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People group profile · PG022933

The Kemberano of Indonesia

The Kemberano of Indonesia, numbering about 2,500 people, are No Longer Unreached. They are a Papuan people of the Bomberai Peninsula in Indonesia's Fakfak Regency speaking a South Bird's Head language distinguished by unusual SOV word order and grammatical gender marking.

They are an indigenous people in the New Guinea people cluster of the Pacific Islander Peoples. Their primary religion is Protestantism, and they primarily speak Kemberano.

Pray for the KemberanoPrint profile

AI-generated illustration representing the Kemberano people
AI-generated illustration, not a photograph. Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 2.5 Flash: Kemberano

Fast facts

Country
Indonesia
Population
2,500
Affinity group
Asian Pacific Rim Peoples
People cluster
New Guinea
Primary language
Kemberano (bzp)
Primary religion
Protestantism
Strategic Progress Index ?
No Longer Unreached
Evangelical
50% or Greater but Less than 75%
GSEC ?
10% or Greater Evangelical
Lostness priority ?
Significantly Reached People Group
Region
South-Eastern Asia, Asia
Location
West Papua province: several villages on Bird’s Head south coast, northwest Bomberai peninsula, Kalitami across Bintuni bay

Where they live

Gospel status

The Kemberano 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 Kemberano

  • 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

Protestantism · Christianity

57% adherents

Primary language

Kemberano · South Bird's Head family

76% speak Kemberano

Gospel resources in Kemberano

  • Bible not available
  • JESUS Film not available
  • Radio programs not available
  • Gospel recordings not available
  • Audio resources not available
  • Bible stories not available

Find more at the JESUS Film Project, Bible.com and Faith Comes by Hearing.

Pray for the Kemberano

  1. Romans 12:4–5. Pray that believers from many cultures will work together as one body so that the church is built up.
  2. Revelation 7:9. Pray for the day when people from this group stand before the throne with every nation, tribe, people and language.
  3. John 17:3. Pray that many will come to know the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom he has sent.
  4. Psalm 27:1. Pray that new believers will be strengthened in the face of persecution, with the Lord as their stronghold.

Download a prayer guide

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