The 23,100 Wawonii can be found on the tiny island of Wowoni, which is located off the southeastern coast of the major island of Sulawesi. Their language, which they call Wawonii, is a part of the Austronesian language family. Linguistically, the Wawonii are closely related to the Maronene.

There is very little information concerning the specific lifestyle and culture of the Wawonii, but it is assumed that their way of life is similar to that of their close neighbors, the Bingkoka, the Pancana, and the Muna.

What are their lives like?
Sulawesi is an island with a coastline of about 3,500 miles. It consists mainly of four peninsulas separated by deep gulfs, with two of the peninsulas extending southward and two, northeastward. On the southern part of the island is one of Sulawesi's highest points, Mount Lompobatang, an extinct volcano reaching a height of 9,419 feet. Although the climate of the area is tropical, it is somewhat modified by elevation and the closeness of the sea.

For the Wawonii, maize grown in swiddens (land cleared by "slash and burn" agriculture) is the staple crop, but sweet potatoes, sugarcane, various vegetables, tobacco, and coffee are also grown. Scattered among the clearings are their homes, which are usually built on stilts. They are generally made of woven grasses and have very high roofs.

Distinct social classes are still quite pronounced for most groups in Sulawesi, with a higher noble class, a lower noble class, and the commoners. Each class usually has its own code of behavior, along with various customs and traditions. A region is typically divided into village territories, and rights to land use are administered by the village council. However, the council retains ultimate ownership of all the land.

Wawonii marriage customs require payments to the girl's family at the time of engagement and again at the wedding. The amount of the bride-price depends on the social rank of the young man. Prior to marriage, he is required to serve a probationary period with his prospective parents-in-law, and this requirement gives rise to a high degree of elopement. In the past, slaves and their descendants were not permitted to marry each other, though they could live together. Also, noble women did not marry commoners. Polygyny (having more than one wife) was common among some of the aristocracy but is no longer a common practice.

Today, Indonesia has more than eight million farmers who do not own land. To those willing to move from overcrowded areas to less developed islands, the government offers free land, housing, and other assistance.

What are their beliefs?
Islam is the dominant religion in Indonesia today and is practiced by much of the population. Hinduism, widespread in the archipelago before the fourteenth century, is now practiced by only a small number of people, chiefly on the island of Bali. About 13% of the country's total population are Christians, primarily Protestant, and many of the Chinese follow Buddhist-Taoist teachings. Animism (belief that non-human objects have spirits) is followed by tribes in remote areas.

Islam has been dominant since the 1600's, and the Wawonii are practically all Sunni Muslims. However, traditional beliefs are still very important, especially belief in evil spirits.

What are their needs?
The Wawonii do not have access to any Christian resources in their language, and there are no missions agencies currently working among them. The Bible and other materials need to be translated into their language, and the missions work needs to be extended. Intercession is the key to seeing the Wawonii reached with the Gospel.

Prayer Points

• Ask the Lord to call missionaries who can share the Gospel with the Wawonii in culturally relevant ways.
• Ask the Holy Spirit to anoint the efforts of the missions agency that is targeting the Wawonii.
• Pray that the Bible, the Jesus film, and evangelical literature will soon be available in the Wawonii language.
• Pray that God will reveal Himself to the Wawonii through dreams and visions.
• Ask the Lord to save key leaders among the Wawonii who will boldly declare the Gospel.
• Take authority over the spiritual principalities and powers that are keeping the Wawonii bound.
• Ask God to raise up prayer teams who will begin breaking up the soil through intercession.
• Pray that strong local churches will be established among the Wawonii by the year 2000.

THE PEOPLE

• People name: Wawonii
• Country: Indonesia
• Their language: Wawonii
• Population: (1990) 21,400
  (1995) 23,100
  (2000) 24,900
• Largest religion: Muslim (Sunni) 95%
  Ethnic religionist 4%
• Christian: <1%
• Church members: 230
• Scriptures in their own language: None
• Jesus Film in their own language: None
• Christian broadcasts in their own language: None
• Mission agencies working among this people: 0
• Persons who have heard the Gospel: 5,100 (22%) Those evangelized by local Christians: 1,600 (7%)
  Those evangelized from the outside: 3,500 (15%)
• Persons who have never heard the Gospel: 18,000 (78%)

• Country: Indonesia
• Population: (1990) 182,811,600
  (1995) 197,587,700
  (2000) 212,730,600
• Major peoples in size order: Javanese 26.2%
  Javanese Indonesian 10.7%
  Sudanese 10.6%
  Madurese 5.7%
  Sudanese Indonesian 3.1%
• Major religions: Muslim 43.7%
  New religionist 35%
  Christian 13%
• Number of denominations: 113