June 2004: This page is being discontinued.
This people group is no longer on our least reached list.
OGAN OF INDONESIA
LOCATION : southern part of Sumatra
POPULATION : 300,000
LANGUAGE : Ogan
PEOPLE CLUSTER : Ogan
RELIGION : Muslim (Shafiite) 100%
% OF CHRISTIANITY : 0%
SCRIPTURE : None
RADIO BROADCAST : FEBC
JESUS FILM : none
GOSPEL AUDIO RECORDING : none
MISSION AGENCY / CHURCH PLANTING WORKING AMONG THEM: 1
The Ogan live in the southern part of Sumatra. They inhabit sections of South Sumatra Province along the course of the Ogan River. This river runs from the slopes of the Bukit Barisan ("Marching Hills") Mountains on the southwest to the provincial capital of Palembang on the northeast. Locally, the Ogan are often referred to as the "Pegagan," a people indigenous to this area of Indonesia. The geographic center of Ogan life is the city of Baturaja. Both the trans-Sumatran highway and the Lampung-Palembang railroad pass through this city. The name "Ogan" has been given to three of the six districts in the province: upstream Ogan-Komering, downstream Ogan-Komering, and midstream Ogan-Lematang. This fact indicates the importance of the Ogan in South Sumatra. There are several mutually intelligible Ogan dialects, the Enim, Musi, Rawas, and Ogan proper.
Agriculture is the principal economic activity of the Ogan. Rice, rubber, and coffee are the main crops cultivated. Wet rice plots are still worked mostly by water buffalo. Ogan villages usually contain from 300 to 400 households. Dwellings are generally single-family structures of three or four rooms. The houses are raised on stilts, with the lower part being used for storage or trade. Two types of marriage arrangements are practiced among the Ogan. If a man pays a bride-price, the couple's residence is established in the groom's household therefore all children will be traced through the man's lineage. If no bride-price is paid, the groom becomes a part of the bride's household, with the lineage of the children traced through the woman's family. Sons or daughters who remain in their parents' household immediately following marriage must assume responsibility for caring for younger dependents, preserving family land or other wealth, and contributing to ritual feasts.
The Ogan have been Sunni Muslims since the 16th century, and were introduced to Sufi tarekat (mystical) beliefs and practices at the close of the 19th century. Today, they participate in all standard Islamic celebrations and tend to scorn animistic practices (belief that non-human objects have spirits) and Mosques serve as formal religious centers in the villages. Sedekahs are held to celebrate births, commemorate deaths, ward off danger, or give thanks for crops where the assembled community performs incantations that are directed to the spirits of dead ancestors.
The Ogan would greatly benefit from practical help in upgrading their productivity as farmers, woodworkers, and metalworkers. Spiritually, their greatest need is for an understanding of the Gospel in terms that are relevant to their culture. However, no Christian resources in their own language are available to them. Without access to the Truth, they will remain in spiritual bondage to the closed, legalistic, religious system of Islam. Above all, the Ogan need exposure to genuine Christians who are committed to sharing both their lives and faith with them.
PRAYER POINTS
- Ask the Lord to send loving Christians who are willing to invest their lives in the Ogan of Indonesia.
- Pray that Christian radio broadcasts, the Jesus film, and evangelistic literature will be made available to the Ogan.
- Ask the Lord to raise up qualified linguists who will be able to translate the Bible into the Ogan language.
- Pray that God will reveal Himself to the Ogan through dreams and visions.
- Pray that God will save key leaders among the Ogan who will openly confess Jesus as Lord.
- Take authority over the spiritual principalities and powers that are keeping the Ogan bound.
- Ask God to raise up faithful intercessors who will daily stand in the gap for the Ogan.
- Pray that strong local churches will be raised up among the Ogan.
links to related information: http://www.bethanynorth.com/profiles/profile1.html ,
www.joshuaproject.net
