The Melayu Ketapang (Ketapang Malay) live along the western edge of West Kalimantan Province on islands in the Karimata Straits. These islands, which are in Ketapang Regency, include Maya Karimata, Teluk Batang, Sukadana, North Matan Hilir and South Matan Hilir. The Melayu Ketapang are a Muslim group descended from a mix of Malay and Dayak people. Dayak people who are Muslim consider themselves to be Malay. However, they occasionally still practice traditional Dayak customs and use the Dayak language. They also live among Malay people. Most Ketapang Malay people come from Dayak groups while the remainder are from the Riau Malay. In Ketapang town, there is relic of a Ketapang Malay traditional house that stood in the Mulia Baru village. This large house located on the riverbank is made of wood and is a witness of the Malay culture.
Many of the roads from the coast to the places where the Ketapang live are in poor repair, making it very difficult to reach their area by car or truck. Some parts of the journey are difficult to make even by motorcycle because of large ditches that have formed in poorly maintained roads. Thus, the best way to reach the Ketapang area is to travel by boat from the city of Pontianak to the city of Ketapang. Two ports that have routine boat service in the Ketapang area are Teluk Batang and Ketapang City. Car and trucks may only be brought in by ferry to Teluk Batang, which is about 100 km from Ketapang. Motorcycles can complete the trip between Teluk Batang and Ketapang in 4-5 hours; however, cars and trucks can require 36-60 hours to make the trip because of large ditches in the road. Cars must travel in a caravan so that whenever one car gets stuck in a ditch, which can be 1-2 meters deep, it can be towed out by a few of the other vehicles.
Most Ketapang Malay are farmers, although some of them also work as fishermen. Crops are shipped to Pontianak and Semarang (on the island of Java) for sale. The transport route to Semarang is about as fast as transport to Pontianak, so many locals are inclined to send their products directly to Semarang.
The Ketapang Malay are Muslims, though not devout. Currently there are no reports of even a single Ketapang Malay person who adheres to a religion besides Islam. It is possible that individuals who are of other faiths are not considered Melayu Ketapang, but Dayak. Thus, religion and ethnicity are indistinguishable for the Melayu Ketapang.
Many potential tourism sites exist in the Ketapang area, including Tanjungpura Cemetery (the ruins of the Tanjungpura Kingdom), Karimata Island, the natural forests of Kendawangan, Palung Mountain National Park and the Muhamad Saunan Palace. Hopefully attracting tourists to the area will provide economic benefits to the local community. They need the improvement of transportation facilities whether by land, air, rivers and sea.
Pray for a strong gospel witness among the Ketapang Malay people that will bless them for eternity.
Pray for disciplers who will make more disciplers.
Pray for a spiritual hunger that will drive Ketapang Malay elders into the loving arms of the King of kings.
Scripture Prayers for the Malay, Ketapang in Indonesia.
IPN, 2011 Copyrighted © Used with permission
| Profile Source: Joshua Project |
