Rungus people
Momogun Rungus | |
|---|---|
Rungus people in their traditional costumes | |
| Total population | |
| ≈74,000 (2024) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Malaysia (Sabah, Labuan) | |
| Languages | |
| Rungus, various other Dusunic, Malaysian (Sabah Malay dialect) and Sabahan English | |
| Religion | |
| Christianity (majority Protestantism, some Catholic) (70%), Islam (Sunni) and Animism (Traditional religion) (30%) | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
The Rungus people, also known as the Momogun Rungus, are an Austronesian ethnic group indigenous to Sabah, Malaysia. They primarily live in the northern Kudat Division (within both the Kudat and Bengkoka peninsula), especially in the districts of Kudat, Kota Marudu and Pitas, with small minorities also existing in the Beluran and Telupid districts on the east coast of the Sandakan Division and within the Kota Kinabalu District (such as on Gaya Island) of the western coast of the West Coast Division as well as in the Federal Territory of Labuan. They have a distinct language, dress, architecture, customs and oral literature from other Dusunic sub-groups, with an estimate of around 74,000 Rungus people spread across the state aside from their native ranges.
The Rungus are considered among Sabah's most traditional ethnic groups, and they are renowned for their rich cultural heritage. Originally pagan-animist, a majority of them have converted to Protestantism, while the remainder either adhere to other branches of Christianity or to Islam, or else remain with their traditional religion. Their traditional dress is black in colour, and they are known for the unique pinakol beadwork, which distinguishes them from the other indigenous ethnic groups of Sabah.