People
Who they are
The Sisaala Tumulung live in northern Ghana, in the Upper West Region around Tumu, extending east to the Sisili River. They occupy nearly all of Sisaala East District, up to the border with Burkina Faso, and there are also communities in Bulisa District in the Upper East Region. Their language belongs to the Gur group.
A village or small town is a clan settlement made up of smaller groups of relatives, with clusters of family homes and individual dwellings. Accounts of how they arrived in the region vary from clan to clan and point to origins among the Mossi, Mamprusi and Dagombe.
Where they live
1
Country
190K
Population
| Country | Share of the people | Population |
|---|---|---|
Ghana Partially reached
|
100%
|
187.000 |
How they live
The Sisaala Tumulung farm and also make charcoal. Most fields are less than five kilometers from the village, and they grow maize, millet, beans, peanuts, yams, rice and cotton. During the most recent decade covered by the source, maize became a cash crop, while cotton declined considerably as a crop grown for sale.
What they believe
Most Sisaala Tumulung follow traditional religion. There are also Muslims and Christians. Islam arrived recently but has gained influence: since the 1990s, mosques have been built in every village, generally with money from Arab countries, and many Muslims also retain traditional beliefs, such as ancestor worship and fear of spirits.
Two chiefs of Tumu, the paramount chiefs of the Sisaala of Sisaala East, were Catholics, and the chiefs of seven villages are Christians. In 2001, at the insistence of Sisaala Christians, a team of four local translators began translating the Old Testament, and the complete Bible was delivered in Tumu in June 2014.
The Bible in this people's 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.
Tumulung Sisaala
Complete Bible
- Translation started Done
- Portions Done
- New Testament Done
- Whole Bible Current stage
Audio recordings Available
Jesus Film Available
Translation data: Joshua Project.
Gospel progress among the unreached
Christians (all traditions)12%
Evangelicals5%
Needs
A 2014 account says that most Sisaala children left school between the ages of 8 and 12, when school expenses became too high for their families, so many cannot read English, the official language, well. Many hear the gospel on FM radio, but few are ready to commit to the faith.
What to pray for
Intercede for this people
Pray for Sisaala Tumulung children whose families cannot afford schooling, and for people to learn to read in Sisaala.
Pray for the complete Bible in Sisaala, delivered in 2014, to be used in families and churches.
Pray that Sisaala who hear the gospel on the radio will decide to follow Jesus.
Pray that churches in the Tumu area will support Christians living amid Islam and traditional beliefs.
Pray for Sisaala Tumulung
Intercede for this people alongside Christians around the world.
Open the Prayer Calendar