Blog - Page 8 of 13 - Praying for Indonesia

Who are the Daya?

The Daya live in the Barisan Mountains in the southern part of South Sumatra province. They speak a dialect of the Lampung Api language. Although the Daya can understand Lampung Pesisir and Komering, they do not identify ethnically with them. Instead they identify with the Lampung Pesisir and Ranau people… Read more

Who are the Dayak Pasir?

The Dayak Pasir are the original inhabitants of the Pasir Regency in the province of East Kalimantan. Based on their living areas, the Dayak Pasir consist of five sub-groups: (1) The Pasir Telake who live along the Telake River; (2) the Pasir Adang who live along the Adang River; (3)… Read more

Who are the Dampelas?

The Dampelas live in Central Sulawesi. Their area on the northwestern peninsula of Sulawesi is bounded by the straits of Makassar to the west. The word Dampelas originated from the words dampe and las. The word dampe means “seed” or “ancestry.” The word las is used as an abbreviation of… Read more

Who are the Duri?

The Duri (also called Massenrempulu) live in a mountainous area with a cool climate in the middle of the South Sulawesi province. The Duri area consists of 17 villages. This area is close to a major road. Most Duri people live close to the main road, but several groups live… Read more

Mob Descends on Indonesian Churches

Two weeks ago, a mob made up of hundreds of angry Muslims descended on two different churches in West Sumatra. The day before that was a protest against the increase in Christian schools in the area. The mob was organized by the Islamic Organizations Communication Forum, a radical Islamic political… Read more

Who are the Belitung?

The Belitung live on Belitung Island in Bangka-Belitung Province. The Belitung call themselves Urang Belitong. The Belitung language is a branch of the Malay language cluster. A distinctive feature of their language is that it does not have the letter ‘h’ and that they use the letter ‘e’ at the… Read more

Who are the Belide?

The Belide live in the Muara Enim Regency of South Sumatra Province. Even in their home area, the Belide people live alongside the Javanese, Rambang and Ogan people. The Belide people have their own Malay dialect which is related to surrounding dialects. They can easily understand the Ogan, Meranjat, Lematang,… Read more

Who are the Bugis?

The Bugis (sometimes called the Ugi) live in the province of South Sulawesi. The Bugis region is called Tellumponcoe and it consists of the regencies of Bone, Soppeng and Wajo. The Bugis are a dynamic, highly mobile people. They are considered to be the dominant people group in South Sulawesi.… Read more

Who are the Bolango?

Many believe the word Bolango is from the word balangon which means “sea.” The Bolango people are Gorontalo people who have wandered to an area in North Sulawesi province and intermarried with the Bolaang people who were native to that area. The resulting union between these two peoples also created… Read more

Female Circumcision is Still Common in Indonesia!

There are only two countries in the world outside of Africa where “female circumcision” (FGM) is common. One is Yemen. The other is Indonesia. Islamic foundations in Indonesia have mass ceremonies where they circumcise many girls at once. One foundation, Yayasan Assalam, also pays parents Rp. 80,000 ($8) who bring… Read more

Who are the Jawa Mancanegari?

The Jawa Mancanegari mainly live in the province of East Java. Mancanegari is a Javanese word meaning “outside the nation.” This name was given to them by past Javanese kingdoms in Surakarta and Yogyakarta. It refers to the fact that they resided outside of those kingdoms. Although ethnographers still use… Read more

Who are the Ogan?

The Ogan live along the Ogan River in an area that stretches from Sugih Waras Village to the city of Palembang. There are also some Ogan in Lampung Province. The Ogan live alongside the Meranjat, Komering, Rambang, and Daya people in these areas. What are their lives like? Ogan villages… Read more

Who are the Mandailing?

The Mandailing are part of the Batak cluster in North Sumatra Province. The Mandailing are the majority people in the regencies of South Tapanuli and Mandailing Natal. They also live in parts of Riau Province and West Sumatra Province. The Mandailing are often called the South Tapanuli, after their main… Read more

Who are the Moronene?

The Moronene are part of the Eastern branch of the Bungku Tolaki micro group which originated in Central Sulawesi. In many districts, they live together with the Bugis. Their language is part of the Eastern Bungku-Tolaki language group which also includes the Mori, Wawonii, Tolaki and Waru languages. What are… Read more

UN Condemns Indonesia’s Increasing Violence Against Shiites

The UN has officially condemned Indonesia because of the violence and discrimination against minority Muslim groups such as Shiites and Ahmadis, as well as Christians. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay recently met with leaders of these groups and was distressed by what she heard. She warned… Read more

Churches In Bandung and Aceh Are Closed

Indonesian Christian Church (Huria Kristen Indonesia or HKI) in Bandung, West Java has been sealed shut by authorities. Churches are required to get 60 non-Christian signatures in order to apply for a building/use permit. Originally the church had 77 signatures, but influential Muslims then went into the community and convinced… Read more

Who are the Enim?

The Enim people group live in South Sumatra. Most Enim people live along a section of the Trans-Sumatra Highway stretching from Muara Enim City to Muara Meo Village in Tanjung Agung District. The Enim believe that they originated from a supernatural being that lives in the forest. What are their… Read more

Who are the Musi?

The Musi people live along the Musi river in South Sumatra, which is also where they get their name. There are also many Musi people living in Palembang who tend to live in groups together with other Musi people. The Musi Rawas Regency is a very isolated area as the… Read more

Who are the Mamuju?

The Mamuju live in West Sulawesi, on the coast and the mountain slopes of the Mamuju regency. They speak Mamuju, which includes four dialects: Mamuju, Sumare-Rangas, Padang, and Sinyonyoi. The capital of West Sulawesi is Mamuju. It is a quickly developing area that was previously isolated and somewhat politically and… Read more

Who are the Enrekang?

The Enrekang are sometimes known as the Endekan or the East Endekan people. They live in the foothills of South Sulawesi. The Enrekang are part of a larger linguistic group called the Masenrempulu which also includes the Duri, Maiwa, and Malimpung. The Enrekang culture has been influenced by its more… Read more

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