Saturday, June 6, 2009

Kadazandusun Is not Indigenous Peoples of Sabah, Malaysia

Kadazandusun is not indigenous peoples, while KadazanDusuns or Kadazan-Dusuns or Kadazan/Dusuns are indigenous peoples of Sabah.

The term "Kadazandusun" and "KadazanDusun" are two different terms as differentiated by the usage of the small vowel 'd' and capital 'D', the latter being two indigenous peoples of Kadazan" and "Dusun" origin merged together, while the former is a coined word - a term expediently assigned to UNIFY the two indigenous peoples for whatever reasons ? that does not denote any particular race.

Datuk Clarence Bongkos Malakun (KSS Trustee Chairman) has correctly pointed out when he said: "The term 'Kadazandusun' is not an indigenous ethnic race per se in Sabah." "We should either be Kadazan or Dusun depending on one's own preference. We should respect those who wish to be known as Dusun just as we expect others to respect our preference to be known as Kadazan".

KSS President Datuk Marcel Leiking also rightly said at the KSS Christmas and New Year Dinner function in Kota Kinabalu on 23rd December 2008 that: "There are Kadazans in Sabah and there are Dusuns. If you are comfortable with the indigenous name of "Kadazan" or "Dusun", so be it, but not "Kadazandusun" which is not an ethnic indigenous term (recognised) in Sabah."

According to Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, the term 'Kadazan-Dusun' (also written as Kadazandusun) is the term assigned to the unification of the classification of two indigenous peoples in Sabah, Malaysia, the ethnic groups of Kadazan and Dusun."

The Kadazan Society Sabah (KSS), however, maintains its stance that the term "Kadazandusun" is NOT an ethnic indigenous tribe to describe a race nor it is a native found in Sabah.

It is therefore mischievous and naughty of any person to categorize "KadazanDusuns" or "Kadazan-Dusun" or "Kadazan/Dusun" as not natives of Sabah. The Kadazans and Dusuns or "KadazanDusuns" in short, are undeniably the indigenous peoples or natives of Sabah.


Sylvester J. Disimon
Deputy President
Kadazan Society Sabah (KSS)