Kutai in Indonesia

The Kutai have only been reported in Indonesia
Population
Main Language
Largest Religion
Christian
Evangelical
Progress
Progress Gauge

Introduction / History

Partially due to their frequent relocations, the Kutai live spread out along the eastern coast of East Kalimantan. Tenggarong is the heart of their area today, as when Mulawarman ruled from it as the capital of the Kutai kingdom, the oldest Hindu kingdom in Indonesia. The Kutai language branches from the Malay language cluster.


What Are Their Lives Like?

In the past, the Kutai had a system of social classes that included nobleman, ordinary people and slaves. The nobility used to be called Kramas, Mas, Aji, Radenor Pangeran Datu. Today, respect is given to people based on their education and wealth, not their title. The Kutai have a rich variety of traditional ceremonies. The Pesta Erau (Erau party), one of the biggest ceremonies, annually commemorates the founding of Tenggarong city. The party lasts five days and five nights. Throngs of Dayaks come even from very remote villages and perform many kinds of interesting dances, such as kancet pepati (warrior dance), kancet ledo (gong dance), datun, leleng, gantar and pilin tali. A dragon doll is thrown into the Mahakam River at the ceremony's climax. This is a symbolic way of asking blessings for wealth and prosperity from their ancestors.
The Kutai make their living as farmers, fishermen and hunters. East Kalimantan is the richest province in Indonesia and Kutai Tenggara constitutes the richest regency in Indonesia. Therefore, they rarely leave their home area, having little economic reason to do so. Many Kutai people, however, do not prosper because of drastic imbalances in income. Some inland Kutai still follow a traditional system of law. Traditional Kutai law provides for several key leaders: a village leader who conducts traditional ceremonies, a security chief and a protector of inherited wealth. The government recognizes these leaders, calling them petinggi ("high ones"). Tenggarong city used to be the center of Kutai Kartanegara kingdom and still has various historical and cultural sites, such as the Tenggarong palace. The palace is now used as the Mulawarman museum, which houses Kutai Martadipura and Kutai Kartanegara royal treasures.


What Are Their Beliefs?

Generally, the Kutai are Muslims. However, in their daily life, they still worship spirits. Certain royal heirlooms are sacred, such as a gold crown decorated with jewels, the uncal necklace, the image of wisnu (a Hindu god) necklace and a necklace with two mythical birds. Kutai beliefs are focused on seeking protection from the Sanghyang (a Hindu word for spirits) through magic by appeasing and controlling both good and bad spirits. Previously, the Kutai were Hindu and they were called 'Kaharingan'. Since then, however, most people in the Kutai area have turned to Islam. This has resulted in much mixing between the faiths of Islam and Hinduism.


What Are Their Needs?

The Kutai need better transportation infrastructure to assist the remote villagers in taking their crops and commodities to the market. At present, the main form of transportation is by sea and river, as land transportation is very difficult.


Prayer Points

Pray for the Holy Spirit to move in Kutai communities in such a way they will accept the blessings of Christ’s goodness and lordship.
Pray for a spiritual openness among the Kutai that will lead them to the cross and the empty grave. May they rejoice in Christ’s resurrection victory!
Pray for loving workers in Kutai communities.
Pray for Kutai disciples to make more disciples.


Scripture Prayers for the Kutai in Indonesia.


References

IPN, 2011 Copyrighted © Used with permission


Profile Source:   Joshua Project  

People Name General Kutai
People Name in Country Kutai
Alternate Names Malay, Tenggarong Kuta; Tenggarong; Tenggarong Malay
Population this Country 242,000
Population all Countries 242,000
Total Countries 1
Indigenous Yes
Progress Scale 1
Unreached Yes
Frontier People Group No
GSEC 1  (per PeopleGroups.org)
Pioneer Workers Needed 5
PeopleID3 13445
ROP3 Code 106159
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 Kalimantan Timur Province; east central coastal area, from Mahakam river basin east to Celebes Sea coast, north from Cape Pandan along coast south to Samarinda city area.   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 Kalimantan Timur Province; east central coastal area, from Mahakam river basin east to Celebes Sea coast, north from Cape Pandan along coast south to Samarinda city area..   Source:  Ethnologue 2016
Map of Kutai in Indonesia Ethnolinguistic map or other map

Primary Religion: Islam
Major Religion Percent
Buddhism
0.00 %
Christianity  (Evangelical 0.25 %)
0.25 %
Ethnic Religions
0.00 %
Hinduism
0.00 %
Islam
99.75 %
Non-Religious
0.00 %
Other / Small
0.00 %
Unknown
0.00 %
Primary Language Malay, Tenggarong Kutai (242,000 speakers)
Language Code vkt   Ethnologue Listing
Language Written Yes   ScriptSource Listing
Total Languages 1
Primary Language Malay, Tenggarong Kutai (242,000 speakers)
Language Code vkt   Ethnologue Listing
Total Languages 1
People Groups Speaking Malay, Tenggarong Kutai

Primary Language:  Malay, Tenggarong Kutai

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
Film / Video Jesus Film: view in Malay, Tenggarong Kutai Jesus Film Project
General Scripture Earth Gospel resources links Scripture Earth
Photo Source Greg n Trees 
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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