Tidong

The Tidung (Jawi: تيدوڠ) are a native group originating from Tana Tidung, now part of North Kalimantan province in IndonesianBorneo. Previously they were citizens of , then forming a new identity as a single ethnic group. The Tidung speak the Tidung language, a North Bornean language. The Tidung are traditionally farmers practising slash-and-burn agriculture. Some are ocean fishermen. They grow sweet potatoes, cassava, lentils, fruits, and vegetables. Their farming methods are often accused of being the main cause of forest fires in Kalimantan. The rise of the Muslim molded the ethnogenesis character of the Tidung people. They collectively known as a MalayisedDayak (Indonesian: Dayak berbudaya Melayu or Dayak-Melayu) people of Kalimantan similar to other native Muslim eastern coastal Borneo groups, such as the , Berau, Kutai, Banjar, and Paser. EtymologyThe term tidung in Tarakan language of the Tidung people literally means "hill" or "hill people". As with many other tribes of the Malay Archipelago, the term tidung is a collective term used to describe many closely related indigenous groups. The different groups of Tidung people describe themselves in all cases as Tidung peop