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

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
readEphesians 2:8-9

Pray that the lost among them will receive the gift of salvation by grace through faith, not by works, and be created for good works.

Sing to God, sing praises to his name; lift up a song to him who rides through the deserts; his name is the LORD; exult before him!
readPsalm 68:4

Pray that many will come to faith in Christ and share the gospel with others so that His salvation will be known among all nations.

And he brought him outside and said, "Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be.”
readGenesis 15:5

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will trust God to keep His promises.

You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.
read2 Corinthians 1:11

Pray that many people will join in praying for the spread of the gospel here, and that God will answer these prayers by drawing more people to Himself.

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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