The largest indigenous tribe in Sabah is the Kadazan, most of whom are Christians and rice farmers. They live as substinence farmers. Sabah's has a large amount of indigenous people, 18% of the population are Kadazan-Dusuns, and 17% are Bajaus).
There also exist aboriginal groups in much smaller numbers on the peninsula, where they are collectively known as Orang Asli (literally meaning "original person"). The 140,000 Orang Asli comprise a number of different ethnic communities. Many tribes, both on the peninsula and in Borneo, were traditionally nomadic or semi-nomadic hunter—gatherers, including the Punan, Penan and Senoi. However, their ancestral land and hunting grounds are commonly reclaimed by the state, shifting them to inferior land and sometimes pushing them out of their traditional way of life. The most numerous of the Orang Asli are called Negritos and are related to native Papuans in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, and possibly even to aborigines in Australia. Other bumiputra minorities include Malaysian Siamese, Khmers, Chams, and Burmese.
Non-Bumiputeras
Minorities who lack Bumiputra status have established themselves in Malaysia. Those who are not considered to be bumiputras make up a considerable portion of the Malaysian population. While some Chinese and Indian families, known as Peranakan ("straits-born"), have resided in Malaysia since as far back as 15th century Melaka, the majority of Malaysia's Chinese and Indian populations are descended from migrants who arrived during the colonial period.