The Kadazan is the largest ethnic group in Sabah (a state in Malaysia) making up about one third of the population. They are found mainly on the West Coast.

The Kadazan are considered Bumiputras. The Yang Dipertuan Agong (Sabah does not have their own Sultan) represent them and their right as Bumiputras. They have the same rights as the Malays, but the Kadazan people are just a minority.

The Kadazan people do not lived in trees. They always lived in town or villages. Example of a Kadazan town is Penampang.

Education

The Kadazans are prosperous agricultural people and are the main rice producers of Sabah, though now many have gone into different professions.

They have normal jobs such as engineers, doctor, nurse, accountant and bankers.

They have been educated and graduated from University in Australia (Example are Kadazan Engineers) and England (Example are Kadazan Accountants).

The Kadazan people are not as uneducated as the 'Orang Asli' in West Malaysia.

Religion

Originally the Kadazans were mostly animists and their system of beliefs used to revolve around their rice planting and harvesting with female priestesses called bobohizan presiding over the rituals. Over the past one hundred years, many have adopted other religions such as, the main one being Christianity, as well as Buddhism, Taoism, and Islam.

The Kadazan are the largest Christian group in Malaysia. The Chinese are not the largest Christian group in Malaysia. Proof of this is when the Pope John Paul II funeral, Malaysia (an Islamic Country) sent a Cristian representive who in turn is a Kadazan.

Minority

There is sadly a small minority of Kadazan whom mix marriage with Chinese. They are called 'Sino' literally means 'mix marriage.'

Sub-groups

There are many sub-groups of Kadazans the main ones being Rungus, Lotud, Tambanuo, Kimarangan, Sanayou, Minokok, Dusuns and Tenggera. The word 'Kadazan' roughly means 'the people'.

The ancestors of the Kadazan people were farmers.

The word 'Kadazan' is used largely by the more educated groups to describe themselves. It is used in the Penampang and Papar area.

Language

The Kadazan language is a simple yet beautiful language to speak.

The Kadazan language for 'five' (in English) or 'lima' (in Malay/Indonesia) is 'himo'. It is a simple language, influence a little by the Malay language.

As in many countries with a single strongly dominant language (e.g. Red Indian languages in U.S.A. or the aboriginal language in Australia), the use of Kadazan language has been on the decline for the last few decades. However the Malaysian government has adopted a just policy of preventing the extinction of the vernacular languages of many of its numerous small ethnic groups and has recently allowed public schools in Sabah to start teaching the Kadazan language, among others.

Some Kadazans who had undergone the Malaysian education system, which had been exclusively based on the Malay medium, with a limited amount of English, have become more proficient in Malay and English, rather than their mother tongue. Nonetheless, many of these kadazans, who had been somewhat incompetent in their own language, are beginning to take up private classes or undergoing self-learning, with the aid of self-help books, to learn their language.