Sabahan Ethnic

Ethnic Tribes

The Kadazan-Dusun Is the largest ethnic group in Sabah. Kadazan Dusun Folk actually formed by two main races of Sabah, namely 'Kadazan' and 'Dusun' but due to the similarity of language, culture and political communities 'Kadazan' with people 'Deadman' a new term has been formed to unite the two communities, namely 'Kadazan-Dusun. “Pesta Kaamatan” or Harvest festival is the most celebrated holiday in the calendar year for the Kadazandusun. “Unduk Ngadau” or Harvest Beauty Queen, Rice wine and traditional dances are the highlights of the festival which is celebrated annually on the 30th & 31st of May. Although the rites and customs of the Pesta Kaamatan are practiced by the Native tribes, all Sabahans join in the celebrations one way or the other. The true meaning is to honor the Rice Spirit, by giving thanks for a bountiful harvest.  

Kadazan dusun

 

Unduk Ngadau

Bajau is the second largest ethnic group in Sabah, where they are Seafaring people and live their life off the sea, and fishing is their main livelihood. Many Bajau in Sabah can be found on the east coast, and the bajau of Kota Belud is famous for their House riding skill, which earns them the tag as "Cowboys of the East". Bajaus are expert horsemen - this is their main claim to fame in Malaysia, where horse riding has never been widespread anywhere else. The Bajau people are also well known for weaving and needlework skills

The Kota Belud Bajau Horseman are the famous Cowboys of the East. During special occasions, the Bajau Horseman wears a black, sometimes white, long-sleeved shirt called badu sampit . Smart, gold buttons betawi run down the front opening and the shirt is also decorated with silver flowers called intiras .

The Muruts are the third largest among the ethnic group in Sabah. Large percentage of Muruts can be found residing in town like Keningau, Nabawan, Sook and Tenom, in the Interior Dividion. Murut simply means "hill People". headhunters in the past, they were also fishermen and hunters, skilled with their blowpipes. They were also the last of Sabah's ethnic groups to renounce headhunting.

Magutip, more well known as "Bamboo Dance" , is considered as one of the most popular dances in Sabah. The name Mangutip is derived form the word "apit", which means "to press between two surfaces". In the dance, dancer need good timing and agility to put their feet between the clapping bamboo poles, without being trapped.

Murut bamboo Dance

There are other indigenous ethnic groups include the Bisaya, Brunei Malay, Bugis, Kedayan, Lotud, Lundayeh, Minokok, and Rungus. There are still many smaller groups that are not mentioned here. The ubiquitous chinese make up about 20% of sabah population. Despite all the differences in language uses, Malay is still the national language spoken across ethnicities. The sabahan accent of Malay is actually what Dewan Bahasa and Pustaka endorses, which is Baku. Sabah also has its own unique slang for many words in malay. In addition, indigenous language such as Kadazan, Dusun, Bajau and Murut have their own segments on state radio broadcast.