Sabah's Cultural Diversity
Sabah is home to over thirty distinct indigenous ethnic groups, each with its own language, traditions, customary law, and spiritual practices. The Kadazan-Dusun are the largest group, followed by the Bajau, Murut, and many others. This extraordinary cultural diversity is one of Sabah's greatest treasures — and one that is under serious threat from decades of marginalisation and demographic change.
Indigenous Land Rights
Indigenous communities in Sabah have faced widespread dispossession of their ancestral lands through the expansion of agricultural concessions, logging operations, and development projects. Many communities have lost access to the lands their ancestors have occupied for generations. The Cultural & Indigenous Affairs division works to document these losses and support communities in asserting their rights under both domestic and international law.
Cultural Preservation
We are committed to the documentation and preservation of Sabah's indigenous languages, oral traditions, and cultural practices. Many of Sabah's languages are endangered, spoken only by older generations. The division supports efforts to record and revitalise these languages and the cultural heritage they carry.