Kadazan Sabah Society Sabah (KSS) Deputy President Gundohing Sylvester J. Disimon (Pic) e-mail to me the following in response to an article posted by Joe Fernandez in Malaysiakini.
The article posted by Joe Fernandez on Dec. 27 2008 in Malaysiakininews column titled "KadazanDusuns not 'natives' of Sabah" is construed as misleading and is confusing to the readers.
The term "Kadazandusuns" and "KadazanDusuns" are two different terms as differentiated by the usage of the small vowel 'd' and capital 'D',the latter being two indigenous tribes of Kadazan" and "Dusun" merged together, while the former is a coined word - a term expediently assigned to unify the two indigenous tribes for whatever reasons –that does not denote a race.
Datuk Clarence Bongkos Malakun (KSS Trustee Chairman) has correctly pointed out when he said: "The term 'Kadazandusun' is not an indigenous ethnic race per se in Sabah."
"We should either be Kadazan or Dusun depending on one's own preference. We should respect those who wish to be known as Dusun just as we expect others to respect our preference to be known as Kadazan".
KSS President Datuk Marcel Leiking also rightly said at the KSS Christmas and New Year Dinner function in Kota Kinabalu on 23rd December 2008 that:
"There are Kadazans in Sabah and there are Dusuns.If you are comfortable with Kadazan or Dusun, so be it. But not Kadazandusun which is not an ethnic indigenous term (recognised) insane."
According to Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, "the term 'Kadazan-Dusun' (also written as Kadazandusun) is the term assigned to the unification of the classification of two indigenous tribes in Sabah, Malaysia—the ethnic groups of Kadazan and Dusun." The KSS, however, maintains its stance that the term"Kadazandusun" is NOT an ethnic indigenous tribe to describe a race nor it is a native found in Sabah.
It is therefore mischievous and naughty of Joe Fernandez to caption his article: "KadazanDusuns not 'natives' of Sabah" as this phrase is misleading and confusing your readers as well as insulting the intelligence of the indigenous tribes of Sabah! The Kadazans and Dusuns or "KadazanDusuns" in short are undeniably the indigenous tribes or natives of Sabah
Sylvester J. Disimon
Deputy President
Kadazan Society Sabah (KSS)
13th February 2009
8 comments:
Dear Mr. Sylvester & Aki Momogun,
We the KadazanDusun (KD) are still facing identity crisis. We are still quarreling who we are.This quarrel naturally and unfortunately contributing immense dissent and disunity amongst the KD. The disunity in turn contribute to our losing political power and being bullied by the other communal community. The dissent is this: the Kadazan living in and around Penampang and Papar vehemently called and branded themselves as KADAZAN and the non-Malay living in other districts or other parts of Sabah are not Kadazan - they are Lotud, Kiwjau, Bundus, Tindal, Rungus, Tobilung,Kimaragang, Tombonuo, Tindakon and so forth. If these races called themselves Kadazan, the "Kadazan" in Penampang and Papar are very quick to say that they are not Kadazan.To my knowledge, the so called "Kadazan" in Penampang and Papar are actually Tangaah or Tagahas. Tun Fuad coined the word Kadazan sometimes in the early 1960s. His intention was to politically unite these Tangaah, Tagahas, Kiwjau, Bundus, Tindal, Rungus, Tobilung, Kimaragang, Tombonuo, Tindakan and so forth. But the sad thing is the Tangaah people does not want to be called Tangaah any more but Kadazan. Why can't they acknowledge that they are Tangaah and the word KADAZAN encompases those races mentioned above.why? Why? Why?
The term Kadazan as I remember became a major debate during the early days when Sabah was about to join Malaysia and the late Donald Stephens and some Penampang leaders were the people who had to some extend propogated that there is a difference between the term Kadazan and Dusun, but all birth certificates issued during the colonial era the word or Kadazan race were never being used to depict race. All that had been used was Dusun. Is it not that Dusun or Kadazan are of the same people. Or is it because that during those early days after Sabah independence the Penampang folks and some of their leaders consider themselves as more educated and civilised to be only called as Kadazans rather Dusuns or Dusun Darat.
I am a "Kadazan" from Penampang but Randavi is very right! And to Mr. Randavi...the answer to your question is....we the Kadazans of Penampang take ourselves as more superior...we tend to look at the other dusunic tribes as inferiors!
Since the ""Dusuns"" of Penampang geo-political circumstances were the first to be urbanised...we indeed had become a very proud people and blatantly rejected the value of "pisompuuvan" as first mooted by the late Tun Fuad....when he coined the term "Kadazan" whereby all the non-muslim natives of Sabah be indentified as such!
The "Malays" of Malaya...comprised of various Islam-based ethnicities found throughout the Malay Archipelago. Their past leaders succeeded in coining the term "Malay" as a unification platform for all the Muslims of Malaya!
And again for the betterment of Randavi's knowledge....it is most wise for the Kiwjau, Bundus, Tindal, Rungus, Tobilung, Kimaragang, Tatana...etc.etc....to identify themselves as Kadazan Tatana, Kadazan Rungus, Kadazan Kimaragang...etc.etc...so as not to be further economically, socially and politically exploited as is happening to us since the formation of Malaysia on the 16th of September 1963!
It is high time for the other Dusunic tribes to recognise themselves as being Kadazans.....as first thought of by Fuad but discreetly spoiled by the politics of Federalism!
King Cup,
Gunung Kinabalu
To Anonymous The King Cup of Gunung Kinabalu.
Thank you for acknowledging the correctness of my comments.You identified yourself as Kadazan from Penampang. You also acknowledged that Kadazan are superior compare to other dusunic ethnicities. I don't agree with you.For unity sake, please acknowledge that we are of the same rank and position.You want other dusunic ethnicities to call themselves e.g. Kadazan Tatana, Kadazan Rungus,Kadazan Kimaragang and so forth. The people of Penampang should also call themselves as Kadazan Tangaah or Kadazan Tagahas.What is the harm of acknowledging your origin.Or else I suggest, let us call ourselves KADAZAN for unity sake. I mean when the other ethnics called themselves Kadazan, the Tangaah of Penampang should not prevent them from calling themselves Kadazan. Is that ok with you, King Cup of Gunung Kinabalu.
Pardon me Randavi....I wrote the comment in a haste and let me have my words corrected here.
I am so sorry but I didn't mean to say that the Kadazans of Penampang are superior than the other Dusunic tribes...."""but that the Kadazans of Penampang were proud for being the earliest Dusunic tribe opened to development that they TEND to be arrogant...and look at the other Dusunic tribes as inferiors!""""""
The term Kadazan does not belong to Penampang's Tangaah and Tagahas alone....the term Kadazan was formulated by Tun Fuad as a unification platform for all of Sabah's non-muslim indigenous peoples! And the Kadazans of Penampang never have a problem for the other Dusunic tribes identifying themselves as Kadazans!
Once again Randavi..due to my haste writing I had you misquoted me(or maybe talampau laju bah typing aku ni!)...I beg your forgiveness! There is not one human race on earth that is superior than the other races! We are all equal!
King Cup,
Poot Sardin.
I am a pure Sabahan. I have no problem to sit and drink tapai with my tompinai. Its wasting of my time talking about Kadazan / Dusun. Go publish this thread to national newspaper and let other races read (such as Malay, Indian, Chinese). Im sure they will laugh! Shame!
shop's closed Mr. King Cup Poot Sardin,
Randavi has no problem of forgiving you. Ok from my sincere and contrite heart I forgive you since you ask forgiveness or other wise I still have many points to put forward on KD rubric and thread. TQ.
I just can't understand the lyrics of all the songs in the group band Bad English album.
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