Kwijau

Kwijau people
Kuijau / Kwijau

Kwijau woman at Keningau, Sabah, Malaysia cutting tobacco on a Chinese type of bench.
Total population
(21,000)
Regions with significant populations
Malaysia: 11,000 Indonesia: 9,900
Languages
Kwijau, Malay, Sabah Malay
Religion
Animism (predominantly), Christianity
Related ethnic groups
Kadazan-Dusun

The Kwijau or Kuijau are an indigenous ethnic group residing in Sabah, eastern Malaysia on the island of Borneo. They reside in the Interior Division within a 12-mile radius to the west and north of Keningau town. Their population was estimated at 7,910 in the year 2000. They are considered a sub-group of the Kadazan-Dusun, as their language is on the Dusunic branch of the Austronesian language family (ISO 639-3 dkr). About 20% of the population has been converted to evangelical Christianity, the remainder are animist. They are known for performing the Magunatip, an east Malaysian dance very strongly influenced by the Philippine tinikling .Performed by the young men and women, the dance involves jumping steps that manoeuvre the dancer's feet in and out, so as not to get their feet trapped by 2 moving bamboo poles that are held by another pair of dancers, who beat the poles together and over a shorter length of wood or bamboo, creating an interesting rhythm.