia. To satisfy her urges, she and nine other friends posed naked with the mountain as a backdrop. It's fairly innocuous in my point of view but highly sacrilegious for the indigenous Kadazan Dusun people. It's their sacred mountain after all. To add drama to this misbehavior an earthquake occurred just a week after the blasphemous photo shoot. The two events are not related, but there is a lot of talk on the street. Local authorities are conducting an investigation and trying to locate the other people in the picture and the British consulate is reviewing their guidelines for tourists.
I'm wondering about two things here. How did those photographs happen to get into the hands of the authorities, and where will Eleanor get the ten buffalos (male or female) to pay the fine for her offense?
NAKED TRUTH: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/j ... or-hawkins
Naked on Mt Kinabalu
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Icey
Re: Naked on Mt Kinabalu
I doubt if the girl and her friends thought they were doing anything wrong. It was just for a lark, but because the mountain's sacred to the Kadazan Dusun people, they saw it differently. It offended the god of their mountain, and so unfortunately, when the earthquake happened, it was seen as a sign of disrespect by the tourists who'd "caused" it.
I suppose the offering of 10 buffaloes's meant to appease the mountain spirit, and assume that money in lieu'd be acceptable, or that enough money to buy the animals'd suffice, but that's if the locals decide to go by their own rules or whether the "offence" carries a stiffer penalty imposed by the general Malaysian courts.
The suspected leader of the group, Emil Kaminski, is, it seems, a seasoned blogger and he posted the stunt on some social media site, so it wouldn't be too difficult for the authorities to get wind of the prank and take action. Things that we'd take with a pinch of salt in the west, aren't seen in the same light-hearted way by these people. It can be a very serious matter to them if anyone insults their sacred mountain. Seems silly, but that's what happens when superstitions still abound in some areas.
I suppose the offering of 10 buffaloes's meant to appease the mountain spirit, and assume that money in lieu'd be acceptable, or that enough money to buy the animals'd suffice, but that's if the locals decide to go by their own rules or whether the "offence" carries a stiffer penalty imposed by the general Malaysian courts.
The suspected leader of the group, Emil Kaminski, is, it seems, a seasoned blogger and he posted the stunt on some social media site, so it wouldn't be too difficult for the authorities to get wind of the prank and take action. Things that we'd take with a pinch of salt in the west, aren't seen in the same light-hearted way by these people. It can be a very serious matter to them if anyone insults their sacred mountain. Seems silly, but that's what happens when superstitions still abound in some areas.
Re: Naked on Mt Kinabalu
I don't see that any more superstitious than asking 'how many amens for this poor child with cancer' and you see thousands with their amens...Seems silly, but that's what happens when superstitions still abound in some areas
as for their idiotic stunt... what on earth was the point in that?
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Icey
Re: Naked on Mt Kinabalu
Yes, I have to agree.
Goodness knows what possessed these people to strip off for photos, but it can seem like a good idea at the time I suppose - you know, give your friends a giggle, and at the same time, add some good background to the pics to show where you really were.
These folk got off lightly, considering Malaysian laws. It seems "stupid" that intelligent people weren't aware that their actions might offend, but then again, they probably didn't expect the pics to be published in the way they were either.
Goodness knows what possessed these people to strip off for photos, but it can seem like a good idea at the time I suppose - you know, give your friends a giggle, and at the same time, add some good background to the pics to show where you really were.
These folk got off lightly, considering Malaysian laws. It seems "stupid" that intelligent people weren't aware that their actions might offend, but then again, they probably didn't expect the pics to be published in the way they were either.
Re: Naked on Mt Kinabalu
The kids ARE intelligent and knew exactly what they were doing. They ignored custom because they thought they could get away with it. The stupid part was publishing what they did. 
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Icey
Re: Naked on Mt Kinabalu
Same thing really. I'm sure that they thought they'd get away with their prank, but by ignoring the done thing - if they really knew about it - it shows disregard to that custom. It's the sort of thing that a lot of young people might do for a laugh, but when you have someone in your company who's a known blogger, it was obvious what might happen. Even Eleanor Hawkings' parents said that their daughter was stupid and disrespectful.
Re: Naked on Mt Kinabalu
I think you are confusing stupidity with defiance. It's not the same thing, but might have the same results.
Re: Naked on Mt Kinabalu
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Icey
Re: Naked on Mt Kinabalu
"Stupid" might've warranted a better expression, yes. Immaturity's one of them, and ACTING stupidly sums it up from this side of the pond.
The thing is, who hasn't done something idiotic in their youth? People often don't think at the time, and then it's too late - done.
The thing is, who hasn't done something idiotic in their youth? People often don't think at the time, and then it's too late - done.