Kadazan

From Freepedia

Kadazans are the major subgroup in the ethnic group Kadazan-Dusun, who collectively, are the largest ethnicity indigenous to Sabah, Malaysia. They are found mainly on Sabahan west coast, surrounding areas and various locations in the interior.

Being an indigenous people, the Kadazans are inferred the same political, educational and economic rights as the predominant Malay population of Malaysia. The term ascribed to this is Bumiputra, a Malay term which is translated to 'Sons of the Land'.

While Kadazan was an official designation for this ethnic group, it is widely believed that the word itself was a political derivative that came into existence in the late 50's to early 60's. No proper historical record exists pertaining to the origins of the term or its originator.

Presently, the Kadazans are associated together with another similar indigenous tribe, the Dusuns and various other indigenous peoples, under the blanket term Kadazan-Dusun. This is officially recognised as the result of political machinations, specifically, a resolution of the supposedly non-political 5th KCA (Kadazan Cultural Association, which was then renamed to Kadazan-Dusun Cultural Association (KDCA)) Delegates Conference held between November 4 and November 5, 1989. It was decided as the best alternative approach to resolve the "Kadazan" or "Dusun" identity crisis that had crippled and impeded the growth and development of the Kadazan-dusun multi-ethnic community socio-culturally, economically and politically - ever since Kadazanism versus Dusunism sentiments were politicized in the early 1960's.

Kadazans and Dusuns share the same language and culture, albeit with differences in dialect. Many consider the major difference between the two ethnic groups to be their traditional geographical influences. Kadazans are mainly inhabitants of the flat valley deltas, conducive to paddy field farming, while Dusuns are traditionally inhabitants of the hilly and mountainous regions common to the interior of Sabah.

The word Kadazan in itself is thought to be derived from the term Kedaian which is a bastardisation of the Malay word Kedai. Kedaian is loosely translated to mean "of the shops", which was meant to imply a modernisation that typically manifested over the indigenous peoples living within commercially developed areas. Historical developments had proved and continued to show that the plains were progressing faster economically than it did in the more remote and mountainous regions.

Religion and Culture

Before the influence of the British missionaries in the mid 19th century that resulted in Christianity rising to prominence amongst Kadazans, animism was the predominant religion. It revolved around the belief that spirits ruled over the planting and harvesting of rice, a profession that had been practiced for generations. Special rituals would be performed before and after each harvest by a tribal priestess known as a bobohizan.

Kadazan culture is heavily influenced by the farming of rice, culminating in various delicacies and alcoholic drinks prepared through differing home-brewed fermentation processes. Tapai and lihing are the main rice wine variants served and consumed in Kadazan populated areas, and are a staple of Kadazan social gatherings and ceremonies.

Besides food and drink, the Kadazans also developed their own unique dance and music. Sumazau is the name of the dance between a male and female, performed by couples as well as groups of couples, which is usually accompanied by a symphony of handcrafted bronze gongs that are individually called 'tagung'. A ceremonial ring of cloth sash is worn by both male and female. The Sumazau and gong accompaniment is typically performed during joyous ceremonies and occasions, the most common of which being wedding feasts.

Contemporary Kadazan food is heavily influenced by Chinese cuisine, with unique modifications and nuances as well as particular usage of locally available foodstuffs, particularly bamboo shoots, sago and fresh water fish, which is pickled. Water buffalo meat is a major staple food and the animals are highly prized assets, which are a typical requirement of wedding dowries.

Dowries are paid to the bride's family and an elaborate negotiation is arranged between the groom and bride's families. As a traditional gesture of politeness and civility, the dowry is metaphorically laid out with match sticks on a flat surface, with a representative from each side pushing and pulling the sticks across a boundary to denote the bargaining of the dowry. Dowries traditionally consisted of water buffaloes, pigs, sacks of rice and even urns of tapai. Modern dowry negotiations also include cash and land ownership deeds. Kadazan women from the Tambunan, Penampang and Tuaran areas are widely regarded to have the most expensive dowries.

While it is traditionally customary for Kadazans to marry within a village or a neighbouring village, a change of xenophobic attitudes over the past few decades has eased the difficulty once associated with inter-racial marriage. The Kadazans have a particularly good affinity with the local Chinese and this has resulted in the coinage of the term Sino-Kadazan, which is a phrase used to describe the half Kadazan, half Chinese offspring of such unions. Due to the overwhelming Christian influence, marriage to muslim spouses, which results in a mandatory conversion to Islam, still induces outrage and rejection, and is known to divide fiercely traditional Kadazans. Of late, Islam has been embraced by a growing minority as a means to political ends considering the fact that the local Malay minority has gained political ascendance in recent years.

Language

The Kadazan language is an amalgation of various influences, mainly coming from other indigenous tribes in North Borneo and the adoption of various Malay words. According to legend, the Kadazan language has its roots in the migration of a band of seafaring Chinese from Southern China. Anecdotes describe a provincial Chinese tribe whose language differs greatly with the common Chinese dialects but bears striking similarities to the Kadazan language; a tribe whom purportedly bear a physical resemblance to Kadazans as well. However, no research or concrete evidence has risen to support these claims although it is supported by authoritative figures in the Kadazan community.

As in many countries with a singly dominant language, the use of the Kadazan language has been on the decline for the last few decades. As a result, Malay is spoken fluently by most, if not all Kadazans, although English is spoken fluently by more Kadazans than any other ethnic group, due to the influence of British missionaries. With the decline of the usage of the Kadazan language, the Sabah state government introduced policies with the objective of preventing the extinction of the vernacular languages of many of its numerous small ethnic groups and has, in the past decade, encouraged public schools in Sabah to start teaching the Kadazan language, among other indigenous dialects. With this initiative, a concerted effort was also made to officialise the Kadazan language and standardise its written form.