June 2004: This page is being reconstructed with new information.
The information on this page may no longer be accurate.
SAMA, SOUTHERN (BAJAU) OF MALAYSIA
Population : 20,000
Location : coastal strips of northeastern Sabah on the island of Borneo
Language : Sama Sibutu
Religion : Sunni Muslims
% Christians in this country : unknown
Scripture : Portions (1979)
Jesus film : none
Christian Radio Broadcast : none
Gospel audio recording : available
Mission Agency / church planting working among them : 0
The Southern Sama of Malaysia live along the coastal strips of northeastern Sabah on the island of Borneo. They are a subgroup of a much larger group of Sama. They speak the Sama Sibutu dialect of the Sama-Bajau language.
The Sama are a maritime people, with fishing being their major economic activity. They also engage in seafaring trade and some farming. Throughout much of the area, copra (dried coconut meat yielding coconut oil) is the major cash crop. Settlements consist of densely clustered houses situated along well-protected stretches of shoreline. In some places, houses are built directly over the sea, but in other places, they are located along the beach front. If over the water, they are connected by planks or narrow bridges. Built on stilts one to three meters above the ground or high-water mark, houses usually have one rectangular room with an attached kitchen. Households are grouped into larger units called tumpuks (clusters), which are located near one another and are related by close kinship ties with the tumpuk spokesman as the household head and in some instances coincide with the parishes, whose members belong to a single mosque. The Sama are known for their traditional dances, songs, percussion and xylophone music, dyed mats and food covers, and wood carvings.
The Sama are almost all Sunni Muslims. They still retain some of their traditional ethnic religious beliefs. Spirits of the dead are thought to remain in the vicinity of their graves, requiring expressions of continued concern from the living. Some graves have reportedly become the sources of miracle working power. During the month of Shaaban, it is said that God permits the souls of the dead (roh) to return to this world. To honor them, the living offer special prayers to the dead and clean the graves.
The Southern Sama of Malaysia are practically 100% Sunni Muslim. There are no missions agencies currently working among them, and Christian resources in their language are few. Only portions of the Bible have been translated into Sama Sibutu. Missionaries and Christian media personnel are desperately needed to reach the Southern Sama. Intercession must be made if they are to have an opportunity to hear the Gospel.
PRAYER POINTS
- Ask the Lord to call missionaries who will go to Malaysia to share Christ with the Southern Sama.
- Pray that all of the Bible will be translated into Sama Sibutu.
- Pray that Christian radio broadcasts, evangelical literature, and the Jesus film will be made available to the Southern Sama.
- Pray that God will reveal Himself to the Southern Sama through dreams and visions.
- Ask the Holy Spirit to soften the hearts of the Southern Sama towards the Gospel.
- Take authority over the spiritual principalities and powers that are keeping the Southern Sama bound.
- Ask God to raise up prayer teams who will begin breaking up the soil through worship and intercession.
- Pray that strong local churches will be raised up among the Southern Sama of Malaysia.
links to related information: www.joshuaproject.net , http://www.bethanynorth.com/profiles/profile1.html
