Unreached people group Frontier
Diuwe
UnreachedThe Diuwe are one of the smallest and least known peoples of Indonesia. Their home is the Asmat region, in the south of the Indonesian half of the island of New Guinea, a landscape of lowlands and rivers where other peoples with related languages also live, linked to the Asmat-Kamoro group.
They speak Diuwe, a language of its own that researchers classify in the Trans-New Guinea family. Few records have been made about them: there is no extensive ethnography, and scholars disagree even about the exact number of speakers and about whether Diuwe is a distinct language or a neighboring variety.
This scarcity of information is, in itself, a portrait of the people: small, far from urban centers and easy to overlook. Even so, every community is known by God, and the story of the Diuwe still needs to be heard and told with respect.
| Country | Share of the people | Population |
|---|---|---|
Indonesia Unreached
|
100%
|
200 |
Islam is the declared religion among the Diuwe, but little is known about the group’s day-to-day spiritual life. In a people so small and so little studied, it is possible that religious practice is more varied than a single label suggests, so it is wise to speak of the matter with caution and without generalizations. There is no report of an organized Christian witness in their language. For this reason, prayer and respectful research are the first steps: to learn what the Diuwe truly believe, to listen to their questions and longings, and only then to seek ways to present Jesus with clarity and love.
There is no translation of the Scriptures in the Diuwe language, and there is no report that translation work has begun. Because it is a language spoken by so few people, the most likely way for the Word to reach the heart of the people is through audio recordings and materials in Indonesian, a language that many residents of the region know as a second language.
A people only truly understands the gospel when they hear it in the language of their heart. See how far the translation has come.
- 1 Translation started Still ahead
- 2 Portions Still ahead
- 3 New Testament Still ahead
- 4 Whole Bible Still ahead
Translation has not started in this language yet.
Translation data: Joshua Project.
The main barrier is near-total lack of knowledge: the group is small, lives in a hard-to-reach area, and little is known about its current situation. There is no known Christian community among them, and no Scripture in their mother tongue. Added to this is the risk that the people will be absorbed by larger neighbors, which would make it even harder to reach them as a people.
Above all, the Diuwe need to be known: someone to visit them, listen to their language and understand their real needs. There is also a need for a Christian witness who lives among them with humility, for materials in the language they understand and, in time, for a community of faith that arises from within the people themselves. They also need practical care, such as health and education, offered with respect for their culture.
Pray for Diuwe
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