If you’re going to be visiting Borneo, you’ll want to make sure you stop by Pulau Selingan, which is better known as Turtle Island. Located off Borneo’s Eastern coast, it’s a destination you won’t want to miss. Turtle Island is located in Sabah National Park. It is an island focused on conserving hawksbill and green turtles. While there are three islands like this in the area, this is the only one that allows visitors to see nesting turtles and watch as hatchlings are released.
It’s the ideal environment for children to see one of the world’s greatest natural phenomenon. It’s only one of the few locations across the globe where turtles arrive to nest every day of the year.
While the name “Turtle Island” might sound like a location in a fairy tale, some Indigenous people use this name to refer to North America. There are even tribes like the Ojibwa that refer to the world as “Turtle Island.”
One of those most eye catching elements of Borneo is a cruise on the a cruise on the Kinabatangan River which prides itself in showcasing many creatures of the wildlife world.
About Turtle Island
First Nations created the name Turtle Island. The tale is different from one storyteller to the next, but there are certain things that are agreed upon. This is a story about how the world came into existence, and the turtle plays an essential role in that story.
There are nations that believe the Creator chose to flood the planet because people were constantly fighting. In some versions of the tale, animals and the Nanabush or Nanabozho, a spirit from Ojibwa legends, were the only survivors. This spirit is actually half human. His mother is an Anishinaabe.
The Creation of Turtle Island
One Ojibwa creation legend says that after the world was flooded by the creator, Nanabush was floating along with the animals. He decided that he would dive underwater and bring up earth so that new land could be created. He dove beneath the water’s depths repeatedly, but he never managed to reach the bottom, no matter how many times he try. After he grew weary, some of the animals that were more accustomed to diving beneath the water made an attempt.
The Loon
The loon attempted to reach the bottom but found the water to be too deep. After the loon grew weary, the turtle made an attempt. The turtle failed as well. At the end, there were no animals left that could try.
The Muskrat
After that, the muskrat stepped forward and said that he could try. Since the muskrat was not used to diving, the other animals began to laugh. However, the muskrat breathed deeply and dove beneath the water’s depths. Nanabush waited along with the other animals. They searched the waters, looking for the muskrat. However, he did not appear. They waited and waited and were starting to give up when they caught sight of the muskrat at last. They hurried over to him and were at his side as he passed away. Though the muskrat did not survive, the animals noticed that the muskrat’s handheld earth that he had managed to bring up from the water.
The Turtle
The turtle decided that if the muskrat had been willing to sacrifice his life, he could sacrifice his shell. The turtle told the animals they could take the earth from the Muskrat and place it on his back. As the turtle carried the earth, the winds blew and spread it around. The earth recovered by the muskrat eventually became Turtle Island.
About Turtles
Were you aware that turtles are celebrated by cultures across the globe? African legends refer to the turtle as being smarter than all other animals. In Chinese myths, turtles are considered to be a powerful symbol. The turtle rules over the oceans in Tahiti.