Kerinci in Indonesia


Population
Main Language
Largest Religion
Christian
Evangelical
Progress
Progress Gauge

Introduction / History

The Kerinci are the original ethnic group which lived on the east coast of Sumatra. The Kerinci fled from local Muslim sultanates in an ancient war and moved into their existing homeland high in the Bukit Barisan Mountain range around Mount Kerinci in part of Jambi Province. Although the highlands present challenges for living, intensive agriculture coupled with fishing has been sufficient to sustain sizeable indigenous populations. In the past, the Kerinci have been able to resist assimilation from the more numerous lowland peoples of Sumatra. However, now, influence by the Javanese, Sundanese and Balinese who immigrated into Sumatra for work in the fertile plantations, can be seen among the Kerinci. Additionally, a world class national park is being developed by the World Wildlife Fund to protect the rain forest with its associated flora and fauna. This will draw the attention of many foreigners who wish to visit this beautiful yet hard-to-reach area. The villages in this area are in the lowlands, grouped around a large lake encircled by the mountains.


What Are Their Lives Like?

Most Kerinici are excellent farmers, evident from their excellent farming methods. In addition to their primary crop rice (planted in both irrigated and non-irrigated fields), they also plant potatoes, vegetables and tobacco. Those living in the foothills of the mountains are slash-and-burn farmers, moving to new fields every few years. They plant coffee, cinnamon and cloves. The primary forest product is rattan and resin. Most Kerinci living near Lake Kerinci and other smaller lakes are fishermen. They build their houses very close to the neighboring houses. Their hamlets are called dusun and inhabited by close relations who came from the same ancestor. In each dusun there are several long houses, located cheek-to-jowl for the length of the road. The basic family unit is called the tumbi. After a man marries, he goes to live with the family of his wife. Normally, the daughter will have a room made for her that is joined to her parents' house after she is married. In a similar manner, this woman's daughter will later be made a similar kind of room to be joined to the house when she is married. The ancestral line from the mother's side is called kelbu. The kelbu is the most important unit for the Kerinci and consists of closely related relatives. Even though the Kerinci adhere to the matrilineal system (following the line of the mother), the basic family unit is led by the husband rather than the wife's brother, similar to the matrilineal system as practiced by the Minangkabau. Unlike in the Minangkabau, the wife's brother only plays a role in his sister's affairs, not in the whole family. The inheritance is given to the female children.


What Are Their Beliefs?

Islam is the main religion, although the Kerinci retain many animistic beliefs. These relate mostly to areas of healing and agriculture. In their daily lives, they use the phrases tataman (met with a ghost), tatampo (hit by a ghost) and tapijek (stepped on by a ghost) on a regular basis, demonstrating their strong belief in the spirit world.


What Are Their Needs?

The Kerinci are truly dependent upon the fertility of their soil and good irrigation. However, they also need to improve the quality of appropriate technology so they can increase the productivity of their farmlands and rain forests. The potential for tourism around Lake Kerinci has not been developed at all, although there are already two weekly flights to Riau and Jambi. These flights could be a starting point for developing tourism in the Kerinci area.


Prayer Points

Pray the hearts of the Kerinci people would be stirred to hunger after God, to drink of living water.
Pray for family-based disciple-making movements to soon transform Kerinci society, blessing them spiritually and economically.
Pray for the Lord to move in the hearts of believers to give up their own rights and sacrifice their lives to see the Kerinci people blessed by the work of Jesus Christ, the only savior.


Scripture Prayers for the Kerinci in Indonesia.


References

IPN, 2011 Copyrighted © Used with permission.


Profile Source:   Joshua Project  

People Name General Kerinci
People Name in Country Kerinci
Pronunciation kare-EEN-chee
Alternate Names Kerinchi; Mokomoko; Ulu
Population this Country 303,000
Population all Countries 326,000
Total Countries 2
Indigenous Yes
Progress Scale 1
Unreached Yes
Frontier People Group No
GSEC 1  (per PeopleGroups.org)
Pioneer Workers Needed 6
People ID 12640
ROP3 Code 104863
ROP25 Code 303906
ROP25 Name Kerinci
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 Sumatra, Jambi Province, Kerinci regency, western mountains, Sungaipenuh area, north and west; also into Sumatera Barat Province, Solok Selatan regency.   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 Sumatra, Jambi Province, Kerinci regency, western mountains, Sungaipenuh area, north and west; also into Sumatera Barat Province, Solok Selatan regency..   Source:  Ethnologue 2016
Map of Kerinci in Indonesia Ethnolinguistic map or other map

Primary Religion: Islam
Major Religion Percent
Buddhism
0.00 %
Christianity  (Evangelical 0.21 %)
1.50 %
Ethnic Religions
0.00 %
Hinduism
0.00 %
Islam
98.50 %
Non-Religious
0.00 %
Other / Small
0.00 %
Unknown
0.00 %

Primary Language:  Kerinci

Bible Translation Status  (Years)
Bible-Portions Yes  (2021)
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
Film / Video Jesus Film: view in Kerinci Jesus Film Project
Photo Source Rafel Pranata - Wikimedia  Creative Commons 
Map Source People Group location: IMB. Map geography: ESRI / GMI. Map design: Joshua Project.  
Profile Source Joshua Project 
Data Sources Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more.



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