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The Saramaccan of Suriname

The Saramaccan of Suriname, numbering approximately 36,000 people, are No Longer Unreached. They are a Maroon people descended from Africans enslaved on Suriname's plantations who fled into the rainforest in the late 1600s and 1700s and won a 1762 treaty securing their autonomy from the Dutch. They mostly adhere to Ethnoreligion and Saramaccan is their primary language.

Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 2.5 Flash: Saramaccan

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: North American Peoples
Country: Suriname
People Cluster: Afro-American
Primary Language(s): Saramaccan (srm)
Primary Religion(s): Ethnoreligion
Population: 36,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): No Longer Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): 10% or Greater Evangelical
People Group ID: PG016437
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Pray for the Saramaccan of Suriname

Join others around the world in praying for the lost to be saved, the gospel to advance, the global Church to grow, and for laborers to be sent out and sustained in the harvest.

Pray Now!
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Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Ethnoreligion
Religious Affiliation: Ethnoreligion

85%
%
Ethnoreligion Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Saramaccan
Language Family: Indo-European

95%
%
Saramaccan Speakers

Media Resources in Saramaccan:

Films:
Title Link
JESUS View Film

1 film

Provided by the Jesus Film Project

View all resources

Bible Resources in Saramaccan:

Bible Name (Translation) Video Audio Text
1998 Wycliffe Bible Translators, Inc. ✓ ✓

1 entry

Provided by Faith Comes by Hearing

Or check out the Saramaccan bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

View all resources

SPI: No longer Unreached

The Saramaccan are No Longer Unreached, which means there are more than 2% evangelical Christian populations and there are churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice. There is still more to be done among them.

Next steps for the Saramaccan:
Empower local believers to begin praying for their own people
Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting
Encourage local leaders to being leading church planting strategy and looking for Unreached and Unengaged groups nearby

Pray specifically for the Saramaccan of Suriname

Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!
readPsalm 46:10

Pray that those who do not yet worship Jesus will be still and know that He is God, that He will be exalted among them and in all the earth.

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.
readMatthew 13: 45-46

Pray that they will recognize the treasure of knowing Christ Jesus and be willing to give up everything else to gain Him.

And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness.
readActs 4:29

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ and face rejection by unbelievers in their communities, God will give them discernment, boldness, and encouragement to speak His Word.

Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together!
readPsalm 34:3

Pray that God will raise up believers who will go to those in this people group who do not yet follow Jesus, and that they will invite many to magnify the Lord with them so that His fame will spread to the ends of the earth.

Saramaka Across Countries (ROP3 - 108714) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index

All

2 people groups

Photo People Group ID Name Country Population ▼ Strategic Progress Index Language Religion
Saramaccan PG016437 Saramaccan Suriname 36,000 No Longer Unreached Saramaccan Ethnoreligion
Saramaccan PG016341 Saramaccan French Guiana 6,300 No Longer Unreached Saramaccan Ethnoreligion

To download a comprehensive people group list in spreadsheet form, visit our Research Data page.

Peoplegroups.org relies on updates from the field and other organizations for much of our data, so if you have any updates, please contact us. We use various international naming standards. For a list of these standards and fields, visit our Data Standards section.

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