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PEOPLE GROUP PROFILE

The Murik Kayan of Malaysia

The Murik Kayan of Malaysia, numbering approximately 2,700 people, are No Longer Unreached. They are described as a Kayan people of Sarawak's Baram River in Malaysian Borneo, traditionally headhunting longhouse dwellers grouped among the region's Orang Ulu, known for carving river boats from single blocks of ironwood They are an Indigenous people, with Murik Kayan as their ethnic/kinship group and are in the Borneo-Kalimantan people cluster of the Malay Peoples. Their primary religion is Animism. They primarily speak Murik (Malaysia).

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

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Malay Peoples
Country: Malaysia
People Cluster: Borneo-Kalimantan
Primary Language(s): Murik (Malaysia) (mxr)
Primary Religion(s): Animism
Population: 2,700
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): No Longer Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): 2% or Greater but Less than 5% Evangelical
People Group ID: PG009305
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Pray for the Murik Kayan of Malaysia

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: Animism
Religious Affiliation: Ethnoreligion

95%
%
Animism Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Murik (Malaysia)
Language Family: Austronesian

70%
%
Murik (Malaysia) Speakers

Media Resources in Murik (Malaysia):

Films:

No film resources are listed for this language.

Provided by the Jesus Film Project

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Bible Resources in Murik (Malaysia):

No Bible resources are listed for this language.

Provided by Faith Comes by Hearing

Or check out the Murik (Malaysia) bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

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SPI: No longer Unreached

The Murik Kayan 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 Murik Kayan:
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 Murik Kayan of Malaysia

"For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God." Those who heard it said, "Then who can be saved?" But he said "What is impossible with man is possible with God."
readLuke 18:25-27

Pray that the lost who think they have everything they need will recognize their spiritual poverty apart from Jesus and turn to Him in faith.

Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you!
readPsalm 67:3

Pray that God will be working in people's hearts, give them opportunities to receive the gospel, and bring many to faith in Himself.

Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.
readJames 1:12

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will be encouraged when they persevere under trial, knowing that when they have stood the test, they will receive the crown of life.

And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues.
read2 Corinthians 12:28

Ask God to raise up believers who will faithfully proclaim the good news and equip others to do the same.

Murik Kayan Across Countries (ROP3 - 106923) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

1 people group

PhotoPeople Group IDNameCountry ▼PopulationStrategic Progress IndexLanguageReligion
Murik KayanPG009305Murik KayanMalaysia2,700No Longer UnreachedMurik (Malaysia)Animism

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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