Kadazan

Kadazan, term embracing a number of peoples that together constitute the largest indigenous ethnic group in the state of Sabah, Malaysia, on the northeastern extremity of the island of Borneo. The Kadazan are grouped along the coastal plain from Kudat to Beaufort and in the hills around Tambunan. They speak Kadazan (sometimes called Kadazandusun), an Austronesian language with numerous dialects. Originally the Kadazan lived in large kinship groups in longhouses containing 150–200 persons. Most now live in individual dwellings that accommodate smaller family units. In rural areas, irrigated wet rice is the principal crop, supplemented by dry rice, corn (maize), and sweet potatoes, all cultivated through slash-and-burn agriculture. Unlike many other indigenous farmers in Borneo, the Kadazan have long used plows to work their fields. The western Kadazan form much of the labour force in local rubber production. Kadazan society is based on patrilineal descent groups; marriage within a descent group is generally forbidden. Most Kadazan are Christian, although there also is a significant Muslim community. Small groups maintain local religions in which priestesses conduct a variety of agricultural and communal rituals.