Praying for Indonesia

Join the movement!

  • Pray 4 Ramadan
  • About Indonesia
    • Overview of Indonesia
    • Quick Facts About Indonesia
    • The Islands of Indonesia
    • Indonesia: Think Big!
    • News
  • 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
  • Testimonies
  • Get Involved
    • Prayer Resources
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Privacy Policy
You are here: Home / Ethnic Groups / The People of Sumatra / Who are the Belide?

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, Enim and Rambang dialects. The Belide also speak and understand the Palembang language. The Belide dialect is part of the Musi language which also includes the Musi, Palembang, and Lematang.

What are their lives like?

Traditionally, houses in Sumatra were built alongside a local river. Most roads in Sumatra today are not far from a river and usually follow a similar course. As a result, many people have begun to build their houses alongside roads instead of rivers.

The Belide, however, follow the older practice and still live in houses on the banks of rivers, far from most roads. Most Belide live in traditional houses which are raised above the ground on wooden or brick columns. Today, many Belide are building modern two-story houses. Two-story houses are becoming a trend in South Sumatra, with modern-style houses being built alongside traditional raised houses.

The Belide also possess a form of writing called Tulisan Ulu. This writing system is a syllabary system in which each symbol represents a syllable. Among the Belide only a few older people still use this kind of writing.

What are their beliefs?

Belide people profess Islam as their religion and are officially registered as Muslims. They often claim, “We are all Muslims.” However, the Belide still retain many animist and spiritist beliefs. Evidence of this is the many superstitions and taboos enforced in Belide areas. For example, residents are forbidden to grow durian in some parts of the Belide area because, according to a local legend, one of their ancestors was killed when a durian fell and struck him. As a result, the man’s parents placed a curse upon anyone who grows durian trees in the surrounding area. Thus, residents of this area do not cultivate durian.

The Belide also observe superstitions regarding bathing. A person who bathes in the river is not allowed to turn his back to the river, but must face the river. They believe that a person who breaks this rule will die. The Belide are also not allowed to get in the river to bathe. They must stay on the riverbank and take water for bathing from the river with a dipper instead of swimming in the river. These examples demonstrate a syncretistic form of Islam, which incorporates traditional animistic beliefs. Animistic beliefs appear to dominate Belide practices, rather than Islamic teaching.

What are their needs?

Even though Sumatran roads pass through the Belide areas, the Belide are not accessing the benefits of modernization. They tend to live next to rivers or other bodies of water rather than near the main roads. They might be greatly helped by efforts to raise their awareness of the resources available to them in their area.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

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

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

Tomorrow is the first day of Ramadan, which is fasting for the next 30 days for Muslims. They will abstain from food, drink, smoking and sex during daylight hours Pray that God reveals His love during this Ramadan through visions and dreams. pic.twitter.com/28Fu…

reply retweet favorite
10:00 pm · March 21, 2023
Twitter
praying4indonesia
praying4indonesia
@ipray4indonesia

After experiencing a miracle healing from Christ, Rita came to the Savior. Rita lost her faculty teaching job in the university because of her new faith. But Rita stands firm and believes she will overcome all the difficulties because of the Savior. Pray for protection and safety pic.twitter.com/8OKy…

reply retweet favorite
10:00 pm · March 20, 2023
Twitter
praying4indonesia
praying4indonesia
@ipray4indonesia

"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you." Matthew 5:11-12. pic.twitter.com/YwIi…

reply retweet favorite
10:00 pm · March 19, 2023
Twitter
praying4indonesia
praying4indonesia
@ipray4indonesia

Suni's parents were waiting for their daughter’s death. They thought that their daughter was already near to death. Suni woke up from her dream of the cross and shiny bright man. By the grace of God, Suni came alive. Pray for Suni and her family's new faith to be strengthened. pic.twitter.com/FR62…

reply retweet favorite
10:00 pm · March 18, 2023
Twitter
praying4indonesia
praying4indonesia
@ipray4indonesia

Ani was sick for a few weeks. While she was in pain, she saw the angel of death with black robe come to pick her up. In her desperation of not wanting to be picked up by that creature, a man in white robe shining so bright showed up. Praise the Lord for Ani's healing. pic.twitter.com/mKgD…

reply retweet favorite
10:00 pm · March 17, 2023
Follow @ipray4indonesia

Praying For Indonesia Facebook

Praying for Indonesia

Copyright © 2010–2023 · Praying For Indonesia · Privacy Policy · About Us