Talondo in Indonesia

Introduction / History

The Tolando people inhabit the area around Tolando (Tolando Jaya) in the Batu Atas district of the South East Sulawesi province (Kabupaten Buton Selatan) in eastern Indonesia. The community is identified geographically by this village cluster rather than by a widely documented distinct ethnic language classification. The region's history reflects the archipelago's broader patterns of settlement, trade and religious change, with coastal-island communities engaging in fishing, maritime transport, and small-scale agriculture long before modern Indonesian state formation. In recent decades, the Tolando area has become integrated into the national systems of Indonesia through schooling, governance, and infrastructure, but local identity remains tied to the village, the sea, and the island culture of Buton and adjacent archipelagos.

What Are Their Lives Like?

Daily life for the Tolando people is shaped by island-and-coastal living. Families typically engage in fishing, gleaning, and small-plot gardening or subsistence farming, with coconuts, cassava, and local crops common in the Buton maritime environment. The village of Tolando functions as a community hub in Batu Atas, with communal social rhythms, inter-family cooperation, and local market engagement linking villagers to the wider regional economy. Youth often travel to larger towns for secondary schooling or work, and as they do so, they adopt Bahasa Indonesia alongside local dialects. Infrastructure such as roads, electricity, and access to health or education services is gradually improving, but is often more limited than in urban centers, so community life retains a strong rural character and reliance on family networks and customary rhythms.

What Are Their Beliefs?

Nearly three-fourths of the Tolondos identify as Christian. Although many in Tolando hold a nominal religious affiliation, there remains a need for deeper discipleship, church leadership development, and resources in the local language or dialect to help faith become lived and locally rooted rather than external.

What Are Their Needs?

Economic opportunities tailored to the coastal environment—such as improved fishing craft, value-added processing of seafood or island tourism initiatives—would enhance livelihoods without necessitating relocation from ancestral villages. Education and health services that are accessible in the Tolando area and that respect local schedules, languages and community life would support sustainable development and reduce isolation. Spiritually, the Tolando community would benefit from Christian resources—such as Scripture translation, discipleship materials and training of indigenous Tolando church leaders—that incorporate their cultural worldview, enabling gospel growth in a way that honors their context and identity.

Prayer Points

Pray that God would raise up Christian workers who will learn the Tolando dialect or speech of Buton and gain the trust of village elders in Tolando.
Pray that Scripture in a format accessible to the Tolando people—audio, storytelling, or local-language print—would be distributed and understood so that the message of Christ becomes clear and transformative.
Pray for the church in Tolando to grow in depth rather than just in numbers—that Tolando believers would become mature, culturally grounded followers of Jesus and effective witnesses in their community and beyond.
Pray that economic development in Tolando would align with God's design for flourishing—so that fishing families, gardeners and youth in Tolando may live in dignity and hope in their own homeland.
Pray for educational and health improvements in Tolando that reflect the gospel of care and compassion, enabling the next generation to engage with both their heritage and broader opportunities.

Text Source:   Joshua Project