Serui-Laut in Indonesia

Introduction / History

The Serui-Laut (also called Arui or Serui Laut) are an Austronesian-speaking people who live on Serui Island and nearby villages in the Ambai (Yapen) island group in Cenderawasih Bay, Papua Province, Indonesia. Their language—commonly named Serui-Laut or Arui—belongs to the South Halmahera–West New Guinea branch of the Central–Eastern Malayo-Polynesian family and is usually treated as one of the Yapen cluster languages.

Local histories and linguistic studies indicate close long-term contact between Serui-Laut speakers and neighboring Ambai, Ansus and other Yapen island communities; this contact has shaped vocabulary, social ties and marriage patterns across the Ambai archipelago. Colonial-era mission activity and later Indonesian administration have also influenced schooling, religion and transport connections for Serui-Laut villages.

What Are Their Lives Like?

Most Serui-Laut people live in small coastal settlements on Serui Island and nearby islets. Their daily life traditionally revolves around small-scale fishing, reef harvesting, garden agriculture (crops grown in home gardens), and inter-island trade with neighboring villages. Houses are typically coastal dwellings; people combine subsistence activities with increasingly frequent contact with markets and services on larger Yapen Island and the Papua mainland.

Customary social life centers on kinship networks, reciprocal exchange, and village ceremonies. While traditional crafts and boatbuilding remain important skills, younger generations are more likely to attend regional schools, seek seasonal work, or move to larger towns—trends that affect language use and cultural continuity.

What Are Their Beliefs?

Christianity is the dominant religious identity reported among Serui-Laut people, with the majority identifying with Christian traditions; local practices often mix Christian forms of worship with customary local beliefs and ritual practices. Mission presence has varied by community, and some areas show strong church life while others retain more blended or nominal adherence. Christianity is the largest religion among the Serui-Laut; there is ongoing church engagement.

Because church and mission records are often the main written sources about small island groups, lived religion on Serui-Laut islands can be diverse: formal liturgy, Bible teaching and Sunday services exist alongside village rites, ancestral remembrances, and local customs integrated into Christian festivals.

What Are Their Needs?

The Serui-Laut communities need culturally appropriate access to Scripture, discipleship resources, and church training in the Serui-Laut language so that Christian teaching is rooted in the mother tongue. Existing documentation shows Bible translation work has been started but resources (audio, printed, and congregational materials) remain limited; more mother-tongue resources would strengthen local churches and literacy.

They would also benefit from sustainable livelihood support that respects local fishing and gardening cultures—such as improved boats/equipment, safe fuel and fish preservation methods, and market access—paired with community health, education, and respectful language-documentation programs to help preserve the Serui-Laut language for younger generations. Outside partners should prioritize local leadership and culturally sensitive approaches that partner with existing churches and village councils.

Prayer Points

Pray for more scriptures and discipleship resources in the Serui-Laut language, and for wisdom and funding for the teams already involved in translation and mother-tongue literacy.
Pray that local churches would be strengthened, led by faithful indigenous leaders, and that Christian faith among Serui-Laut households would be expressed in ways that honor gospel truth.
Pray for provision and sustainable livelihoods—safer boats, better fish preservation, and market opportunities—that reduce economic pressure on families and open doors for holistic ministry.
Pray for the young people; that they would be equipped in both education and faith, value their heritage language and culture, and arise as the next generation of leaders who bridge tradition and gospel service.
Pray that the Serui-Laut Christians would faithfully embrace the great commission and preach the gospel and make disciples among their people and those around them.

Text Source:   Joshua Project