The Hakö live in five villages in the northeast part of Buka Island. Their language is written and is in vigorous use. Children are taught Hakö in elementary school. Almost all can read and write in Hakö and Tok Pisin. This is a remarkable achievement by national standards.
The people rely on the land and the sea for subsistence, and they also grow copra and cocoa to sell for cash income. Their staples are taro and sweet potato.
Hakö society is matrilineal. Women own the land, which is passed down from mother to daughter. While men dominate public discussions about how the land is used, the views of older women are influential. Women who follow Jesus have become peacemakers. Rather than engage in land disputes, some women advocate that the land belongs to God and should not be fought over. They sometimes share the land with people who have questionable claims, in order to avoid conflicts. Thank God for their godly wisdom (James 3:17) and pray that they flourish in their identity and authority as children of God.
The vast majority are Christian, but they need translation work for them to fully understand their faith in the context of their own culture.
There is interest in Bible translation. Some Hakö people attended a Translator's Training Course in the past but did not continue on with the translation. The neighboring language, Halia, has a complete New Testament and the New Testament revision was recently published. Halia is very closely related to Hakö so there is potential that the Halia translation could be used as a starting point for a Hakö translation. Pray that the Hakö people would long to have God's word in their own language.
Ask God for workers to translate his word into Hakö, including some of the highly educated Hakö people.
Pray that they may also hear his call to take his word to other language groups.
Pray that God supplies all their physical needs and that they respond with gratitude.
Scripture Prayers for the Hako in Papua New Guinea.
Wycliffe Bible Translators
| Profile Source: Joshua Project |
