The Bisaya are an indigenous people of the north-west and the coast line of Borneo, Malaysia. They mostly live near the Beaufort district, the river Padas in the Sabah region and along the river Limbang in the northern state Sarawak. Nowadays the Bisaya living in Sabah are mostly Muslims while the Bisaya living in Sarawak are Christians. There are also some Bisaya living in Kampung Manunggang, Sabah, which follow no religion.Bisaya's indigenous people settled in Borneo thousand of years ago. The Bisaya were a people who were loved, feared and respected by the others on this island.[original research?] They are skilled in agriculture such as paddy planting, ginger, sago, local ginger, tapioca, banana, yam, pepper, coconut, and so on. They also hunt animals and breed others such as chicken, duck, goose, goat, buffalo, cow and many more.

Bisaya people are skilled in catching fish in the river or sea, and they can hold their breath under water without drowning. One of the tragic stories of the Bisaya happened a few hundred years ago when Awang Kuyoh, son of Awang Alak Betatar was drowned by the Sulu people, who took his wife back to Sulu Island. Legend has it that the Bisaya sailor called Awang Semaun and his crew sailed around this island starting from Klias River, and he tied a handkerchief in front of the boat. When he arrived at the starting point, the handkerchief was torn and that's how this island came to be called Handkerchief Island or Pulau Sapu Tangan or Pulau Peraca in local language. The Imperial Colony called it Borneo. From Spanish records, this island was known as Borneo during the first visit of the Portuguese sailor Magellan, in service of the Spanish Crown.