Sabah natives are called Bumiputeras (malay term), meaning people of the land. Based on the definition provided in the Interpretation Ordinance (Native Interpretation) Cap 64, natives are defined as those whose parents are Sabah Orang Asli (Sabah Origin or natives), anyone living as a member of native community where one of his parents or ancestors are natives.
In Sabah, a native is a person who is a citizen, is the child or grandchild of a person of a race indigenous to Sabah and was born in Sabah, or to a father living in Sabah at the time of the birth. Because Malaysia is a relatively young country and is made up of 13 states, each with their own sultanates or traditional laws, you will often find that some laws differ depending on the state you are in. In the case of Sabah and Sarawak, formerly known as North Borneo before the formation of Malaysia, natives rights are part of the constitution.
Kadazan
The Kadazans are an ethnic group indigenous to the state of Sabah in Malaysia. They are found mainly on the west coast of Sabah, the surrounding locales, and various locations in the interior. Due to similarities in culture and language with the Dusun ethnic group, and also because of other political initiatives, a new unified term called "Kadazan-dusun" was created. Collectively, they form the largest ethnic group in Sabah.
Dusun
Dusun is the collective name of a tribe or ethnic and linguistic group in the Malaysian state of Sabah of North Borneo. Due to similarities in culture and language with the Kadazan ethnic group, a new unified term called "Kadazan-Dusun" was created. Collectively, they form the largest ethnic group in Sabah. 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.
Murut
The Murut are an indigenous ethnic group inhabiting northern inland regions of Borneo. A large percentage of the Murut communities are in the southwest interior of Sabah, eastMalaysia, specifically the districts of Keningau, Tenom and Nabawan Pensiangan, along the Sapulut and Padas Rivers. The literal translation of murut is "hill people".
Antanum was a famous and influential Murut warrior from Sabah who according to local oral history claimed to have supernatural powers. Because of this he was able to receive support from the chiefs and villagers from around Keningau, Tenom, Pensiangan and Rundum and led the Rundum uprising against the British North Borneo Company but was killed during fighting with the company army in Sungai Selangit near Pensiangan.
The group is divided between lowland (Timugon) and highland (Tagol) subgroups. They speak the Murutic languages, a branch of the Austronesian family. The Tagol Murut languageserves as their lingua franca.
Rungus
The Rungus are an ethnic group of Borneo, residing primarily in northern Sabah in the area surrounding Kudat. A sub-group of the Kadazan-Dusun, they have a distinctive language, dress, architecture, customs, and oral literature.
The Bajau, (also written as Badjao, Badjaw or Badjau) are an indigenous ethnic group of the southern Philippines. Due to escalated conflicts in their native Sulu Archipelago of the southern Philippines, many of the Bajau have migrated to neighboring Malaysia over the course of 50 years. Currently they are the second largest ethnic group in the state of Sabah, making up 13.4% of the total population. Groups of Bajau have also migrated to Sulawesi and Kalimantan in Indonesia, although figures of their exact population are unknown. They were sometimes referred to as the Sea Gypsies, although the term has been used to encompass a number of non-related ethnic groups with similar traditional lifestyles, such as the Moken of the Burmese-Thai Mergui Archipelago and the Orang Laut of southeastern Sumatra and the Riau Islands of Indonesia. The modern outward spread of the Bajau from older inhabited areas seems to have been associated with the development of sea trade in trepang.
Ida'an
The Ida'an (or Idahan) are an ethnic group of Borneo, residing primarily in the Lahad Datu districts on the east coast of Sabah, Malaysia. Their current population is estimated to be around 6,000 (1987 est), but it appears that they once inhabited a much larger area along the east Sabah coast than present. For centuries, the Ida’an have owned exclusive rights to the collection of edible bird's nests in the limestone caves of the region, notably the Madai Caves. Most Ida'an are Muslim, but a small sub-group called the Bega'ak (population 1,500 in 1987) remains animist.
Orang Sungai
The Orang Sungai (Malay for River People) are a group of indigenous people native to the state of Sabah, Malaysia. Groups of communities live along the rivers of Kinabatangan, Paitan, Labuk and also Kudat.
