TAMBUNAN: World Indigenous Peoples’ Day is an important platform to recognise rights, defend customary land, preserve traditional knowledge, and strengthen self-governance, said Borneo Dayak Forum (BDF) president Datuk Seri Jeffrey Kitingan.
Officiating the World Indigenous Peoples’ Day Celebration (PHOAS) 2026 at Kampung Rantai here, the Keningau MP and Tambunan Assemblyman emphasised that while cultural displays are celebrated, they form part of a broader struggle to defend indigenous identity, rights, and dignity.
He highlighted this year's theme focusing on indigenous midwives, traditional knowledge, biodiversity, climate action, sustainable energy, and wellbeing, noting that native wisdom is a living science guiding health and environmental protection through nature-based solutions.
Kitingan stressed that indigenous communities must be empowered to manage resources and govern according to local customs rather than remaining passive beneficiaries, warning that damage to customary lands, forests, and rivers threatens future generations' identity.
The five-day event organised by civil society groups under organising chairman Hilda Pius gathered 350 participants from Sabah, Sarawak, and the peninsula for forums, native sports, and cultural performances, marking Tambunan's return as host since 1998.
