Blog - Page 11 of 13 - Praying for Indonesia

Who are the Lematang?

The Lematang are a people group who mostly live along the banks of the Lematang River and the surrounding area, stretching from Lahat Regency to Muara Enim Regency. The land where the Lematang people live is located about 25-100 meters above sea level. The Lematang dialect is part of the… Read more

Who are the Berau?

The Berau live in many small villages in the Berau regency of East Kalimantan. The Berau speak their own language, which separates them from other ethnic groups in East Kalimantan. What are their lives like? The Berau mainly make their living as either farmers or fishermen. The farmers grow sweet… Read more

Who are the Tenggerese?

The Tengger people group live around Mount Bromo in East Java. They live in parts of four regencies: Pasuruan, Probolinggo, Lumajang, and Malang. The Tengger are Hindu. According to legend, they are the direct descendents of the Majapahit Empire. The name Tengger comes from a combination of the two names… Read more

Indonesians Upset With Anti-Muslim Film Clash With Police Outside US Embassy

Indonesians protested again outside the US Embassy on Monday over the Anti-Muslim film that has caused protests all over the world. This time, though, the Indonesian protest became violent, as they threw rocks at police officers, putting eleven of them in the hospital. At least one protestor was also hospitalized.… Read more

Ethnic Chinese See a New Future in Indonesia

For many years, Chinese have been the brunt of violence as a result of prejudice. But now, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama is a Chinese Christian who is also a successful politician. He is running in the mayoral election in Jakarta. Pray for Chinese Christians to have a positive impact on their… Read more

Who are the Sasak?

The Sasak make up the majority of the population of Lombok Island in West Nusa Tenggara province. They live throughout most of the island, but the most densely populated areas are the fertile rice fields south of the famous Mount Rinjani. In the past, anthropologists divided the Sasak into two… Read more

Who are the Alas?

The Alas are a people group located in Southeast Aceh Regency, Aceh Province. There are many rivers in the Alas area, including Lawe Alas (Alas River). The area where they live is known as “The Land of Alas.” The word alas refers to a mat used for sitting or sleeping.… Read more

Who are the Bawean?

The Bawean homeland is a 200 km2 island. It is 120 km north of Surabaya (East Java) in the middle of the Java Sea. Bawean has been known as the “island of women” because the majority of its inhabitants are women. This is because the men tend to look for… Read more

Who are the Gorontalo?

The Gorontalo live in the northern part of Sulawesi island between the provinces of Central Sulawesi and North Sulawesi with the Sulawesi Sea to the north and the Tomini Bay to the south. In the year 2000, Gorontalo officially gained provincial status when North Sulawesi province was divided in two.… Read more

Who are the Pontianak Malay?

The Pontianak Malay live in the Pontianak Regency of West Kalimantan. In their area, the Pontianak Malay live beside Chinese and Madurese people. In a few places, the Pontianak Malay also live near Sambas Malay people. The Pontianak Malay speak a dialect of Malay which is hard for neighboring peoples… Read more

Wearing Hijab

When the average American hears the word “Muslim” images of completely covered women usually come to mind. As a result, when they go visit a predominately Muslim country, such as Indonesia, and see many women with their heads uncovered, they are quite surprised. But this doesn’t mean the women are… Read more

Who are the Toli-Toli?

The Toli-Toli are also known as Tontoli, Totoli, or Gage. They live in the Toli Toli regency of Central Sulawesi province. The Toli-Toli area has steep rolling hills along the coast. Toli-Toli is derived from the word totolu meaning three. According to folklore, the Toli-Toli derived from three persons who… Read more

Who are the Kaidipang?

The Kaidipang people are found on the outskirts of the Bolaang Mongondow district of the North Sulawesi province. The Kaidipang area is surrounded by North Sulawesi province to the east, Gorontalo province to the west, the Sulawesi Sea to the north and Tomini Bay to the south. Historically, the Kaidipang… Read more

Who are the Dayak Tidung?

The Dayak Tidung belong to the Dayak cluster, speak the Dayak Tidung dialect and follow Islam. In the Bulungan regency, they are associated with the Bulungan people (considered the most indigenous group in Bulungan). In that area they are called the Tidung Bulungan. The Tidung Bulungan language is close to… Read more

Who are the Baliaga?

The Baliaga are a small people group living in several remote villages on the island of Bali. They are considered to be the original inhabitants of the island and were there long before the 16th century arrival of the people group we now know as Balinese. The culture, language, and… Read more

Rescue Efforts in Sulawesi After Earthquake

A 6.3 earthquake hit Sulawesi right as Ramadan was ending on Saturday, August 18. There were landslides as a result of the quake and at least six people were killed by falling debris and mud. Rescue efforts are ongoing, but are being hampered because of downed communications. Pray for the… Read more

Who are the Jawa Osing?

The Jawa Osing reside in the Banyuwangi district of the East Java Province. They seem to be the original occupants of this eastern-most area of Java. The Jawa Osing are part of the Jawa cluster of peoples, but they have their own cultural variations which differ from other Jawa peoples.… Read more

Who are the Minangkabau?

The Minangkabau (also called the Minang) come from West Sumatra Province and are the majority ethnic group in all areas of the province other than in the islands inhabited by the Mentawai people. They speak the Minang language, which has many dialects. They are famous for their tradition of leaving… Read more

Who are the Wawonii?

The Wawonii live on the island of Wawonii (‘coconut mountain’), located off the southeastern coast of the major island of Sulawesi, and on the tiny island of Menui to its north. Although not much information is currently available about the Wawonii, what is available shows a way of life similar… Read more

Who are the Palembang?

Palembang is the name of a city and a people group. The Palembang people live in Palembang as well as several other areas. The Palembang are sometimes called Melayu Palembang or Musi Banyuasin people. The Mesuji can also be considered a part of the Palembang. In the city of Palembang,… Read more