Kadazan are the native people of Sabah and have their own culture, language, music and dance, they are made up of a few ethnic groups stretching from Sarawak and into Sabah.
The Kadazan-Dusun are the largest indigenous ethnic group in Sabah, Malaysia, and are made up of the Kadazan and Dusun tribes and their 40 sub-groups:
Kadazan: Live along the coastal plain from Kudat to Beaufort and in the hills around Tambunan.
They speak Kadazan, an Austronesian language with many dialects.
Dusun: A tribe that is part of the Kadazan-Dusun ethnic group.
Mamasok: Also known as "Kadazan-Dusun", this term means "indigenous people of Sabah".
The Kadazan-Dusun are known for their traditional rice farming, hunting, and ravine fishing. They also celebrate a one-month long Harvest Festival (Pesta Kaamatan) in May to honor Huminodun, the sacrificed daughter of God.
Here are some other things to know about the Kadazan-Dusun:
They believe they are descendants of Nunuk Ragang, the Red Banyan Tree.
They believe that everything has life, including rocks, trees, and rivers.
They use priestesses called "bobohizan" to control spirits.
They are known for their traditional costume, the Koubasanan, which has over 40 different designs across Sabah.
The Koubasanan costume includes a "Sinuangga" for women and a "Gaung" for men.
The "Sinuangga" comes with a waistband called "Himpogot" and a "Tangkong" made of copper loops or rings.
The "Gaung" is decorated with gold lace and silver buttons.
Sabah's People and History
Sabah's population is made up 33 indigenous groups that communicate in over 50 languages and 80 ethic dialects. The Kadazan-Dusun is the largest ethnic group in Sabah that makes up almost 30% of the population. Celebrated annually on 30th & 31st May, the Harvest Festival is the most celebrated holiday of the year by the Kadazan-Dusun to honor the Rice Spirit and to give thanks for a bountiful harvest. The Bajaus, or also known as "Cowboys of the East", and Muruts, the hill people and head hunters in the past, are the second and third largest ethnic group in Sabah respectively. Other indigenous tribes include the Bisaya, Brunei Malay, Bugis, Kedayan, Lotud, Ludayeh, Rungus, Suluk, Minokok, Bonggi, the Ida'an, and many more. In addition to that, the Chinese makes up the main non-indigenous group of the population.
The history of Sabah can be traced back to about 20,000 - 30, 000 years ago with evidence that suggests early human settlement existed. The North Borneo Chartered Company effectively ruled Sabah (then known as North Borneo) from 1881 until 1942, when the Japanese forces invaded North Borneo during the World War II. After the devastation of the war, the North Borneo Chartered Company did not have the financial resources to reconstruct the state; hence, the territory was placed under control of the colonial office and became a British crown colony on 15 July 1946. Several years after that, Sabah gained self-government from the British, and was united with Malaya, Sarawak and Singapore to form the independent Federation of Malaysia on 16th September 1963.