The Bawean homeland is a 200 square kilometer island 120 kilometers north of Surabaya (East Java) in the middle of the Java Sea. Bawean has been known as the "island of women" because the majority of its inhabitants are women. This is because the men tend to look for employment in other lands. A man from Tanjung Ori village who worked for 20 years in Malaysia said, "A Bawean male is not considered an adult until he has stepped on foreign soil." Merantau (going to distant lands to seek success) is a major aspect of Bawean culture and it influences almost every other facet of their society. A significant number of the Baweanese reside in Malaysia. In fact, the Baweanese population there far exceeds that found on the island itself, which numbers 60,000 inhabitants. Other areas of Baweanese migration include Perth, Australia and Singapore, where they are known as the Boyanese people. Linguistically speaking, the Bawean dialect is part of Madura language which also includes the dialects of Bangkalan, Pamekasan, Sampang, Sapudi and Sumenep.
The culture of merantau creates some interesting dynamics for the Bawean people. On one hand, their homeland is isolated and cut off from modern Indonesian life. On the other hand, they are very exposed to the world through their family members who migrate and then return to Bawean. Although early settlers came from the island of Madura (as seen in the similarity of their languages), over the centuries the Baweanese have developed their own unique culture. Influences are evident from Madura, Java, South Sulawesi, Sumatra and Kalimantan. Because of this, an Indonesian journalist, Emmanuel Subangun, wrote in 1976 that the Bawean people are a "crystallization of Indonesian ethnic variety." The main sources of income for those living and working on the island are farming and fishing. Apart from this, some residents own small shops, make grass mats from palm leaf fiber as a local handicraft, or quarry the high quality onyx on the island for export and local sale. Most of the income on the island comes from family members who live and work overseas and send money back to Bawean.
Originally the Bawean embraced animistic beliefs. Then Hindu and Buddhist influences entered the island until the 1600s when the Baweanese people converted to Islam. Their religious devotion is extremely strong and they pride themselves in the fact that 100% of the island's inhabitants follow Islam. There are many mosques (mesjid), small Islamic prayer houses (musholla) and traditional Islamic schools (pesantren) in every village. Boys and girls from six or seven years of age receive religious instruction including lessons in reciting the Qur'an and sometimes live in the house of a kyai (Islamic teacher). The kyai is greatly respected by the Bawean people.
Although the standard of living on the island is higher than in many other isolated locations, there are still many unmet needs. Electricity 24 hours a day has recently come to the island, as have telephones, Bawean's first bank and a few computers. Yet many homes are still without indoor bathrooms. The tourism sector is open for development in light of Bawean's natural beauty. All of the above are assets to improve Bawean's economy and open doors to reach out to the Bawean people.
Scripture Prayers for the Bawean in Indonesia.
Profile Source: IPN, 2011 Copyrighted © Used with permission |
People Name General | Bawean |
People Name in Country | Bawean |
Pronunciation |
boh-YAHN
|
Alternate Names | Baweanese; Boyanese |
Population this Country | 105,000 |
Population all Countries | 194,000 |
Total Countries | 3 |
Indigenous | Yes |
Progress Scale | 1 ● |
Unreached | Yes |
Frontier People Group | No |
GSEC | 1 (per PeopleGroups.org) |
Pioneer Workers Needed | 2 |
People ID | 10740 |
ROP3 Code | 101162 |
ROP25 Code | 300983 |
ROP25 Name | Bawean |
Country | Indonesia | ||
Region | Asia, Southeast | ||
Continent | Asia | ||
10/40 Window | Yes | ||
National Bible Society | Website | ||
Persecution Rank | 33 (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking) | ||
Location in Country | Jawa Timur Province, coastal areas of main island south and west of Surabaja city, southwest of Madura island; other island groups with speakers include Sapudi, Bawean, and Kangean islands; Java Sea, assorted islands with language communities under jurisdiction of Kalimantan Selatan Province. Source: Ethnologue 2016 |
Country | Indonesia |
Region | Asia, Southeast |
Continent | Asia |
10/40 Window | Yes |
National Bible Society | Website |
Persecution Rank | 33 (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking) |
Location in Country | Jawa Timur Province, coastal areas of main island south and west of Surabaja city, southwest of Madura island; other island groups with speakers include Sapudi, Bawean, and Kangean islands; Java Sea, assorted islands with language communities under jurisdiction of Kalimantan Selatan Province.. Source: Ethnologue 2016 |
Primary Religion: | Islam |
Major Religion ▲ | Percent |
---|---|
Buddhism |
0.00 %
|
Christianity (Evangelical 0.08 %) |
0.50 %
|
Ethnic Religions |
0.00 %
|
Hinduism |
0.00 %
|
Islam |
99.50 %
|
Non-Religious |
0.00 %
|
Other / Small |
0.00 %
|
Unknown |
0.00 %
|
Primary Language | Madura |
Language Code | mad Ethnologue Listing |
Primary Dialect | Bawean |
Dialect Code | 13255 Global Recordings Listing |
Language Written | Yes ScriptSource Listing |
Total Languages | 1 |
Primary Language | Madura |
Language Code | mad Ethnologue Listing |
Primary Dialect | Bawean |
Dialect Code | 13255 Global Recordings Listing |
Total Languages | 1 |
People Groups | Speaking Madura |
Primary Language: Madura
Bible Translation ▲ | Status (Years) |
---|---|
Bible-Portions | Yes (1890-1987) |
Bible-New Testament | Yes |
Bible-Complete | Yes (1994) |
FCBH NT (www.bible.is) | Online |
YouVersion NT (www.bible.com) | Online |
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 |
Audio Recordings | Oral Bible stories | Story Runners |
Audio Recordings | Story of Jesus audio | Jesus Film Project |
Film / Video | Indigitube.tv Video / Animation | Create International |
Film / Video | Jesus Film: view in Madura | Jesus Film Project |
Film / Video | LUMO film of Gospels | Bible Media Group/LUMO |
Film / Video | World Christian Videos | World Christian Videos |
General | Bible for Children | Bible for Children |
General | Faith Comes By Hearing - Bible in text or audio or video | Faith Comes by Hearing |
General | Gospel resources links | Scripture Earth |
General | YouVersion Bible versions in text and/or audio | YouVersion Bibles |
Mobile App | Android Bible app: Madura | YouVersion Bibles |
Mobile App | Download audio Bible app from Google Play Store | Faith Comes by Hearing |
Mobile App | iOS Bible app: Madura | YouVersion Bibles |
Photo Source | Copyrighted © 2023 Anonymous 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. |