They maintain their livelihood by primarily subsistence farming, hunting, and some eaglewood logging in the lowlands of south Papua. With their land at an altitude of less than 100 meters above sea level the Kombai people can best be accessed by boat. Boats can be rented in Kouh. It is a 5 days trip up river from Merauke on a boat from Kapal Motor Perintis. They enjoy dressing up traditionally with gourds and kasuari bird feathers to greet visitors. They also perform welcome dances with drums and arrows.
There is one junior high school in the language area but no high schools.
The women primarily gather food and garden. The clothing the Kombai people wear is usually modern but rarely washed. The people eat vegetables, sago, pig and wild animals that they hunt. The Kombai use knives, steel axes, bows/arrows, and shovels as tools. Houses are generally framed by log posts with palm or cement floors and plank or stem walls. A tin or pleated-leaf roof tops off each house. The infrastructure in the area consists of a SSB radio in Kombai and another 6 in Kouh, some personal generators, and a community satellite TV. The people get their drinking water usually straight from the river, a well, or rainwater. No clinics are in the northern part of Kombai land and malaria, skin & lung diseases are common. A Reformed church is in the language area.
The Kombai are sometimes known as the Komboy people. They prefer to be called Wanggom. There are several known dialects within the language: Central Kombai and Tayan. The Kombai people use Kombai at home with family members and use both Kombai and Indonesian with friends. The church services are normally in Indonesia and at home Kimaama people usually speak in the Kimaama language.
Scripture Prayers for the Kombai in Indonesia.
Profile Source: GMI Papua |
People Name General | Kombai |
People Name in Country | Kombai |
Alternate Names | |
Population this Country | 18,000 |
Population all Countries | 18,000 |
Total Countries | 1 |
Indigenous | Yes |
Progress Scale | 4 ● |
Unreached | No |
Frontier People Group | No |
GSEC | 6 (per PeopleGroups.org) |
Pioneer Workers Needed | |
People ID | 12759 |
ROP3 Code | 105147 |
ROP25 Code | 304151 |
ROP25 Name | Kombai |
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 | Interior south coast area, Papua Province, Asmat regency, on plain between upper Wideman and Digul rivers, east of Senggo 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 | Interior south coast area, Papua Province, Asmat regency, on plain between upper Wideman and Digul rivers, east of Senggo city.. Source: Ethnologue 2016 |
Primary Religion: | Christianity |
Major Religion ▲ | Percent |
---|---|
Buddhism |
0.00 %
|
Christianity (Evangelical 3.00 %) |
60.00 %
|
Ethnic Religions |
40.00 %
|
Hinduism |
0.00 %
|
Islam |
0.00 %
|
Non-Religious |
0.00 %
|
Other / Small |
0.00 %
|
Unknown |
0.00 %
|
Primary Language | Kombai | |||
Language Code | tyn Ethnologue Listing | |||
Language Written | Yes ScriptSource Listing | |||
Total Languages | 2 | |||
Secondary Languages |
|
Primary Language | Kombai |
Language Code | tyn Ethnologue Listing |
Total Languages | 2 |
Secondary Languages | |
Malay, Papuan | |
People Groups | Speaking Kombai |
Primary Language: Kombai
Bible Translation ▲ | Status (Years) |
---|---|
Bible-Portions | Yes (2020) |
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 |
Photo Source | GMI Papua |
Map Source | GMI Papua |
Profile Source | GMI Papua |
Data Sources | Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more. |