Ida'an

The Ida'an (Idahan or Eraan) people are an ethnic group of Borneo, residing primarily in the Lahad Datu districts on the east coast of Sabah, Malaysia. Their current population is estimated to be around 6,000 (1987 est), but it appears that they once inhabited a much larger area along the east Sabah coast than present. For centuries, the Ida’an have owned exclusive rights to the collection of edible bird's nests in the limestone caves of the region, notably the Madai Caves. Most Ida'an are Muslim, but a small sub-group called the Bega'ak (Dusun Bagahak) (population 1,500 in 1987) have been converted to Christianity recently, but some of them remains animist.