June 2004: This page is being reconstructed with new information.
The information on this page may no longer be accurate.
SULA (SANANA) OF INDONESIA
LOCATION : island of Sula in the Moluccas
POPULATION : 25,000
LANGUAGE : Sula
PEOPLE CLUSTER : Maluku
RELIGION : Muslim (Sunni) 99.9%
% OF CHRISTIANITY : unknown
SCRIPTURE : none
RADIO BROADCAST : none
JESUS FILM : none
GOSPEL AUDIO RECORDING : none
MISSION AGENCY / CHURCH PLANTING WORKING AMONG THEM: 0
The Sula Sanana are located on the island of Sula in the Moluccas, or Spice Islands, eastern portion of Indonesia and includes most of the islands between Sulawesi and New Guinea and between Timor and the Philippines. The northern islands of the Molucca chain are Halmahera (the largest of the Moluccas), Morotai, Ternate, Tidore, Makian, Bacan (Batjan), Obi, and Sula. The central and southern islands include Buru, Ceram, Ambon, the Banda Islands, Kai (Ewab), Aru, Tanimbar, Babar, Kisar, and Wetar.
The cloves of the northern Moluccas and the nutmeg of the central islands were traded in Asia long before Europeans heard of the Spice Islands. With the arrival of the Portuguese in 1511, many decades of conflict began. The struggles for control of the region caused great loss of life during this period. The victorious Dutch earned large profits, but by the end of the eighteenth century, the spice trade had greatly diminished. As a result, the Moluccas were no longer so desirable. Earthquakes are frequent in the Moluccas, and most of the islands are mountainous. Several islands, especially Ternate and Banda, have active volcanoes. The Tanimbar and Aru island groups, however, are low and swampy. The climate of the Moluccas is tropical, with rainfall varying from 80 to 150 inches annually in various locations. In some areas, the evergreen rain forest formerly covering most of the islands has been leveled, and the land is now cultivated. There are also patches of open savanna, and the coasts are often fringed with mangrove swamps. Food is obtained by hunting, fishing, and collecting sago (a type of palm) starch. Coconuts are widely grown, and the main exports are copra (dried coconut meat which yields oil), forest products, spices, and fish.
The Sanana are virtually all Muslims, with only 15 known Christians among them.
The Sanana do not have any Christian resources available in their own language, and no missions agencies are currently working among them. A translation of both the Bible and the Jesus film in their language are needed. Fervent intercession and further missions work will need to be undertaken to strengthen the believers and see the people on this remote island reached with the Gospel.
PRAYER POINTS
- Ask the Lord of the harvest to send forth faithful laborers, missionary agencies or church planters to the Sanana of Indonesia.
- Pray that Christian radio broadcasts, evangelical literature, and the Jesus film will be made available to the Sanana.
- Ask the Lord to raise up qualified linguists to translate the Word of God into the Sula language.
- Pray that God will reveal Himself to the Sanana through dreams and visions.
- Pray that God will give the Sanana believers boldness to share Christ with their own people.
- Take authority over the spiritual principalities and powers that are keeping the Sanana bound.
- Ask God to raise up prayer teams who will begin breaking up the soil through worship and intercession.
- Ask the Lord to bring forth a triumphant Sanana church for the glory of His name!
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