June 2004:  This page is being discontinued.

This people group is no longer on our least reached list.

 

SEKAYU (MUSI SEKAYU) OF INDONESIA

LOCATION : South Sumatra province
POPULATION : 253,000
LANGUAGE : Melayu Sekayu
PEOPLE CLUSTER : Musi
RELIGION : Muslim (Sunni) 90%, Ethnic religionist 9%
% OF CHRISTIANITY : unknown
SCRIPTURE : None
RADIO BROADCAST : none
JESUS FILM : none
GOSPEL AUDIO RECORDING : none
MISSION AGENCY / CHURCH PLANTING WORKING AMONG THEM: 0

The Sekayu are scattered throughout the South Sumatra, Indonesia. The name Sekayu refers to the long piece of cloth upon which the people sit together to eat. The standard measurement for that length of cloth is called a sekayu. Due to frequent flooding from the Musi River, the Sekayu are relatively isolated from the provincial capital, Palembang. This isolation has contributed to the development of local dialect accents, pronunciations, and a unique vocabulary.

Most Sekayu earn a living from work related to agriculture, forestry, hunting, fishing, transportation, or building. An increasing number of Sekayu work in the cities as salesmen, shopkeepers, factory workers, and skilled laborers. The Sakayu tend to build their houses with immediate access to the waters of the Musi River. Every Sekayu village has an Islamic house of worship. Most have mosques or small prayer houses, and a few have religious teaching centers. Sekayu families are patriarchal, that is, they are basically male-dominated. The wife's responsibility is to maintain the order and harmony of the home. Families generally prefer male children. In fact, the grandparents o­n both sides consider a grandson's birth a "strengthening of their position" since it is extremely important that the family name continue.

The Sekayu are nearly 100% Muslim and practice Islam with intense dedication. However, they also maintain a number of occult and animistic beliefs common to many Malay people groups in Indonesia. They may visit a dukun, or "soothsayer," during times of physical or emotional need, or for favors such as fortune-telling or contacting the spirits of dead loved o­nes. The Sekayu often claim that they are more devoted Muslims than most Indonesian people groups. They believe that redemption from sin is accomplished o­nly by confession directly to Allah, not through sacrificial ritual.

The material needs of Sekayu are similar to those of many people groups in Indonesia. The young need practical vocational training. The Sekayu have few financial opportunities, but great economic potential. They need education, appropriate technology, training in basic skills, and the assurance of a meaningful future. The vast resources of Sumatra need to be exploited and a dependable infrastructure developed. They also desperately need to be delivered from the powers of legalism and the occult that dominate their culture and lives.

PRAYER POINTS

• Ask the Lord of the harvest to send forth laborers into Indonesia to share God's love with the Lasi.
• Pray that God will reveal Himself to the Sekayu and open their blinded eyes for the truth that they need a Savior and a Living God.
• Pray that God will give the Sekayu believers boldness to share Christ with their people.
• Take authority over the spiritual principalities and powers that are keeping the Sekayu bound.
• Ask God to raise up prayer teams who will begin breaking up the soil through intercession.
• Ask the Lord to bring forth a triumphant Sekayu church for the glory of His name!
• Pray that Christian radio broadcasts, evangelical literature, and the Jesus film will be made available to the Sekayu.
• Ask the Lord to save key leaders among the Sekayu who will boldly declare the Gospel.

links to related information: www.joshuaproject.net , http://www.bethanynorth.com/profiles/profile1.html