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PEOPLE GROUP PROFILE

The Saramaccan of Suriname

The Saramaccan of Suriname, numbering approximately 35,500 people, are No Longer Unreached. They are an ethnolinguistic community of Suriname and can also be known as Saramaccan Bush Negro. They are an Indigenous people, in the Afro-American, Anglophone people cluster of the North American Peoples affinity bloc. Their primary religion is Ethnoreligion. They primarily speak Saramaccan.

Saramaccan in Suriname photo
Photo courtesy of Joshua Project. Photo Source: IFES - Flickr IFES - Flickr Licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: American Peoples
Country: Suriname
People Cluster: Afro-American, Anglophone
Primary Language(s): Saramaccan (srm)
Primary Religion(s): Ethnoreligion
Population: 35,500
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

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Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Ethnoreligion
Religious Affiliation: Ethnoreligion

%
Ethnoreligion Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Saramaccan
Language Family: Creole

%
Saramaccan Speakers

Media Resources in Saramaccan:

Films:

Provided by the Jesus Film Project

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Bible Resources in Saramaccan:

Provided by Faith Comes by Hearing

Or check out the Saramaccan bible resources at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

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Next steps for the Saramaccan

The Saramaccan are Unengaged and Unreached, which means there are less than 2% evangelical Christian populations among which there are no known efforts focused on establishing self-sustaining churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice.

Begin signifcant prayer and fasting for this group
Send cross-cultural teams to discover and research this people group
Begin gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group

Next steps for the Saramaccan

The Saramaccan are Engaged yet Unreached, which means there are less than 2% evangelical Christian populations but there are sustained efforts at establishing self-sustaining churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice.

Continue prayer and fasting for this group
Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group
Begin training up local leaders to lead and develop strategies to reach their own people

Next steps for the Saramaccan

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.

Empower local believers to begin praying for their own people
Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group
Encourage local leaders to being leading church planting strategy and looking for Unreached and Unengaged groups nearby

Pray specifically for the Saramaccan of Suriname

For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another.
readTitus 3:3

Pray for those who seek worldly pleasures instead of God to flee from sin and choose God’s goodness and lovingkindness by placing their faith in Jesus.

The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.
readIsaiah 40:8

Pray that everyone has access to God's Word and that those who hear the good news will turn from their sins and put their faith in Jesus the Messiah.

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
read1 Peter 2:9

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will embrace their identity as God's chosen people, royal priests, and holy nation, living out their faith with purity and devotion.

O LORD, who shall sojourn in your tent? Who shall dwell on your holy hill? He who walks blamelessly and does what is right and speaks truth in his heart.
readPsalm 15:1-2

Ask God to send believers who will go and, with integrity, walk blamelessly and do what is right, speaking truth about the Lord with those who need to learn about His redemption plan.

Saramaccan (ROP3 - 108714) reported in the following countries:

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 Definitions page.

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