Introduction / History

The Baiap people live in the southwest corner of the beautiful Ambrym Island of Vanuatu. Lush forests cover the western part of Ambrym Island where the Baiaps live. These forests are teeming with a vast population of bird life. Ambrym Island is also home to two active volcanoes, Benbow and Marum. These two volcanic craters and the volcanic desert that they have created are in the center of the island.

Baiaps share Ambrym Island with five other indigenous language groups. Their closest neighbors are the people of Port Vato to their south. These near neighbors understand much of each other’s languages.

What Are Their Lives Like?

The island’s cash economy is based on the coconut plantations that are found in the three corners of the triangular-shaped island.

All generations speak the Daakaka language. Most Baiap children learn Daakaka as their first language. Most Baiap people also speak Bislama, particularly when they are communicating with people from other language groups. Bislama is a creole based on English and is one of the national languages of Vanuatu.

What Are Their Beliefs?

Christianity is the primary religion of the Baiap people.

What Are Their Needs?

Despite being predominantly Christian, none of the Bible is available in their Daakaka language. Their nearest neighbors, the people of Port Vato, do have portions of the Bible in their language. But these portions are very dated. They were translated in 1899.

There is an ongoing threat from volcanic eruptions and tropical cyclones. Benbow last erupted in 1913, and Marum erupted most recently in 2018. The Marum crater with its lava lakes disappeared after its 2018 eruption. Both volcanoes are active and remain a threat. Tropical cyclones plague the waters of the South Pacific from the beginning of October through to the end of April.

Prayer Items

Pray to the Lord of the Harvest to provide all the workers and the resources needed to bring the good news to the Baiap people in their language.
Pray for the material well-being of the Baiaps.
Ask God to keep them safe from volcanic eruptions and tropical cyclones. Tsunamis can also be a problem.
Ask God to strengthen the faith of the Baiap in Jesus Christ, and that they continue to become more like Christ.
Pray for unity between all believers, no matter what church they are part of and no matter which language they speak. May God be glorified in the oneness of his people!
Pray that the believers are effective in sharing the love and the good news of Jesus Christ at every opportunity, and for the multiplication of followers of Jesus across the island and beyond.
Ask God to send workers to the Baiap harvest field, helping them translate God’s word into their Daakaka language.

Scripture Prayers for the Baiap, South Ambrym in Vanuatu.

References

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Daakaka-region_on_Ambrym_Vanuatu.svg