The Tambunan Dusun of Malaysia

The Tambunan Dusun of Malaysia, numbering approximately 24,000 people, are No Longer Unreached. They are one of Sabah's largest Dusun subgroups, organized into seven sub-tribes including the Tuwawon and Tagahas, settled by explorers from Nunuk Ragang led by Gombunan, whose 1890s rivalry saw rebel leader Mat Salleh ally with the Tagahas against the Tuwawon. They mostly adhere to Protestantism and Kadazan Dusun is their primary language.

Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 2.5 Flash: Tambunan Dusun

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Malay Peoples
Country: Malaysia
People Cluster: Borneo-Kalimantan
Primary Language(s): Kadazan Dusun (dtp)
Primary Religion(s): Protestantism
Population: 24,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): No Longer Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): 10% or Greater Evangelical
People Group ID: PG019283
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Pray for the Tambunan Dusun of Malaysia

Join others around the world in praying for the lost to be saved, the gospel to advance, the global Church to grow, and for laborers to be sent out and sustained in the harvest.

Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Protestantism
Religious Affiliation: Christianity

40%
%
Protestantism Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Kadazan Dusun
Language Family: Austronesian

70%
%
Kadazan Dusun Speakers

Media Resources in Kadazan Dusun:

Films:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film

1 film

Bible Resources in Kadazan Dusun:

Bible Name (Translation)VideoAudioText
Baibol Kadazan (Archdiocese of Kota Kinabalu Version)✓✓✓
Today's Dusun Version Revised✓✓✓

2 entries

Or check out the Kadazan Dusun bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

SPI: No longer Unreached

The Tambunan Dusun are No Longer Unreached, which means there are more than 2% evangelical Christian populations and there are churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice. There is still more to be done among them.

Next steps for the Tambunan Dusun:
Empower local believers to begin praying for their own people
Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting
Encourage local leaders to being leading church planting strategy and looking for Unreached and Unengaged groups nearby

Pray specifically for the Tambunan Dusun of Malaysia

But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared.
readPsalm 130:4

Pray that God will bring those who have hard hearts to repentance and trust in Christ for the forgiveness of their sins.

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
readPsalm 119:105

Pray that they will receive the Word of God as a lamp to their feet and commit their ways to Him.

Oh, fear the LORD, you his saints, for those who fear him have no lack!
readPsalm 34:9

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will be grounded in the Word, always trusting in the Lord's provision for their needs.

At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ...that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.
readColossians 4:3-4

Ask God to open doors for believers to share the gospel and help them communicate it clearly so that more people will understand the mystery of Christ and turn to follow Him.

Dusun, Tambunan Across Countries (ROP3 - 102785) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

1 people group

To download a comprehensive people group list in spreadsheet form, visit our Research Data page.

Peoplegroups.org relies on updates from the field and other organizations for much of our data, so if you have any updates, please contact us. We use various international naming standards. For a list of these standards and fields, visit our Data Standards section.

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