Kayagar in Indonesia

People Name:	Kayagar
Country:	Indonesia
10/40 Window:	Yes
Population:	15,000
World Population:	15,000
Primary Language:	Kayagar
Primary Religion:	Ethnic Religions
Christian Adherents:	20.00 %
Evangelicals:	3.00 %
Scripture:	Translation Started
Ministry Resources:	No
Jesus Film:	No
Audio Recordings:	No
People Cluster:	New Guinea
Affinity Bloc:	Pacific Islanders
Progress Level:

Introduction / History

It is estimated that less than half of the Kayagar speakers have understood the gospel but there are some Protestant churches and quite a few Catholic churches in the language area.

They live by garden and plant fruit trees hunters/gathers in the swampy. With their land at an altitude of less than 100 meters above sea level the Kayagar people can best be accessed by boat.

There is 1 junior high school in the language area. There has been some attempt to translate songs and prayers into the Kayagar language.

The women primarily process sago, pleat grass mats, and net fish. The Kayagar people generally wear modern clothing but rarely wash the cloths. The people eat sago, sagoworm, fish and pig, vegetables or fruits. The Kayagar have bow/arrows, spears, nets, steel axes, and some have a gun, tableware and furniture. There is usually 1-2 boat motors/village. Houses are generally built on stilts with plank or sago walls and a zinc or leaf roof. There is very little infrastructure in the area: only some private generators, and an SSB radio w/o antenna in Arare. The people get their drinking water generally straight from the river or from rainwater. Malaria, lung diseases, yaws/ulcers and other skin diseases are common. There are only a few health workers and small clinics in the language area. The Kayagar people have no gospel cassettes, films or videos in their language.

The Kayagar are sometimes known as the Wiyagar, Kaygir, Kajagar, Kaygi people. Tamario and Wiyagar are some of this language's dialects. Both Indonesian and Kayagar are used in the church services.