The People of Malaysia

Malaysia is a unique country. It has three major races; the Malay, Chinese and Indian. In addition, the country is home to many ethnic communities. In Sabah and Sarawak, there are countless of ethnic groups with their own unique culture and heritage.

Malay

Today, the Malays, Malaysia's largest ethnic group, make up more than 50% of the population, although this drops to less than 25% in East Malaysia. In Malaysia, the term Malay refers to a person who practices Islam and Malay traditions, speaks the Malay language and whose ancestors are Malays.

Chinese

The second largest ethnic group, the Malaysian Chinese form about 25% of the population. The three sub-groups who speak a different dialect of the Chinese language are the Hokkien, the Cantonese the Mandarin-speaking group.

Indian

The smallest of three main ethnic groups, the Malaysian Indians from about 10% of the population. Most are descendants of Tamil-speaking South Indian immigrants who came to the country during the British colonial rule. They brought with them their colorful cultures such as ornate temples, spicy cuisine, and exquisite sarees.

Sabah

The largest native ethnic groups of Sabah's population are the Kadazan Dusun, the Bajau and the Murut. Kadazan Dusun is the largest ethnic group of Sabah, the Kadazan Dusuns form about 30% of the state's population. The Kadazan are mainly inhabitants of flat valley deltas, which are beneficial to paddy field farming, while the Dusun traditionally lived in the hilly and mountainous regions of interior Sabah. Bajau is the second largest ethnic group in Sabah, the Bajaus is about 15% of the state's population. The land of Bajaus is nicknamed 'Cowboys of the East' in tribute to their impressive horsy skills, which are publicly displayed in the annual Tamu Besar festival at Kota Belud. Murut is the third largest ethnic group in Sabah the Muruts make up about 3% of the state's population. Now, they are mostly farmers of hill paddy and tapioca, supplementing their diet with blowpipe hunting and fishing. Like most indigenous tribes in Sabah, their traditional clothing is decorated with unique beadwork

Sarawak

Collectively known as Dayaks, the Iban, Bidayuh and Orang Ulu are the major ethnic groups in the state of Sarawak. Typically, they live in longhouses, traditional community homes that can house 20 to 100 families. Iban is the largest of Sarawak's ethnic groups, the Ibans form 30% of the State's population of 2.5 million. Bidayuh is a peace-loving and easy-going, the gentle Bidayuh are famous for their hospitality and tuak or rice wine. They are mostly farmers and hunters. Some 130,000 or 6% of the population of Sarawak are Melanau.  Their language has different origins to the other ethnic groups of the state and today they are found mainly along the rivers and the of central Sarawak. 27 of the internal tribal groups of Sarawak are collectively called Orang Ulu or upriver people. A total estimated population of around 100,000 people. :)