THE LEGEND THAT INSPIRED THE CREATION OF JARI JARI
The treatments and healing rituals at Jari Jari Spa, (Sabah) are drawn from the rich cultural heritage of the Dusuns, the largest group of indigenous people in North Borneo.
Even more unusual is the story which indirectly led, over countless generations, to the founding of this spa by descendants of a family whose origins go back to the ancestors of the Dusuns.
According to legend, the first known ancestor, Nanangkis, lived with his wife the foothills of the mighty Mount Kinabalu in a place called Nunuk Ragang. Their son, Kimbalu, was born clutching an egg which eventually hatched into a rooster. Kimbalu and the rooster became close friends, although the boy was always sickly.
After a dream in which his mother was told that a monstrous eagle living atop a nearby tree was the source of the problem, Nanangkis killed it with his blowpipe. From then on, the boy thrived. In a later dream, Nangankis was told to move to another region where food would be more plentiful, and that he should let the rooster lead the way.
Months later, after travelling across mountains and through jungles, Nangankis and his followers came to a fertile valley where the rooster jumped on a tree and began to crow. Some of the tribe settled here in the district that became known as Tambunan, a place where rice and many wild herbs including ginger flourished. The special properties of ginger inspired the creation of ginger or layo tea, the same soothing Layo Tea that is served today at Jari Jari Spa, (Sabah).
Another member of the ginger family growing around Tambunan, Turmeric, is also renowned for its powerful medicinal properties. Among other benefits, the brilliant yellow rhizome is believed to have relaxing and cleansing properties, which is why it is featured in Jari Jari Spa (Sabah) - Tambunan Turmeric Body Glow.
But continuing with the story of Nangankis. After leaving some of his followers at Tambunan, he and the rest of his group continued southwards down the Interior Valley , eventually reaching another spot where the rooster once again crowed to signify this was where they should.
Nanangkis and his family built a home surrounded by cinnamon or kayu manis tress in a place called Bandukan. The fame of Bandukan's cinnamon is the inspiration for Jari Jari's special exfoliation known as Bandukan Cinnamon or Kayu Manis Body Scrub.
The family of Nanangkis grew and prospered, spreading throughout the region and adopting the rooster as their emblem. Generations later, the most famous of Nanangkis' descendants was born. Named Gunsanad, he was eventually created first Native Chief for the Interior by the Colonial Government and received several titles in recognition of her service to the community.