Sawi people
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 4,800[1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 Indonesia (Papua (province)) | |
| Languages | |
| Sawi language, Indonesian language | |
| Religion | |
| Christianity (predominantly), Animism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Papuan |
The Sawi or Sawuy are a tribal people of Western New Guinea, Indonesia. They were known to be cannibalistic[2] headhunters as recently as the 1950s. They speak the Sawi language, which belongs to the Trans-New Guinea language family.
Since then, many of the tribe have converted to Christianity and the world's largest circular building made strictly from un-milled poles was constructed in 1972 as a Christian meeting place by the Sawi.[3] Christian missionary Don Richardson who lived among the Sawi wrote a book about the experience called Peace Child.
References[]
- ^ "Sawuy in Indonesia". Joshua Project. Retrieved 2014-09-18.
- ^ Tucker (1983), p. 476
- ^ Tucker (1983), p. 478
Further reading[]
- Peace Child (1974) ISBN 1-57658-289-2
- (1983). From Jerusalem to Irian Jaya: A Biographical History of Christian Missions. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan. ISBN 0-310-23937-0.
External links[]
- Never the Same Documentary about visit to the Sawi in 2012
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Categories:
- Ethnic groups in Indonesia
- Indigenous ethnic groups in Western New Guinea
- Cannibalism in Oceania
- Headhunting in New Guinea
- Tribes of Oceania
- Indonesia stubs
- Asian ethnic group stubs