LOCATION : Polmas, Majene and Polewali-Mamasa districts, province of South Sulawesi
POPULATION : 31,000
LANGUAGE : Ulumanda
PEOPLE CLUSTER : Bugis/Makassar
RELIGION : Muslim animist
% OF CHRISTIANITY : 0%
SCRIPTURE : none
RADIO BROADCAST : none
JESUS FILM : none
GOSPEL AUDIO RECORDING : none
MISSION AGENCY / CHURCH PLANTING WORKING AMONG THEM: 0

The Ulumanda people live in the districts of Polmas, Majene and Polewali-Mamasa, province of South Sulawesi. The area where the Ulumanda people live is mountainous; rich with raw materials such as minerals, sand, rattan, and ebony wood. They are closely related to the Bungku people who live in Poso Regency of Central Sulawesi, even suggested that they are descendants of Bungku groups who migrated to South Sulawesi. Other designations for the Ulumanda are Ulumandak, Ulunda, Tubi, Awosumakuyu, Botteng-Tappalang and Kayo. Their everyday language is the Ulumanda language, which is divided into three dialects: Sondang, Tappalang and Boteng.

The Ulumanda's main occupation is farming, with rice as the main crop, and additional crops being corn, potato, and sago. Some of them gain their livelihood from gathering and marketing resin and rattan. Most Ulumanda living o­n the coast tend to work as fishermen. The soil in Ulumanda is relatively less fertile than in other areas of Southeast Sulawesi. In the past, there were two classes in the Ulumanda society: the upper class (tribal chiefs and nobility); and the common people. Today, the Ulumanda choose their village leader from the higher cast. In actuality, there are 3 leaders in a village: the leader chosen by the government, the cultural leader, and the spiritual leader. In many cases, the Ulumanda villages are self-governing and self-policing. In the event of a crime or offense, payment is often demanded in the form of a water buffalo or some other valuable animal. Sometimes they pay by transferring ownership of a plot of coconut growing land. The payment often depends o­n the economic situation of the offender. In the past, marriages were arranged, but now the young people can choose for themselves.

At present, all Ulumanda people are Muslims. At the same time, traditional animistic beliefs are still strong in daily life. The Ulumanda society is a traditional system that is filled with prohibitions and taboos that are still rigorously followed. The services of a shaman / healer / occultist are often sought for many purposes, including healing sicknesses and exorcising evil spirits.

The Ulumanda people need assistance in the form of technical tools and better agricultural training, so their harvests can be more plentiful. In addition, the abundance of raw materials in the Ulumanda area needs professional management. Development of training to improve their human resources is also needed. Efforts are needed to empower the handicraft industry (especially ebony carvings) so these workers can receive a fair market value.

PRAYER POINTS

• Pray for freedom from the spiritual principalities and powers that have kept the Ulumanda bound.
• Ask God to raise up qualified linguists to finish translating the Bible into the Ulumanda language.
• Pray for the Lord to soften the hearts of these people and create in them a hunger to hear the message of Christ.
• Pray for open doors and opportunities to be able to help the Ulumanda people and to tell them about God's love and plan for them.
• Pray for God will give Sulawesian Christians a burden to reach their Muslim neighbors.
• Ask the Lord to raise up Christian workers who can effectively minister the love of Christ.
• Pray that strong local churches will be planted among the Ulumanda.

links to related information: www.joshuaproject.net , www.1040window.org