People group profile · PG022857
The Ponasakan of Indonesia
The Ponasakan of Indonesia, numbering about 5,500 people, are No Longer Unreached. They are an ethnolinguistic community of Indonesia.
They are an indigenous people in the Minahasa-Sangir of Sulawesi people cluster of the Malay Peoples. Their primary religion is Animism, and they primarily speak Indonesian.

Fast facts
- Country
- Indonesia
- Population
- 5,500
- Affinity group
- Asian Pacific Rim Peoples
- People cluster
- Minahasa-Sangir of Sulawesi
- Primary language
- Indonesian (ind)
- Primary religion
- Animism
- Strategic Progress Index
- No Longer Unreached
- Evangelical
- 10% or Greater but Less than 15%
- GSEC
- 10% or Greater Evangelical
- Lostness priority
- Moderately Reached People Group
- Region
- South-Eastern Asia, Asia
- Location
- North Sulawesi province: Belang town area
Where they live
Gospel status
The Ponasakan are No Longer Unreached, which means 2% or more are evangelical Christians. In GSEC terms, this people group is greater than or equal to 10% evangelical.
- Congregations exist Yes
- Church planting in the last two years No Churches Planted
Next steps for the Ponasakan
- Pray for the churches among this group to grow in faithfulness and maturity
- Equip believers to reach the unreached peoples around them
- Send out laborers from this people to the nations
Primary religion
Animism · Ethnoreligion
80% adherents
Primary language
Indonesian · Austronesian family
75% speak Indonesian
Gospel resources in Indonesian
- Bible available, published 2017
- JESUS Film available
- Radio programs available
- Gospel recordings available
- Audio resources available
- Bible stories not available
Films
- JESUS (Indonesian (Yesus))
- JESUS (Indonesian (Isa))
- Magdalena (Indonesian (Isa))
- The Savior (Indonesian (Yesus))
Bibles
- Indonesian New Translation (formal) Version, 1974 · video, audio, text
- Indonesian New Translation (formal) Version, 1974 · audio, text
- Plain Indonesian Translation · audio, text
- Sehari-hari · text
- Shellabear NT Kitab Suci Injil (Terjemahan 1912) · video, audio, text
- Shellabear OT Association for the Restoration of the 1912 Translation · audio, text
Find more at the JESUS Film Project, Bible.com and Faith Comes by Hearing.
Pray for the Ponasakan
- John 17:3. Pray that many will come to know the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom he has sent.
- Psalm 27:1. Pray that new believers will be strengthened in the face of persecution, with the Lord as their stronghold.
- Romans 12:4–5. Pray that believers from many cultures will work together as one body so that the church is built up.
- Revelation 7:9. Pray for the day when people from this group stand before the throne with every nation, tribe, people and language.
Know something we don't? Submit updates to IMB Global Research.