Unreached People Groups

PRACTICING ANIMISM

PEOPLE GROUP*

PROGRESS

POPULATION

UPG DESCRIPTION

NUKHU*

ON-SITE TRAINING

9,000

married women wear extravagant clothing
live high in the mountains and are difficult to access
at birth, all twins will be killed to appease the spirits

KAYMO*

ON-SITE TRAINING

24,000

are strongly impacted by war and conflict
have been oppressed and persecuted
multiple dialects that make translation difficult

KUYU

LEARNING MAJORITY LANGUAGE

1,200

live on narrow ridges of mountains
access to town and healthcare is an arduous two-day hike
write letters with missionaries in nearby village requesting the Gospel

MORE INFORMATION

KUYU

STORIES FROM THE FRONTLINE

The basic premise of animism is that spirits control and are involved in every aspect of life. Because animists are so focused on the spiritual realm, they never rely solely on a natural explanation to describe events.

A few months ago, a sick and older woman died in the neighboring tribe to Kuyu. The people of this tribe could not accept that she had died of natural causes. They believed that a witch had used her influences from the spiritual realm to bring about an untimely death. Quickly, they went to work determining who the culprit was and most likely used some sort of divination or sorcery. This group eventually settled on the witch's identity, took this information to the Kuyu villages, and hired some Kuyu men to murder the supposed witch and her family. These Kuyu men, though certainly motivated by money, saw nothing wrong with murdering this lady and her family; she is a witch, and witches must die. After dark, these men snuck into the village and surrounded her house. They set fire to the house with the entire family inside. The family tried to escape through the windows, doors, and roof. As soon as one of them ran, they were shot with multiple arrows by the awaiting Kuyu. Only one of the family members survived.

This entire horrific tale began with the false belief that someone must have cursed the older woman who died. Her death could not be because she was old or sick; instead, some sort of evil spirit must have been involved. And, of course, evil spirits act at the behest of witches.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

"Located at the northern end of the Adelbert Mountain range in the Madang province of Papua New Guinea, the Kuyu people live in remote villages and scattered hamlets connected by miles of rugged trails and water crossings. The people themselves live on the tops of narrow mountain ridges to avoid landslides and use the slopes of the mountains for their gardens. Access to town and viable health care is preceded by an arduous one-to-two-day hike, which often includes hand-carrying cash crops to market, such as vanilla and cocoa beans. Hiking is the only way for the Kuyu people to get in and out of their land. The difficult terrain of the area is a large reason why they have never been reached with the gospel message.

The Kuyu people primarily identify as followers of a certain works-based religion, which is steeped in animistic and cargo cult thinking. Their worldview is underpinned by a constant relationship with spiritual forces in attempts to manipulate and appease the spirits that are believed to be responsible for their well-being. They are one of many people groups in Papua New Guinea who have been exposed to and confused by “religion” but have yet to understand and believe the gospel of God's grace as revealed through His Word. While the Kuyu people are unable to read and write in their own language, and while they do not have a heart language translation of God's Word, they do have a strong yearning to understand God's Word for themselves.

For the past 13 years, cross-cultural workers have been engaged in church planting efforts amongst the Pal people group to their South. Due to their interaction with the Pal work, for the past five years, the Kuyu have repeatedly sent letters to the Pal missionaries requesting their own missionary team. The door is clearly wide open for missionaries to allocate amongst the Kuyu, learn their language and culture, teach them to read and write in their own language, translate God's Word into their language, and teach them God's Word from beginning to end. Praise God for a team of three missionary families who are currently in the process of allocation and house building."