The 54,600 Kelingi are located in the south-central part of the island of Sumatra along the Bukit Barisan Mountains. Historically, they were probably a people of coastal Borneo who expanded into Sumatra as a result of their trading and seafaring way of life. Their culture has been strongly influenced by other peoples, including the Siamese, Javanese, and Sumatrans. The Kelingi are close neighbors to the Pasemah people groups, which include the Semendau and the Lematang. They speak Sindan Kelingi, which is an Austronesian language.

What are their lives like?
Indonesian culture is a mixture of many diverse civilizations. Hinduism and Buddhism from India exerted a profound influence on the Indonesian way of life, leaving a strong imprint on the architectural structures and of the country. Arabic influence in Indonesia has been promoted since the thirteenth century, mainly through the teachings of Islam. The islands have also been affected by Southeast Asian and Polynesian cultures, as well as the influx of the Chinese and the Dutch.

Most Indonesians are farmers. Their major food crops include corn, root crops, vegetables, and rice. In Sumatra, products grown for export are ramie, kapok, and sisal fibers (all fiber plants); rubber; tobacco; tea; coffee; palm oil; peanuts; pepper; copra (dried coconut meat yielding oil); and betel nuts (seeds from the betel palm). In the mountains, vegetables are also grown.

The Kelingi are a rural people, living in villages of 50 to 1,000 people. Much of the country is covered by jungle, but the villages are located along the coasts, rivers, and roadways. Within their villages, the Kelingi build houses on stilts raised four to eight feet off the ground.

Farming is the primary occupation of the Kelingi. Rubber is the main cash crop, but coffee and rice are also grown. Wet-rice plots are worked by hoeing, or by plowing with oxen or water buffalo. Planting and harvesting are usually done by either hired work groups or by the extended families. Farmers often use tractors in cultivating their crops. They set aside part of their proceeds from their harvests for several years, then buy their tractors from the government.

Since most of the people make their living from farming, major ceremonies are usually held after the harvest. These events include marriages, circumcisions, and hair cutting ceremonies. Every family in the village participates in such activities because of their strong feeling of community.

Kelingi families do not usually live together as extended family units. Instead, each family tries to have its own separate home. Newlywed couples may temporarily live with their parents, but they prefer to have their own homes as soon as possible.

Kelingi women wear cotton sarongs (loose skirts made of long strips of cloth wrapped around the body) with long-sleeved cotton blouses. They also wear skirts over trousers, jackets, and scarves; they do not wear veils. Men wear Western-style cotton shirts and slacks.

What are their beliefs?
Freedom of religion is guaranteed by the Indonesian constitution. Islam, in various forms, is the dominant faith of the country. In fact, Indonesia is the largest Islamic community in the world. The Kelingi are 95% Muslim, with the remainder following their traditional ethnic religions.

What are their needs?
The Kelingi do not have any Christian resources in their own language, and no missions agencies are currently targeting them. Intercession and pioneer missions works must be undertaken to reach the Kelingi with the Gospel.

Prayer Points

• Ask the Lord of the harvest to send laborers who can minister to the Kelingi in culturally relevant ways.
• Pray that the Bible and the Jesus film will soon be made available to the Kelingi.
• Ask the Holy Spirit to soften the hearts of the Kelingi towards Christians so that they will be receptive to the Gospel.
• Pray that God will reveal Himself to the Kelingi through dreams and visions.
• Ask God to strengthen, embolden, and protect the few Kelingi believers.
• Take authority over the spiritual principalities and powers that are keeping the Kelingi bound.
• Ask God to raise up prayer teams who will begin breaking up the soil through worship and intercession.
• Pray that strong local churches will be raised up among the Kelingi.

THE PEOPLE

• People name: Kelingi
• Country: Indonesia
• Their language: Sindan Kelingi
• Population: (1990) 50,500
  (1995) 54,600
  (2000) 58,800
• Largest religion: Muslim (Sunni) 95%
  Ethnic religionist 4.9%
• Christians: <1%
• Church members: 55
• Scriptures in their own language: None
• Jesus Film in their own language: None
• Christian broadcasts in their own language: None
• Mission agencies working among this people: 0
• Persons who have heard the Gospel: 12,600 (23%) Those evangelized by local Christians: 2,800 (6%)
  Those evangelized from the outside: 9,800 (17%)
• Persons who have never heard the Gospel: 42,000 (77%)

• Country:Indonesia
• Population: (1990) 182,811,600
  (1995) 197,587,700
  (2000) 212,730,600
• Major peoples in size order: Javanese 26.2%
  Javanese Indonesian 10.7%
  Sudanese 10.6%
  Madurese 10.7%
  Sudanese Indonesian 3.1%
  Han Chinese 2.6%
• Major religions: Muslims 43.7%
  New-Religionists 35%
  Christians 13%
  Ethnic religionists 2.6%
  Hindus 1.9%
  Nonreligious 1.9%
  Buddists 1%
• Number of denominations: 113