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People group profile · PG023117

The Adabe of Timor-Leste

The Adabe of Timor-Leste, numbering about 6,700 people, are No Longer Unreached. They are an Indigenous people of Atauro Island whose identity is rooted in the Raklungu (Adabe) dialect of the Atauran language and longstanding island traditions shaped by maritime connections within the Timor region.

They are an indigenous people in the Timor people cluster of the Malay Peoples. Their primary religion is Roman Catholicism, and they primarily speak Atauran.

Pray for the AdabePrint profile

AI-generated illustration representing the Adabe people
AI-generated illustration, not a photograph. Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite: Adabe

Fast facts

Country
Timor-Leste
Population
6,700
Affinity group
Asian Pacific Rim Peoples
People cluster
Timor
Primary language
Atauran (adb)
Primary religion
Roman Catholicism
Strategic Progress Index ?
No Longer Unreached
Evangelical
75% or Greater
GSEC ?
10% or Greater Evangelical
Lostness priority ?
Significantly Reached People Group
Region
South-Eastern Asia, Asia
Location
Dili district: Atauro island; Timor island north of capital

Where they live

Gospel status

The Adabe 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 Dispersed Church Planting

Next steps for the Adabe

  • 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

Roman Catholicism · Christianity

61% adherents

Primary language

Atauran · Bookkeeping family

100% speak Atauran

Gospel resources in Atauran

  • 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 Adabe

  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.

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