By: Nurul Fazliana Norman
KOTA KINABALU: August 19, 2026 — A total of 41 customary schools in Sabah are now playing a crucial role in introducing and strengthening the younger generation’s understanding of the customs and culture of Sabah’s Anak Negeri (native peoples).
KDCA Council of Elders Manager Tindarama Dr Benedict Topin said these efforts must be supported by the documentation of every ethnic custom to ensure that the heritage is not lost to time.
“We must document every ethnic custom so that there is a written reference,” he said during an interview at TvSabah Studio yesterday.
According to him, “adatology” is a system of research, documentation, learning and education related to customs passed down through generations.
“Without customs, we will lose our identity and our way of life as unique indigenous peoples of Borneo,” he said.
He said the adatology course, specially brought in from Sarawak, has received recognition and involves approximately 16 hours of learning covering modules related to customs.
Dr Benedict said the preservation of customs must also be carried out through documentation, teaching and the provision of courses so that knowledge passed down from previous generations can be learned by future generations.
As such, he described the future of customary preservation in Sabah as bright with the involvement of customary schools that are now providing exposure to various ethnic and sub-ethnic groups of the Anak Negeri.
He also reminded that the loss of the older generation without efforts to document unwritten customs could result in the loss of certain traditional knowledge as well.
