The Lintang people of Sumatra Indonesia

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The Lintang are a Muslim people group numbering 70,000. They live mostly along the Lintang River and in the valleys of the Bukit Barisan mountains in the southern part of the Indonesian island of Sumatra. The Lintang live in family wooden houses, elevated on poles, with usually two or three rooms. Underneath the house there is room for stocking firewood, but this space is also used as a workplace. Today, the wooden houses are often replaced by stone houses built directly on the ground.

About the Lintang of Sumatra

The Lintang are generally farmers, cultivating rice and coconuts. Their region also has many coffee plantations (the coffee is sold for export), as well as rubber trees and fields with vegetables and spices, which grow particularly well in the mountains. The fields and plantations are in valleys and on mountain slopes, far away from the villages. The villages are deserted during the harvest periods, because the families stay near the plantations, even at night. This is especially true of the annual coffee harvest. The Lintang also keep water buffaloes, goats, chickens and ducks. Although they live near rivers, they do not practice pisciculture.

It is common for young people to choose for themselves whom they want to marry; the wedding, however, is organised by the parents. When there are disputes among the Lintang, the families try to settle the conflict through special counselling. If no agreement can be reached, a village elder can function as a mediator. Some problems require an appeal to the court of religious affairs in the nearest district town.

Sunnite Islam among the Lintang people of Sumatra

The Lintang have been faithful followers of Sunnite Islam for centuries, and there are numerous mosques in every town and village. They observe all Islamic holidays, including the celebration of “Eid al-Fitr” (Feast of Breaking the Fast) at the end of the month of Ramadan. Although the Lintang are faithful followers of Islam, their form of the religion also mixes in other practices. People gather for the obligatory Islamic prayer times, but they also pray to the spirits of their ancestors, expecting help from them. They fear the spirits connected to certain places or objects. Healers and witches drive out evil spirits to bring healing.

Until now, no part of the Bible has been translated into the Lintang language, and there is no church among this people group. There is only one small town situated in the Lintang area with any Christians - and these are Chinese Christians. Only one woman among the Lintang is known to be a believer, but she does not live in her home region.

Prayer for Indonesia:

* Pray that the Lintang people discover true peace, forgiveness and assurance of salvation. Pray for an indigenous church to come into being.

* Pray for the production of evangelistic tapes and the Jesus film in the Lintang language, as well as radio programmes in the related Oran language, which the Lintang are able to understand. Christian literature in the Indonesian language is also understood, but needs distribution.

* Pray for the sending out of Indonesian evangelists to the Lintang, that they may have wisdom and be sensitive to the needs of the people.