Lampung Abung

The Lampung Abung descend from peoples who settled in the highlands of southern Sumatra, a region long under the influence of ancient kingdoms of the island. Over the centuries, two major branches of the Lampung people formed: the Pepadun of the interior, among whom the Abung are counted, and the Saibatin of the coast.

The identity of the Abung as farmers and hunters of the mountains took shape in this territory between the Kanan and Seputih rivers, where to this day they organize into three traditional areas of settlement, keeping alive the memory of a warrior past that has now given way to a life of farming and fishing.

Life revolves around land and water. After the rice harvest, the best fields are reused for planting pepper, and fishing rounds out the livelihood of families living near the Kanan and Seputih rivers. This combination of farming and fishing shapes the rhythm of the year and organizes work between generations.

The Lampung Abung live in traditional communities called tiuh, where each clan maintains a permanent house that gathers relatives and preserves the family’s memory. They belong to the Pepadun branch of the Lampung peoples, known for more egalitarian values among clans, in contrast to the hereditary aristocracy of other Lampung branches on the coast.

Almost all Lampung Abung identify as Muslim, and Islam is woven into the identity of the clan and the family. But in everyday practice, this faith coexists with a deep rooted belief in spirits that inhabit nature and interfere in people’s lives.

For this reason it is common to turn to a dukun, a kind of healer and keeper of occult practices, to treat illnesses or drive out what is believed to be the work of evil spirits. This mixture of formal Islam and traditional spirituality shapes much of daily life’s decisions.

The heart language of the Lampung Abung, Lampung Nyo, has already received portions of Scripture in translation, but still does not have a complete New Testament. This means much of the biblical story has not yet reached this people in their own language, and those who wish to go deeper depend on scattered passages or must turn to Indonesian, a second language for many.

To be Lampung Abung is, in practice, to be Muslim: the Islamic faith is woven into clan identity and family honor, and abandoning it is seen as breaking with one’s own people. Their location in enclaves in the interior of Sumatra, far from major urban centers, adds to this: there are few churches nearby and few Christians who speak the heart language of these communities, which makes even a first contact with the gospel rare.

A version of the JESUS film already exists in the Lampung Nyo language, a rare tool that brings the gospel story closer to this people’s heart language. Still few Lampung Abung follow Christ, but this resource opens a door for the message to be heard in terms the soul recognizes as its own.