Cultivating rice and identity : an ethnography of the Dusun people in Sabah, Malaysia

Abstract

This thesis explores the construction of Dusun ethnic identity in relation to rice cultivation. The Dusun people of Sabah, Malaysia, are part of the indigenous Kadazandusun community, who are historically known as rice agriculturists. Anthropologists exploring the complexities of Dusun ethnicity have long employed socio-political discourses in their approaches. In this study, I depart from this dominant discourse by showing how rice cultivation is the main boundary that separates the Dusun from other ethnic groups of Malaysia. Based on 6 weeks of ethnographic fieldwork in the Kota Belud district of Sabah, this thesis demonstrates the centrality of rice in every day Dusun life and its influence on Dusun identity. Since the British colonial administration and formation of Malaysia in 1963, shifting rural""urban networks, state policies and Christianity have transformed village practices. This thesis shows how these, and current forms of rice cultivation affects Dusun identity. I argue that rice farming allows Dusun villagers to provide for themselves by growing rice and maintaining claims to ancestral paddy land. The cultivation of rice and organic rice provides new economic possibilities, additionally enabling some villagers to engage in rice-based ecotourism. The preservation of heirloom rice and traditional rice farming methods are also important expressions of Dusun agricultural identity and community values. The significance of rice is further seen during the annual Kaamatan rice festival, which this thesis explores across village and state-levels. I show how participation in Kaamatan foregrounds the Dusun and their related groups in their shared origins, and allows them to assert their presence on the Malaysian political landscape. This thesis demonstrates how the Dusun people mobilize their ethnic identities in relationship to rice to express their identities and to gain formal recognition from the Malaysian state.

Date of Award	2020
Original language	English