Introduction / History

The Kombai are sometimes known as the Komboy people. They prefer to be called Wanggom. There are several known dialects within the language: Central Kombai and Tayan. The Kombai people use Kombai at home with family members and use both Kombai and Indonesian with friends.

What Are Their Lives Like?

They maintain their livelihood by primarily subsistence farming, hunting, and some eaglewood logging in the lowlands of south Papua. With their land at an altitude of less than 100 meters above sea level, the Kombai people can best be accessed by boat. Boats can be rented in Kouh. It is a 5 days trip up river from Merauke on a boat from Kapal Motor Perintis. They enjoy dressing up traditionally with gourds and kasuari bird feathers to greet visitors. They also perform welcome dances with drums and arrows.
The women primarily gather food and garden. The clothing the Kombai people wear is usually modern but rarely washed. The people eat vegetables, sago, pig and wild animals that they hunt. The Kombai use knives, steel axes, bows/arrows, and shovels as tools. Houses are generally framed by log posts with palm or cement floors and plank or stem walls. A tin or pleated-leaf roof tops off each house. The infrastructure in the area consists of a SSB radio in Kombai and another 6 in Kouh, some personal generators, and a community satellite TV. The people get their drinking water usually straight from the river, a well, or rainwater. There is one junior high school in the language area but no high schools.

What Are Their Beliefs?

A little over half of the Kombais identify as Christian. Their church services are normally in Indonesia and at home the people usually speak their own language. A Reformed church is in the language area.

What Are Their Needs?

No clinics are in the northern part of Kombai land, and malaria, skin and lung diseases are common.

Prayer Items

Pray for the Holy Spirit to bless Kombai families with the realization that they need a sin-free Savior who offers abundant life.
Pray for Kombai elders and family leaders to open the door to evangelism and discipleship.
Pray for Kombai disciples who are zealous to spread the fragrance of Christ to their community and to others.
Pray that traditional barriers to the gospel would be broken down.

Scripture Prayers for the Kombai in Indonesia.

References

GMI Papua