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People group profile · PG050637

The Salinans of the United States

The Salinans of the United States, numbering about 800 people, are No Longer Unreached. They are an Indigenous people of central California, whose ancestral territory spans the southern Salinas Valley, the Santa Lucia Range, and the Pacific Coast in what is now Monterey and San Luis Obispo Counties.

They are an indigenous people in the North American Indigenous people cluster of the North American Peoples. Their primary religion is Folk Catholicism, and they primarily speak English.

Pray for the SalinansPrint profile

AI-generated illustration representing the Salinans people
AI-generated illustration, not a photograph. Photo by Google. (2025). Image generated by Gemini 2.5 Flash: Salinan

Fast facts

Country
United States
Population
800
Affinity group
American Peoples
People cluster
North American Indigenous
Primary language
English (eng)
Primary religion
Folk Catholicism
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
Also known as
Ennesen, Tepotaha, Te'po'ta'ahl
Region
Northern America, Americas

Where they live

Gospel status

The Salinans 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 No
  • Church planting in the last two years No Churches Planted

Next steps for the Salinans

  • 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

Folk Catholicism · Christianity

50% adherents

Primary language

English

100% speak English

Gospel resources in English

Films

  • JESUS (English, North American Indigenous)

Bibles

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

Pray for the Salinans

  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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