Cumbalacu

Cumbalacu oral tradition tells that their queen was the sister of the kings of Ternate, Bungku, Makassar, Bone and Buton. When the royal families parted ways, they are said to have buried gold in a place called Tapunoini and planted very tall bamboo there to mark the spot. It is from this image that the people's name is said to come.

For a long time, the villages lived in relative isolation. Buleleng was once an old seaport. The opening of a road in recent decades brought change: outsiders began to settle in the villages, in some of them becoming the majority, and contact with the wider world grew.

Cumbalacu life revolves around the community. When someone falls ill, the neighbors soon hear of it and rally to help, and when there is a conflict with outsiders, people of all ages and of both sexes gather to respond together. This solidarity is one of the strongest marks of the people.

Residents of other ethnic groups and religions also live in the villages, and they are received in peace. At the same time, the Cumbalacu value their autonomy and their wish to be left in peace to live in their own way. At home, parents expect their children to speak the language of the people, and this is how identity passes from generation to generation.

The Cumbalacu are Muslims, and Islam is part of who they are as a people. The faith is lived firmly: the community does not allow its members to follow another religion, and belonging to the people and being Muslim go hand in hand in everyone’s understanding.

This coexists with a welcoming attitude toward neighbors of other tribes and beliefs, who live among them without hostility. Respect for others and the harmony of the village are values they greatly cherish, and they deserve to be recognized by anyone who wishes to know them. For them, the identity of the people and the faith walk side by side, and any conversation about Jesus must be born from a true friendship, built with time, listening and respect for the customs of the village.

The language of the Cumbalacu is very close to Bungku, a language in which a Bible translation project has already been started. This is an important starting point, but there is still no word of Scriptures prepared specifically for the speech of this people. Since the language is passed from father to son and used in daily life, audio materials in the heart language would be a natural way for the Word to reach the families.

For the Cumbalacu, being of the people and being Muslim are one and the same, and the community forbids following another faith. Added to this is the desire to preserve village life and to be left in peace, which makes it hard for any outsider to be accepted. Until recently, geographic isolation also made contact difficult, and there are probably no followers of Jesus among them, nor a church close to them in language and culture.

The greatest need is to know Jesus: there is probably still no one who can tell them about him from within their own culture. They lack Scriptures and materials in the language of the people, and people willing to live among them with patience, learning the language and building trust.

The changes brought by the road and the arrival of outsiders also call for wisdom, so that the people may preserve what is good in what they have and, at the same time, find lasting hope. Every village, even the smallest, deserves to be visited with care, friendship and patience.