Learn about culture of Dusun ethnic group in Sabah
Accounting for approximately 28% of the population, the Kadazan-Dusun, called the Dusun for short, is the largest indigenous group in Sabah, Malaysia. They traditionally live in longhouses and mostly are rice farmers planting around coastal Sabah and along mountain and hillside terraces. The significance of rice cultivation in local culture and society is very important that they keep rice safe in dedicated tanku - storage buildings as well as host the annual Harvest Festival held on May 30 and 31. This can be seen as a practive of their ancestral animistic beliefs as though a majority of the Desun now are Catholics or converted to Islam, many of them are animists sharing a common belief system. The traditional dance of Kadazan-Dusun is Sumazau dance performed by a pair of men and women dancers wearing traditional costumes called the "Koubasanan costume" in the beats and rhythms of gongs.
