Kayu Agung in Indonesia

The Kayu Agung have only been reported in Indonesia
Population
Main Language
Largest Religion
Christian
Evangelical
Progress
Progress Gauge

Introduction / History

The Kayu Agung are located throughout the districts of Kayu Agung and Ogan Komering Ilir Atas in the province of South Sumatra. Kayu Agung means "the people of the noble wood". They are not nomadic, but prefer to live in the same place their entire lives. Currently, there are about 40 Kayu Agung villages. The Kayu Agung speak Kayu Agung, a dialect of Komering which is part of the Lampungic language cluster. The Kayu Agung are made up of two groups. The first group is called Original Kayu Agung. People in this group tend to identify ethnically with the Komering people. The second group is simply called Kayu Agung. This group speaks a different variety of Kayu Agung and they identify themselves with the Original Kayu Agung, but not with the Komering.


What Are Their Lives Like?

Kayu Agung houses have wooden walls and floors, with a sago palm leaf roofs. The houses are usually raised several feet off the ground on top of wooden stilts. In their home area, the Kayu Agung live alongside the Komering, Rambang and Ogan. The Kayu Agung mainly live along the Komering river which passes through the district of Kayu Agung. This area is still affected by tidal river flows, resulting in the river being called laut ("ocean" in Indonesian) by the community. The height of their area ranges between 0 to 500 meters above sea level, with only a few Kayu Agung living between 500 to 1000 meters above sea level. So the Kayu Agung mainly live in the lowlands. In the past this area was swampland, but now it is developed and has become an urban area. Most residents make a living from rubber tree plantations, much like the rest of South Sumatra. Like most other residents of South Sumatra, the Kayu Agung tend to be farmers. Nevertheless, they also have more ways of making a living because most of the area in which they live is urbanized, unlike other nearby people groups who live in more rural settings. Livelihoods of the Kayu Agung include being a merchant, office worker, teacher and the like. Another way of making a living, for which the Kayu Agung are very well known, is to become a "duta". A person who is a duta has a high social status among the Kayu Agung, due to his ability to get large amounts of money. In fact, the job of a duta is to be a top class criminal in large cities. Normally if a duta is about to leave his village, a special ceremony will be held and attended by his village community, to pray for his safety and success. Upon returning home, another ceremony will be held to give thanks for safety and success. Even religious leaders support the duta.


What Are Their Beliefs?

Almost all of the Kayu Agung follow Islam. However, many also hold traditional beliefs in the spirit world. The Kayu Agung believe that ancestral spirits can trouble humans. Because of this, before a body is buried they must cleanse it with flowers. The goal is to confuse the dead spirit so it forgets its way back to its former home. A dukun (shaman/healer) is highly trusted and is often requested to perform rituals for planting and harvesting. The Kayu Agung also consider some areas to be sacred places for the enthroned spirits of the departed.


What Are Their Needs?

The high social status given to the duta represents one of the unhealthy values of the community which needs to be corrected. This value is very popular amongst the Kayu Agung. Good moral education could help to eliminate this culture, at least among the younger generation. Because of this, there is also a need to build awareness for opening other business opportunities which also produce a good income.


Prayer Points

Scripture Prayers for the Kayu Agung in Indonesia.


Profile Source:   IPN, 2011   Copyrighted ©   Used with permission  

People Name General Kayu Agung
People Name in Country Kayu Agung
Alternate Names
Population this Country 23,000
Population all Countries 23,000
Total Countries 1
Indigenous Yes
Progress Scale 1
Unreached Yes
Frontier People Group Yes
GSEC 1  (per PeopleGroups.org)
Pioneer Workers Needed 1
People ID 12597
ROP3 Code 104789
ROP25 Code 303854
ROP25 Name Kayu Agung
Country Indonesia
Region Asia, Southeast
Continent Asia
10/40 Window Yes
National Bible Society Website
Persecution Rank 42  (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking)
Location in Country Sumatera Selatan Province, Ogan Komering Ulu Selatan, Ogan Komering Ulu Timur, Ogan Komering Ulu, and Ogan Ilir regencies; separate areas along Komering river from Ranaumeer to near Palembang city.   Source:  Ethnologue 2016
Country Indonesia
Region Asia, Southeast
Continent Asia
10/40 Window Yes
National Bible Society Website
Persecution Rank 42  (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking)
Location in Country Sumatera Selatan Province, Ogan Komering Ulu Selatan, Ogan Komering Ulu Timur, Ogan Komering Ulu, and Ogan Ilir regencies; separate areas along Komering river from Ranaumeer to near Palembang city..   Source:  Ethnologue 2016
Map of Kayu Agung in Indonesia Ethnolinguistic map or other map

Primary Religion: Islam
Major Religion Percent
Buddhism
0.00 %
Christianity  (Evangelical 0.02 %)
0.10 %
Ethnic Religions
0.00 %
Hinduism
0.00 %
Islam
99.90 %
Non-Religious
0.00 %
Other / Small
0.00 %
Unknown
0.00 %
Primary Language Komering (23,000 speakers)
Language Code kge   Ethnologue Listing
Primary Dialect Kayu Agung
Dialect Code 11753   Global Recordings Listing
Language Written Yes   ScriptSource Listing
Total Languages 1
Primary Language Komering (23,000 speakers)
Language Code kge   Ethnologue Listing
Primary Dialect Kayu Agung
Dialect Code 11753   Global Recordings Listing
Total Languages 1
People Groups Speaking Komering

Primary Language:  Komering

Bible Translation Status  (Years)
Bible-Portions Yes  (2000-2003)
Bible-New Testament No
Bible-Complete No
Possible Print Bibles
Amazon
World Bibles
Forum Bible Agencies
National Bible Societies
World Bible Finder
Virtual Storehouse
Resource Type Resource Name Source
Audio Recordings Audio Bible teaching Global Recordings Network
Audio Recordings Story of Jesus audio Jesus Film Project
Film / Video Indigitube.tv Video / Animation Create International
Film / Video Jesus Film: view in Komering Jesus Film Project
Film / Video World Christian Videos World Christian Videos
General Gospel resources links Scripture Earth
Photo Source Copyrighted © 2024  Anonymous  All rights reserved.  Used with permission
Map Source People Group location: IMB. Map geography: ESRI / GMI. Map design: Joshua Project.  
Profile Source IPN, 2011  Copyrighted ©  Used with permission 
Data Sources Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more.



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