Penesak in Indonesia

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

Introduction / History

The Penesak (or often, Meranjat) live in the province of South Sumatra. They live in the villages of Tanjung Batu District of Ogan Ilir Regency, as well as five villages in the Gelumbang District of Muara Enim Regency: Tambang Kelekar, Menanti, Tanjung Medang, Pelempang and Suban Baru. In addition, Penesak people also live in Meranjat Village, located in the Betung District of Banyuasin Regency. The Penesak people group is known by several other names including Meranjat, Tanjung Batu, Payaraman, Burai and Kelekar. The Penesak dialect is part of the Musi language which also includes the Lematang, Musi, Rawas, Palembang, Pegagan and Belide.


What Are Their Lives Like?

The Penesak prefer to live in ethnic enclaves when they move out of the Penesak area, for example, to the Betung area of Banyuasin Regency. The Penesak are known as a friendly community. This is demonstrated by their engaging style of speech. They are known for openly addressing others, offering long explanations of all that they know on a topic and seeking to make others feel at home. The Penesak no longer have a traditional leader or chief; their leaders are general community members. Penesak people who move outside the area often go to Java; only a few have chosen to move to the South Sumatra provincial capital of Palembang. Those who go to Palembang move there to attend high school or college. On the other hand, most Penesak people who move to Java go there in order to work, not to further their education. Because land in the Penesak area is not very fertile, the people use slash-and-burn agriculture, moving after each season. The natural forests are becoming depleted due to the continuous search for fertile fields. Old fields are quickly overgrown by weeds and difficult to use for farming. The Penesak have had some success in cultivating rubber, pineapple, sugar cane and vegetables. Traditional customs are influenced by Islam. These include wedding, birth, death and circumcision ceremonies. One of the most strongly held customs is the wedding ceremony. When a marriage contract is made, the groom and his family visit the bride's family. The couple then returns as part of a procession to the groom's house to formalize the wedding plans. The engagement party is serenaded by tambourines and music. The groom wears a long white robe and a turban. The wedding ceremony is opened with long readings from the Qur'an (Islamic holy book).


What Are Their Beliefs?

Formally, the Penesak people are Muslim though they practice many spiritist beliefs in their daily living. The Penesak watch over the graves of their ancestors and consider them to be sacred places. Every village has a sacred burial ground that is said to possess its own supernatural power. They believe that this spiritual power was possessed by the ancestors buried in that place and is still effective long after the ancestor has died. For example, if, while he was still alive, a person was able to cause a plane to crash, an enemy plane that crosses over his grave will also crash. Every year, villagers visit and maintain the cemeteries in their villages as a required ritual.


What Are Their Needs?

The most urgent need is help in applying appropriate agricultural technology to overcome the problem of low soil fertility in their area. The Penesak also need local development because they live in remote areas. Improved education and opportunities for work could help the Penesak become more selfsufficient. Better training, medical staff and equipment are needed to improve health care in their area.


Prayer Points

Scripture Prayers for the Penesak in Indonesia.


Profile Source:   IPN, 2011   Copyrighted ©   Used with permission  

People Name General Penesak
People Name in Country Penesak
Alternate Names Penasak
Population this Country 153,000
Population all Countries 153,000
Total Countries 1
Indigenous Yes
Progress Scale 1
Unreached Yes
Frontier People Group No
GSEC 1  (per PeopleGroups.org)
Pioneer Workers Needed 3
PeopleID3 14361
ROP3 Code 107972
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 Sumatera Selatan Province, widespread in northern 2 thirds of province; Musi river upstream to Bukit Barisan mountains, downstream to eastern coastal swamplands; into northeast Lampung Province; a few small border areas in Jambi and Bengkulu provinces.   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 Sumatera Selatan Province, widespread in northern 2 thirds of province; Musi river upstream to Bukit Barisan mountains, downstream to eastern coastal swamplands; into northeast Lampung Province; a few small border areas in Jambi and Bengkulu provinces..   Source:  Ethnologue 2016
Map of Penesak in Indonesia Ethnolinguistic map or other map

Primary Religion: Islam
Major Religion Percent
Buddhism
0.00 %
Christianity  (Evangelical 0.00 %)
2.00 %
Ethnic Religions
0.00 %
Hinduism
0.00 %
Islam
96.00 %
Non-Religious
2.00 %
Other / Small
0.00 %
Unknown
0.00 %
Primary Language Musi (153,000 speakers)
Language Code mui   Ethnologue Listing
Primary Dialect Penesak
Dialect Code 15601   Global Recordings Listing
Language Written Yes   ScriptSource Listing
Total Languages 1
Primary Language Musi (153,000 speakers)
Language Code mui   Ethnologue Listing
Primary Dialect Penesak
Dialect Code 15601   Global Recordings Listing
Total Languages 1
People Groups Speaking Musi

Primary Language:  Musi

Bible Translation Status:  Unspecified

Resource Type Resource Name Source
Audio Recordings Audio Bible teaching Global Recordings Network
Film / Video Jesus Film: view in Musi Jesus Film Project
Film / Video World Christian Videos World Christian Videos
General Bible for Children Bible for Children
General Scripture Earth Gospel resources links Scripture Earth
Photo Source Copyrighted © 2024  International Mission Board-SBC - Jacob Talley  All rights reserved.  Used with permission
Map Source People Group location: IMB. Map geography: ESRI / GMI. Map design: Joshua Project.  
Profile Source IPN, 2011  Copyrighted ©  Used with permission 
Data Sources Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more.


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