Praying for Indonesia

Join the movement!

  • About Indonesia
    • Overview of Indonesia
    • Quick Facts About Indonesia
    • The Islands of Indonesia
    • Indonesia: Think Big!
  • Religion in Indonesia
    • Overview of Religions
    • Christianity In Indonesia
    • Buddhism in Indonesia
    • Hinduism in Indonesia
    • Islam in Indonesia
    • Folk Islam In Indonesia
  • Ethnic Groups
    • The People of Bali and Nusa Tenggara
    • The People of Java
    • The People of Kalimantan
    • The People of Maluku
    • The People of Sulawesi
    • The People of Sumatra
  • News
  • Testimonies
  • Get Involved
    • Prayer Resources
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Privacy Policy
You are here: Home / Ethnic Groups / The People of Maluku / Who are the West Makian?

Who are the West Makian?

The West Makian are also called the Outer Makian. They live on the island of Makian except the east coast, which is inhabited by the East Makian or Inner Makian. Makian is part of the province of North Maluku. The Maluku Islands, historically called the “Spice Islands,” consist of over one thousand islands scattered throughout eastern Indonesia. They include most of the islands between Sulawesi and Papua, and between Timor and the Philippines.

Makian Island is mountainous and is the home of a volcano called Kei Besi, which has erupted several times and claimed many lives. In 1975, Mount Kei Besi erupted violently. This prompted the national and provincial governments to begin to relocate residents living near the volcano to the nearby island of Halmahera. As a result, many small communities of West Makian people live on the Kayoa islands, south of Makian.

The West Makian language, Jitinee, is part of the West Papuan language. The West Makian language is part of a larger language group called the North Halmahera.

What are their lives like?

Most West Makian are farmers. Primary crops include rice, corn, sweet potatoes, and vegetables. To fell trees, the Makian use short knives and axes. They use canes to plant rice and corn. They also catch fish for their daily needs. In the past, Makian Island was known for producing cloves and nutmeg.

One of the important customs of the Makian community is mayakalo, mutual cooperation in work – such as clearing forests, preparing farm land, building homes, wedding celebrations and funerals. The concept of mayakalo is clearly displayed in the movements of the Cawa dance.

What are their beliefs?

The Makian generally adhere to Islam. The influence of Islam is strongly evident in Makian arts, such as chanted recitation of prayer, the Salaijin dance, and recitation of the Qur’an. One can also see it in the debus performance which involves a display of magic. The debus performance is connected with an ancient ancestral system of supernatural power, which includes stabbing oneself without suffering harm.

What are their needs?

The West Makian need to improve their skills in agricultural technology in order to produce greater crop yields. They also need better infrastructure to improve transportation of their goods to markets, so their crops can sell for higher prices.

The West Makian also need better preventative medicine and adequate medical treatment. Because of the costs and distance, trips to seek medical attention are usually made as a last resort, and are often too late.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Time limit is exhausted. Please reload CAPTCHA.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Get This FREE Prayer Guide!

Download this Free book today and also get prayer updates!

* indicates required

Newest Tweets

Twitter
praying4indonesia
praying4indonesia
@ipray4indonesia

We thank you Father for the teams across 34 provinces on different Islands and villages in Indonesia. We pray for the teams right now that need more laborers. Raise up laborers to join the Lord’s work, and raise up laborers from within the harvest! pic.twitter.com/CWx0…

reply retweet favorite
12:00 am · March 2, 2021
Twitter
praying4indonesia
praying4indonesia
@ipray4indonesia

Thank you, Lord, for the woman who recently had visions of Christ for three nights in a row. She was baptised a few weeks ago. Please pray for her new faith and courage sharing with her family and friends. pic.twitter.com/p9sT…

reply retweet favorite
1:00 am · March 1, 2021
Twitter
praying4indonesia
praying4indonesia
@ipray4indonesia

John 2:9- and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside. Pray for more miracles works of Jesus in Indonesia. pic.twitter.com/sT5P…

reply retweet favorite
10:00 pm · February 27, 2021
Twitter
praying4indonesia
praying4indonesia
@ipray4indonesia

A south Sumatran ministry has been serving several groups of women who are telling the stories from the Gospel in their languages. Please pray for more groups of women can meet to hear the story of salvation. Also pray with an open heart for those women to receive Christ. pic.twitter.com/xVgw…

reply retweet favorite
11:00 pm · February 26, 2021
Twitter
praying4indonesia
praying4indonesia
@ipray4indonesia

Many tourism related businesses across Indonesia cannot survive as there are not many tourists due to Covid-19. Pray for God's provision and may many more turn to Jesus to receive the abundant life in Him. pic.twitter.com/ZiAf…

reply retweet favorite
10:00 pm · February 25, 2021
Follow @ipray4indonesia

Praying For Indonesia Facebook

Praying for Indonesia

Copyright © 2010–2021 · Praying For Indonesia · Privacy Policy · About Us