The Sukubatong (also known as the Kimki or Sukubatom) are a small indigenous people group living in the western part of Papua, Indonesia, specifically in the Batom District of Pegunungan Bintang Regency. Their language is known as Kimki (also called Aipki, Kimgi, Sukubatom, or Sukubatong) and is classified as a South Pauwasi language or even a language isolate in some sources.
Historically, the Kimki people have lived in remote, river–valley and forested terrain near the Indonesia–Papua New Guinea border, with relatively little contact with large-scale external societies until more recent times. Language documentation indicates there are very few speakers and the community is vulnerable.
The Kimki people traditionally subsist by hunting, gathering, sago processing, small-scale gardening and foraging in forest-river ecosystems. One mission bulletin describes that they formerly lived a semi-nomadic life, though settlement patterns are shifting.
Their homes are located in remote terrain of Papua's highlands or river valleys, and transportation and infrastructure are very limited. As a result, access to markets, schools, health care, and external employment opportunities is constrained. Documentation states their language and culture are under-documented and they face isolation.
Because of isolation and small population size, younger people may migrate out for work or schooling, but many remain tied to their language group and land. Traditional craft, land-use and forest knowledge are still important but under pressure from change.
Reliable detailed published information regarding the Kimki people's traditional religious beliefs is scarce. However, missionary-oriented reporting indicates that although the majority formally identify as Christian (in some sources) they continue to incorporate traditional animistic beliefs, ancestor/forest-spirit respect, or reliance on local ritual practitioners.
Therefore, their belief world appears to be a blend: a Christian identity on one hand, but continued adherence in practice to worldview elements such as ritual, spirits, ancestry, and local customary religion. This situation creates a context where the gospel encounter must consider deep cultural patterns of identity, power, and cosmology.
The Kimki people have several key needs from a Christian missions perspective and a holistic development perspective.
They need translation and access to Scripture and Christian teaching in their heart language (Kimki) so that Christian faith can be fully anchored in their own linguistic and cultural context. According to a mission bulletin, such translation work is underway (e.g., 19 oral Bible stories in Kimki, and translation of Mark's Gospel started in 2024).
They need discipleship and church-planting models that are culturally appropriate—models that respect Kimki identity, language, and heritage while helping the community embrace biblical faith in ways that address syncretistic influences, traditional spirits, and sometimes fear or dependency on local ritual specialists.
They need access to educational, health and development services that are feasible in remote terrain. For example, better access to basic health care, sustainable livelihoods (foraging, gardening), clean water, and infrastructure, so that the church's witness is credible and holistic.
They need indigenous Kimki Christians and leaders who can contextualize the gospel, interpret Scripture, disciple younger generations, and engage in respectful dialogue with traditional beliefs and customs.
They need partnership with the wider church (local Indonesian, regional Papua churches) for supporting translation, capacity building, and developing a sustainable Christian community that can both survive in remote isolation and connect relationally to the broader Christian body.
Pray that the word of God in the Kimki language would be fully translated, accepted and deeply understood — that the Kimki people would see Jesus Christ as relevant to their lives, their land, their ancestors, and their language.
Pray for a movement of healthy, indigenous Kimki church-leaders to arise — men and women from the Kimki community who are equipped in Bible understanding, discipleship and cultural wisdom, and who can guide their communities into mature Christian faith.
Pray for the breaking of spiritual strongholds tied to ancestral spirits, fear of the unseen, and reliance on traditional ritual specialists — that Christ's freedom would bring healing, spiritual identity, and hope into the Kimki culture.
Pray for the Kimki people's material and social wellbeing — for improved access to education, health care, sustainable livelihoods in their remote environment, for the church to become a signal of both spiritual and practical transformation in their community.
Pray that Kimki Christians would wholeheartedly embrace the great commission and preach the gospel and make disciples with love and compassion.
Scripture Prayers for the Sukubatong, Kimki in Indonesia.
Kimki language (Aipki, Kimgi, Sukubatom, Sukubatong) at Endangered Languages Project.
"A Guide to Tribes in Indonesia: Anthropological Insights from the Archipelago" (Springer) — entry on KIMKI.
Mission bulletin: "KARTIDAYA SAHABAT INDONESIA – Profil Suku Kimki" (2025).
| Profile Source: Joshua Project |
