Bwaidoga, Mataitai in Papua New Guinea

The Bwaidoga, Mataitai have only been reported in Papua New Guinea
Population
Main Language
Largest Religion
Christian
Evangelical
Progress
Progress Gauge

Introduction / History

The Bwaidoka people live in the southern part of Goodenough Island, with most of their twenty villages and numerous hamlets scattered along the narrow strip of flat land between the steep mountains and ocean. Access to the Bwaidoka area is by air or boat. There is a World War II airstrip on the eastern plain of Goodenough Island. From there travel is usually by pre-arranged vehicle or boat. Traveling by boat from Alotau takes 12-15 hours.

The Bwaidoka people live in thatch-roofed houses and are primarily subsistence farmers, fishing occasionally. Soccer for the men and netball for the women are favorite sports, with teams traveling to other villages to play. One of their favorite pastimes is telling and listening to stories, which can be quite interesting. Christianity was introduced in the 1890s through United Methodist missionaries. Later, Catholic missionaries came but have not had major inroads into the Bwaidoka area. Other religious groups have come but have not been very successful.

Because most people don't really understand the gospel, animism is still very much in place, with even many of the pastors still practicing garden magic. There is a great need for people to understand the Word in their own language. Most of the men and some of the women know Dobu, the local trade language, to some extent, using it in preaching and in relating to outsiders who speak it, but they still use the Bwaidoka language in their homes. Bwaidoka is the de facto lingua franca for Goodenough Island and the northern end of Ferguson Island. English is used often in government.


Prayer Points

Scripture Prayers for the Bwaidoga, Mataitai in Papua New Guinea.


Profile Source:   Anonymous  

People Name General Bwaidoga
People Name in Country Bwaidoga, Mataitai
Alternate Names Mataitai
Population this Country 9,200
Population all Countries 9,200
Total Countries 1
Indigenous Yes
Progress Scale 5
Unreached No
Frontier People Group No
GSEC 5  (per PeopleGroups.org)
Pioneer Workers Needed
PeopleID3 11058
ROP3 Code 101822
Country Papua New Guinea
Region Australia and Pacific
Continent Australia
10/40 Window No
Persecution Rank Not ranked
Location in Country Milne Bay province: Bolubolu district, west Fergusson island, south tip of Goodenough island.   Source:  Ethnologue 2016
Country Papua New Guinea
Region Australia and Pacific
Continent Australia
10/40 Window No
Persecution Rank Not ranked
Location in Country Milne Bay province: Bolubolu district, west Fergusson island, south tip of Goodenough island..   Source:  Ethnologue 2016
Primary Religion: Christianity
Major Religion Percent
Buddhism
0.00 %
Christianity  (Evangelical 20.00 %)
88.00 %
Ethnic Religions
12.00 %
Hinduism
0.00 %
Islam
0.00 %
Non-Religious
0.00 %
Other / Small
0.00 %
Unknown
0.00 %
Primary Language Bwaidoka
Language Code bwd   Ethnologue Listing
Language Written Yes   ScriptSource Listing
Total Languages 1
Primary Language Bwaidoka
Language Code bwd   Ethnologue Listing
Total Languages 1
People Groups Speaking Bwaidoka

Primary Language:  Bwaidoka

Bible Translation Status  (Years)
Bible-Portions Yes  (1913-2018)
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
General Scripture Earth Gospel resources links Scripture Earth
Photo Source Anonymous 
Map Source Anonymous  
Profile Source Anonymous 
Data Sources Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more.


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