June 2004: This page is being reconstructed with new information.
The information on this page may no longer be accurate.
WAWONII OF INDONESIA
LOCATION : tiny island of Wowoni, southeastern coast of Sulawesi
POPULATION : 22,000
LANGUAGE : Wawonii
PEOPLE CLUSTER : Tukangbesi
RELIGION : Muslim (Sunni) 95%, Ethnic religionist 4%
% OF CHRISTIANITY : <1%
SCRIPTURE : none
RADIO BROADCAST : none
JESUS FILM : none
GOSPEL AUDIO RECORDING : none
MISSION AGENCY / CHURCH PLANTING WORKING AMONG THEM: 0
The Wawonii can be found on the tiny island of Wowoni, which is located off the southeastern coast of the major island of Sulawesi. Their language, which they call Wawonii, is a part of the Austronesian language family. Linguistically, the Wawonii are closely related to the Maronene. There is very little information concerning the specific lifestyle and culture of the Wawonii, but it is assumed that their way of life is similar to that of their close neighbors, the Bingkoka, the Pancana, and the Muna.
For the Wawonii, maize grown in swiddens (land cleared by "slash and burn" agriculture) is the staple crop, but sweet potatoes, sugarcane, various vegetables, tobacco, and coffee are also grown. Scattered among the clearings are their homes, which are usually built on stilts, generally made of woven grasses and have very high roofs. They follow the same social classe system as other groups in Sulawesi having a high noble class, lower noble class and a commoner class. Wawonii marriage customs require payments to the girl's family at the time of engagement and again at the wedding. The amount of the bride-price depends on the social rank of the young man. Prior to marriage, he is required to serve a probationary period with his prospective parents-in-law, and this requirement gives rise to a high degree of elopement. In the past, slaves and their descendants were not permitted to marry each other, though they could live together. Also, noble women did not marry commoners. Polygyny was common among some of the aristocracy but is no longer a common practice.
Wawonii are practically all Sunni Muslims. However, traditional beliefs are still very important, especially belief in evil spirits.
The Wawonii do not have access to any Christian resources in their language, and there are no missions agencies currently working among them. The Bible and other materials need to be translated into their language, and the missions work needs to be extended. Intercession is the key to seeing the Wawonii reached with the Gospel.
PRAYER POINTS
- Ask the Lord to call Christian laborers who can share God's love and plan with the Wawonii in culturally relevant ways.
- Ask the Holy Spirit to anoint the efforts of organizations that are working to help and bring blessing to the Wawonii.
- Pray that the Bible, the Jesus film, and evangelical literature will soon be available in the Wawonii language.
- Pray that God will reveal Himself to the Wawonii through dreams and visions.
- Ask the Lord to save key leaders among the Wawonii who will share knowledge of God's devine plan.
- Ask God to free the Wawonii from the power of the spiritual principalities and powers that are keeping them bound.
- Ask God to raise up prayer teams who will intercede for these people.
- Pray that strong local churches will be established among the Wawonii.
links to related information: www.joshuaproject.net , http://www.bethanynorth.com/profiles/profile1.html |
