Borneo - Mt Kinabalu Ascent, sunshine at the top 4095m The mountain, called “Aki Nabalu” by the Kadazan Dusun people, is sacred to locals and thought to be the “revered abode of the dead”. Local tribes believe that spirits of their ancestors inhabit the top of the mountain. Previously, a chicken was sacrificed at the peak every time a climb was made but these days this ceremony only happens once a year during which only seven chickens are sacrificed to appease the spirits.