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Information about Dusun

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Dusun washing with their water buffalo, c. 1910


Dusun is the collective name of a tribe or ethnic and linguistic group in the Malaysian state of Sabah. They are now also known as Kadazan-Dusuns. A small minority of Dusuns can also be found in Brunei where they are defined by the constitution to be one of the seven Bumiputera groups.

The ethnic group, makes up, at one time, 30% of Sabah population and are broken down into more than 30 sub-ethnic, or dialectical groups, or tribes each speaking a slightly different dialect of the Dusunic family language. They are mostly mutually understandable.

Coincidentally, Dusun is the Malay word that means "orchard" and is derived from "Orang Dusun" or "men of the orchards" as their houses are surrounded with fruit trees. However, this Malay word is not the origin of the Dusun name. At one time there was a serious dispute between those who want the group to be called "Kadazans" (saying that "Dusun" was deragotary), and those who want to continue with the original "Dusun". The pro-Dusuns argued that "Kadazan" originates from the word "Kakadazan" (a place of many shops--"Kadai" is "shop" in Kadazan), thus "Kadazan" can also be said to originate from Malay! Those Dusuns in the Penampang and Papar district now prefer to be called Kadazans. Those very much pro-Dusuns often insist that the people's name should be "Dusunkadazans".

The name "Kadazandusun" was adopted after the dispute in the past which led to political clashes and splits. Consequently, the name "Kadazandusun-Murut", or KDM (the plural forms are "Kadazandusun-Muruts", or KDMs). This is a political tag meant to unite the two (not three!) major ethnic groups of Sabah.

They KDMs were for the most part animists, but most have become Christians, and a smaller percentage, Muslim. They live mainly in the hills and upland valleys and have a reputation for peacefullness, hospitality, hard work, frugality, drinking, and are averse to violence, although in the recent past they did indulge in headhunting as part of their tribal wars. Now they have very much been modernised and absorbed into the larger framework of the Malaysian society, taking up various occupations as government servants, and employees in the private sector, as well as becoming business owners. Many have achieved tertiary education both locally and overseas (in America, England, Australia and New Zealand).

In their old traditional setting they use various methods of fishing, including using the juice of the roots of a plant they call "tuba" to poison fish in rivers.

Kadazandusuns are known as the Latin artists of the East, being famous in the state for love and passion for music. Their traditional dances appear attractive and gentle full of passion for life, making the Kadazandusun culture a popular and beautiful one, and much sought by tourists to Sabah.

Even though Kadazandusuns are known for their peaceful nature, they are also well known for their bravery and defiant nature towards oppression and foreign rule. Monsopiad the legendary warrior of the Penampang district who lived in the 1700s to 1800s took 48 heads in the heat of battle before being overwhelmed. Warriors in the Marudu district (the most fearsome being Kulindod), and in Tuaran fought off attacks of enemies--Irranuns in Marudu, and Bruneians and Irranuns in Tuaran.

The Kadazandusuns' biggest problem now is the fact that their percentage within the enlarged population of Sabah (now 3 million) has been seriously reduced, and the fact that they have actually become a minority.

Further reading

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Dusun hillmen coming down to the coast to trade, c. 1910
  • L. W. W. Gudgeon (1913). British North Borneo, pp. 22 to 39. London, Adam and Charles Black.
  • Monica Glyn-Jones (1953). The Dusun of the Penampang Plains, 2 vols. London.
  • Hewett, Godfrey" (1923) The Dusuns of North Borneo" Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Containing Papers of a Biological Character, Volume 95, Issue 666, pp. 157-163 Publication Date: 08/1923
  • WILLIAMS, THOMAS RHYS. The Dusun: A North Borneo Society. NY. Holt, Rinehart and Winston. 1966.
 •  • [ e]
Ethnic groups in Malaysia
Nationwide

Banjarese • Malay • Chinese • Indian • Bugis • Eurasian • Javanese

Peninsular Malaysia

Baba Nyonya • Malaccan Portuguese • Chitty • Malaysian Siam • Minangkabau • Orang Asli

Sarawak

Bidayuh • Bisaya • Bukitan • Iban • Lun Bawang • Kayan • Kedayan • Kelabit • Kenyah • Melanau • Penan • Punan • Selako • Ukit

Sabah

Bajau • Brunei • Dusun • Ida'an • Kadazan • Lotud • Murut• Orang Sungai • Rungus • Suluk

Motto
"Bersekutu Bertambah Mutu"
"Unity Is Strength" 1
Anthem
Negaraku
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States and Territories of Malaysia
Sabah


Flag'' Coat of arms''

State motto: Sabah Maju Jaya

State anthem: Sabah Tanah Airku

Capital Kota Kinabalu


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Kadazan-Dusun is the term assigned to the unification of the classification of two indigenous tribes in Sabah, Malaysia—the ethnic groups Kadazan and Dusun.

History


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Motto
"Always in service with God's guidance"   (translation)
Anthem
Allah Peliharakan Sultan
God Bless the Sultan
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A constitution is a system for governance, often codified as a written document, that establishes the rules and principles of an autonomous political entity. In the case of countries, this term refers specifically to a national constitution defining the fundamental political
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Bumiputera as a member of the following seven races:
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Other ethnic groups otherwise native to Borneo (e.g.
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Malay}}} 
Writing system: Rumi (Latin alphabet) (official) and Jawi (Arabic script); historically written in Pallava, Kawi and Rencong 
Official status
Official language of:
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Population growth rate^: 1.78% (2006 data)
  • Crude birth rate^ for 2006 is around 18.7 and increase over 2005 (18.3) but well below the rates registered for 2004 (19.1)
  • Crude death rate^ in 2006 stood at 4.
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    • Banjar (or Banjarese) is the name of an interior and coastal native ethnic group which settled in the Banjar region and in Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, Indonesia, the fourth biggest city on the island of Borneo.
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    The Kristang are an ethnic group of people of mixed Portuguese and Asian descent, which arose in Malacca (Malaysia) and Singapore between the 16th and 17th centuries. Some of them speak a distinctive Kristang language, a creole based on Portuguese and Malay.
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    The Chitty are a distinctive group of Tamil people found mainly in Malacca, who are also known as the Indian Peranakans. As of today, their population stands at 2,000.
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    Orang Asli ("original peoples" or "aboriginal peoples" in Malay) is a general term used for any indigenous groups that are found in Peninsular Malaysia. They are divided into three main tribal groups: Semang (negrito), Senoi, and Proto-Malay.
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    Total population 158,700 (Sarawak only)
    Regions with significant populations Sarawak & West Kalimantan
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    The Bisaya are an indigenous people of northwestern Borneo, Malaysia, concentrated around the Limbang river in northern Sarawak state. There are other related tribes called Kadazan-Dusun in Sabah and in Brunei.
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    Bukitan (also known as Baketan) is small tribe living the state of Sarawak, East Malaysia. They are found in Bintulu division. Not many of these people are left due to intermarriages with other tribes.

    Their origin is from Palin, Kalimantan.
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    Ibans are a branch of the Dayak peoples of Borneo. They were formerly known during the colonial period by the British as Sea Dayaks. Ibans were renowned for practising headhunting and tribal/territorial expansion.
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    Lun Bawang is of a Dayak tribe found in Central Borneo. They are indigenous to the highlands of East Kalimantan, Brunei (Temburong District), southwest of Sabah (Interior Division) and northern region of Sarawak (Limbang Division).
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    Kayan is name of a tribe found in Borneo island. The Kayan people are categorized as a part of the Dayak people of Borneo.
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    The Kedayan are an ethnic group residing in Brunei, Labuan, Sabah, and parts of Sarawak on the island of Borneo. They are also known as Kadayan, Kadaian or simply badly spelled as Kadyan by British.
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    The Kelabit, who have close ties to the Lun Bawang, are an indigenous race of the Sarawak highlands with a minority in the neighbouring state of Brunei. The elevation here is slightly over 1,200 meters.
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    The Kenyah are an indigenous peoples of Borneo, living in the remote Baram and Belaga regions in Sarawak, Malaysia and Kalimantan, Indonesia. The Kenyah are grouped together with the Kayan under the Bahau ethnic group. Traditionally they lived in long houses.
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    Penan are a nomadic aboriginal people living in Sarawak and Brunei. They are one of the last such peoples remaining. [1] The Penan are noted for their practice of 'molong' which basically means never taking more than necessary.
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