PENAMPANG: The KadazanDusun concept was reaffirmed as a shared collective identity serving as an umbrella for multi-ethnic and sub-ethnic communities, without erasing the original names, languages, dialects, customs, cultures, histories and heritage of individual communities.
The reaffirmation was the main message of the KadazanDusun Dialogue 2026, held at the Kadazandusun Cultural Association (KDCA) Hongkod Koisaan Hall here, Sunday.
The one-day event, themed “Unity in Diversity” and guided by the spirit of “Diverse Ethnicities, One Umbrella, One Shared Voice”, brought together representatives from more than 49 ethnic and sub-ethnic groups, KDCA leaders, association leaders and community representatives.
The dialogue aimed to trace the community’s shared history, discuss the KDCA umbrella concept and strengthen understanding of the status of KadazanDusun as a collective identity.
The programme was launched by KDCA Deputy President Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan, who was also the organising chairman, while the closing speech was delivered by KDCA President Huguan Siou Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan.
Dr Jeffrey said the community comprised various ethnic and sub-ethnic groups, each with its own distinct identity, language, dialect, customs, culture, history and heritage.
He described this diversity as a strength that should be preserved rather than eliminated or standardised.
At the same time, he said history had demonstrated the need for a collective identity when the community faced issues involving common interests.
“It is within that context that KadazanDusun developed as a shared identity connecting these communities,” he said.
Dr Jeffrey summarised the relationship through three complementary elements: ethnic identity as the root, KadazanDusun as the collective identity and KDCA as the institutional umbrella.
He stressed that accepting KadazanDusun as a collective identity did not require any ethnic group to abandon its own name, language, dialect, customs, culture, history, association or community affairs.
He said communities did not need to be identical in order to be united.
The dialogue was also intended to provide a platform for the community to listen to one another, reflect on history, correct misunderstandings and identify common ground.
Dr Jeffrey stressed that the discussion was not a competition between names or identities.
He said success in achieving identity and unity should not be measured purely by a majority headcount, but through broader, sincere and lasting understanding based on seeking common ground rather than determining which group was more important.
The dialogue also traced the history of efforts to establish a shared identity through four key milestones over more than six decades — 1961, 1989, 1995 and 2004.
The journey began with the First Unko Conference on Aug 6 and 7, 1961, in Jesselton, which brought together delegates from Kudat, Keningau, Ranau, Tawau, Labuan, Brunei and 19 other districts.
Among the delegates from Keningau were OKK Datuk Sundang, Mohd Arif Salleh from Bingkor, OKK Tambakau from Sino-Native Keningau Town, OKK Datuk Angian from Apin-Apin and Datuk Anthony Undan from Keningau.
The conference resolved to adopt “Kadazan” as the shared identity at the time, including for the Murut community.
The next milestone came in 1989, following issues involving discrepancies in ethnic identification in family documents, including cases where parents were recorded as “Dusun” in birth certificates issued before 1963 while their children were recorded as “Kadazan”.
The proposal to combine the names “Kadazan” and “Dusun” into “KadazanDusun” was subsequently passed unanimously at the 5th KCA Delegates Conference on Nov 4 and 5, 1989.
This led to the association being renamed from KCA to KDCA.
The journey continued in 1995 through a language agreement between KDCA and USDA, which formalised KadazanDusun as the official name of the language and its teaching in schools.
Under the agreement, the Bunduliwan dialect was designated as the foundational dialect for standardisation on April 11, 1995.
The KadazanDusun language was subsequently introduced in 15 primary schools in 1997 in an inclusive manner, without preventing the continued use of other dialects.
In 2004, the Second KadazanDusun Resolution called for the term KadazanDusun to be used in official government documents.
The dialogue also highlighted ongoing efforts to obtain official recognition of KadazanDusun as a generic identity.
Applications were submitted to the Chief Minister on July 3, 2016, and Dec 7, 2022, seeking official gazettement of the term “KadazanDusun”.
According to information presented at the KadazanDusun Dialogue 2026, no official decision on the applications had been received from the Chief Minister’s Office as of Sept 19, 2026.
