They Still Smoke 'Kirai'

Kirai is a local cigarette made from the leaves of the Nipah tree, a kind of palm tree. The tobacco is rolled inside the kirai, lit and smoke. This cigarette is sometimes called the Chinese cigarette or Tobako Cina, it could have first been smoked by the Chinese and brought from China. Of course they are very much cheaper than the normal cigarette and they are more natural and original, arent they? The Kirai leaves are locally called Bungkosan and the tobacco is planted and sold or supplied by the Dusun, so they go like brothers and sisters. The Kirai leaves or Bungkosan is sold at RM1 for 10 pcs.UMS has done some research on the Nipah leaves or the Kirai but findings are yet to be published. So Kirai is the cigarette of the Bajau Darau community as well as the other Bajau ethnics.