PENAMPANG: Kadazandusun should serve as a collective identity uniting the community's diverse ethnic and sub-ethnic groups without erasing their individual names, languages, dialects, customs, cultures, histories and heritage, a dialogue here was told.
Kadazandusun Cultural Association (KDCA) Deputy President Datuk Seri Jeffrey Kitingan (pic) said the community's diversity should be preserved, while Kadazandusun provided a common identity when its members came together on matters of shared interest.
“Ethnic identity is our roots, Kadazandusun is our collective identity, while KDCA is our institutional umbrella,” he said when launching the Kadazandusun Dialogue 2026 at the KDCA Hongkod Koisaan on Saturday, which brought together representatives of more than 49 ethnic and sub-ethnic groups.
Jeffrey said accepting Kadazandusun as a collective identity did not require any community to abandon its name, language, dialect, customs, culture, history or association, adding: “We do not need to be the same to be one."KDCA President Huguan Siou Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan, who closed the dialogue, echoed the position and said the signing of a Unity Charter by ethnic and sub-ethnic representatives reflected a commitment to unity, mutual respect, continued dialogue and cooperation under the KDCA umbrella.