Centuries of migration, mixed marriages, pirate raids, isolation and trade have produced a profusion of ethnic groups that has defied simple ethnic classification. There are at least 30 distinct ethnic/linguistic indigenous groups in Sabah speaking different languages and close to 100 dialects. Sabah is a melting pot of many indigenous and immigrant groups. Some of the indigenous peoples identify themselves by reference to their religion, language or the place they live. Names given by others may often differ from how a particular group refers to itself.

Bajau, the largest indigenous group, is a collective term for a predominantly Muslim peoples and Kindered groups. Originally seafarers there are now two distinct groups, the East Coast Bajau and West Coast Bajau. The West Coast Bajau have now settled down around the Kota Kinabalu to Kota Belud areas and have learnt the art of farming and cattle rearing. They are the famous cowboys of Sabah. Their skills in horsemanship are well known locally and on festive occasions both horses and riders are dressed in colorful costumes. On the east coast however many of the Sea Bajaus still live in the traditional way. Fishing is the main activity. While many have settled on land or in water villages some are still nomadic boot dwellers.

Chinese is the second largest group in Sabah. The largest single Chinese group in Sabah are Hakka (Kek), although Cantonese, Hokkien, Teochew, Hainanese, Henghua and other groups are found. While the Chinese have been visiting the shores of Borneo for over 1,000 years, basically for trade, and Chinese settlements are believed to have been established at a few places, namely on the Kinabtangan river and in the Brunei bay area, mass Chinese migration to Sabah only started in the 1880s after the formation of the British North Borneo Chartered Company.

The early Chinese migrants were mainly farmers brought in to open up the land, although artisans and miners also came. The early Chinese settlers in Sabah were mainly Hakka Christian farmers. Even today this is reflected in the census, whereby in 1980 over 50% of the Chinese in Sabah were classified as rural dwellers.

The Chinese have intermixed with the local population, mainly the Dusun/Kadazan, often creating a confusing situation ethnically whereby a person with a Chinese name may not be Chinese. This may only be an indication of some Chinese ancestry. He may be Kadazan in appearance, culture and language.

Dusun/Kadazan group is the largest indigenous group in Sabah. They are actually a collectivity of ethnic groups speaking similar languages and dialects as well as having similarities in culture and traditional beliefs. Within this group there exists at least 10 distinct languages with possibly 30 or more dialects. There are some people of this Dusun/Kadazan group who prefer to call themselves Dusun, while others particularly in the Penampang/Papar areas prefer the term Kadazan. Many others however prefer to call themselves by tribal names such as Lotud, Rungus, Orang Sungai (River People), Kuijau, Tambanuo etc.

The Dusun/Kadazan are mainly found on the west coast from Kudat to Sarawak border and in the interior areas of Ranau, Tambunan and Keningau. They are traditionally farmers occupying the fertile plains of the west coast and the interior. The majority of the Dusun/Kadazan peoples are Christian while many also profess Islam with some still classed as pagans.

Muruts are the third largest indigenous group in Sabah. The Muruts, literally meaning 'hillpeople', are found mainly in three areas of the Interior Division, Tenom, Keningau and Pensiangan. The Muruts are for the most part shifting cultivator, living in the more remote areas. They live in communal longhouses, usually near rivers, using the rivers as their highways. They plant hill padi and topioca, hunt and fish for a living and were the last of Sabah's ethnic groups to renounce head hunting.

The men are skillful hunters with blowpipe and spear, and of course their hunting dogs. Mostly converted to Christianity or Islam the Muruts still practise a remarkable from of a bridewealth in which a man on marriage pays bridewealth throughout his life. They are an extremely hospitable people and as in the Dusun/Kadazan group some still refer to themselves by old tribal names such as Timogun, Tagal, Nabas etc.

ATTRACTIONS

The Kinabalu Park
Covering 754 squares kilometers, the Kinabalu Park is one of the greatest attractions of Sabah. Within its boundaries are found the lowland rain-forest of the tropical zone as its lower level, the mountain oaks and fig trees, the rhododendron shrubs and wild berries of the temperate zone at its medium level, and the conifers and other alpine-like associations of the summit zone at its upper level. It is there no wonder that a good number of its visitors are nature lovers eager to study, record and enjoy its richly varied natural resources.

The Park also has this "away-from-it-all" cool serenity that offers a much needed rest for the tired businessman. It offers the highest mountain in South East Asia to challenge the ambitious mountaineer, and ever-changing grandeur- the magic of sunrise as the stark majesty of the mountain appears before you in the brightening sky, only to be quickly hidden behind a cloudy shroud billowing upward from the lowland forest, or the sky awashed in the wondrous colours of sunset that prompts the avid camera buff to wait patiently for the right moment to click his masterpiece.

Orang Utan Sanctuary, Sepilok
About 15 minutes drive from the East Coast town of Sandakan, is the world's largest orang utan sanctuary. Orang utan (Wild man of Borneo) which have been abandoned by their mothers, or which were formerly in captivity, are rehabilitated until fit enough to be returned to the wild.

Watching these charming and entertaining orangutan during feeding time is a sheer delight.

Tanjung Aru Beach
Located six kilometres from Kota Kinabalu is a long stretch of beach lined with picturesque palm and casuarina trees all along its soft, fine sands. Among the popular activities here are boating, water skiing, windsurfing, snorkelling and scuba diving. Wide variety of seafood is available for those seafood lover.

Pulau Sipadan
Sipadan is Malaysia’s only oceanic island and offers some of the best diving in the region.

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