Sembakung Murut of Malaysia (PGID: PG009334)

The Sembakung Murut of Malaysia

The Sembakung Murut of Malaysia, numbering approximately 10,500 people, are No Longer Unreached. They are a Proto-Malay hill people of the Sembakung River spanning northern Kalimantan and Sabah, whose name means hill people, formerly shifting cultivators who used the river as their highway and were among the last Bornean tribes to abandon headhunting. They mostly adhere to Animism and Sembakung Murut is their primary language.

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

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Malay Peoples
Country: Malaysia
People Cluster: Borneo-Kalimantan
Primary Language(s): Sembakung Murut (sbr)
Primary Religion(s): Animism
Population: 10,500
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): No Longer Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): 5% or Greater but Less than 10% Evangelical
People Group ID: PG009334
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Pray for the Sembakung Murut of Malaysia

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Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Animism
Religious Affiliation: Ethnoreligion

90%

Animism Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Sembakung Murut
Language Family: Austronesian

70%

Murut, Sembakung Speakers

Media Resources in Sembakung Murut:

Films:

Title	Link
JESUS	View Film

1 film

Provided by the Jesus Film Project

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Bible Resources in Sembakung Murut:

No Bible resources are listed for this language.

Provided by Faith Comes by Hearing

Or check out the Sembakung Murut bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

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SPI: No longer Unreached

The Sembakung Murut 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 Sembakung Murut:

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 Sembakung Murut of Malaysia

As it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God".
Romans 3:10-11

Pray that God will have mercy on those living in broken relationship with Him, and that He will bring many to surrender and repentance at the throne of grace.

Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness!
Psalm 150:2

Pray for the gospel to advance among those who are living in darkness. Pray that they will come to know Jesus and praise Him for all that He has done.

For this reason, when I could bear it no longer, I sent to learn about your faith, for fear that somehow the tempter had tempted you and our labor would be in vain.
2 Thessalonians 3:5

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will persevere according to God's command, walk in faith, and be strong so that they can resist the evil one’s deception.

To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some.
1 Corinthians 9:22

Ask God to raise up believers from around the world to go and share the hope of Jesus with the lost so that they might trust in Him and have the hope of eternal life.

Murut, Sembakung Across Countries (ROP3 - 108823) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index

All

Engaged yet Unreached UUPG No Longer Unreached

CountryReligion

2 people groups

Photo	People Group ID	Name	Country	Population ▼	Strategic Progress Index	Language	Religion
	PG009334	Sembakung Murut	Malaysia	10,500	No Longer Unreached	Sembakung Murut	Animism
	PG022613	Sembakung Murut	Indonesia	4,300	No Longer Unreached	Sembakung Murut	Animism

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