The Makura of Vanuatu

The Makura of Vanuatu, numbering approximately 6,800 people, are No Longer Unreached. They are a small Oceanic-speaking people of the Shepherd Islands in Vanuatu's Shefa Province, whose Namakura language uniquely preserves an ancient Proto-Oceanic sound lost in most neighboring North-Central Vanuatu tongues. They mostly adhere to Protestantism and Namakura is their primary language.

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

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Pacific Islander Peoples
Country: Vanuatu
People Cluster: Vanuatu
Primary Language(s): Namakura (nmk)
Primary Religion(s): Protestantism
Population: 6,800
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): No Longer Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): 2% or Greater but Less than 5% Evangelical
People Group ID: PG011015
View on Joshua Project

Pray for the Makura of Vanuatu

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.

Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Protestantism
Religious Affiliation: Christianity

—
%
Protestantism Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Namakura
Language Family: Austronesian

100%
%
Namakura Speakers

Media Resources in Namakura:

Films:

No film resources are listed for this language.

Bible Resources in Namakura:

No Bible resources are listed for this language.

Or check out the Namakura bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

SPI: No longer Unreached

The Makura 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 Makura:
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 Makura of Vanuatu

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
readRomans 8:1

Pray that God will reassure those who may be struggling with the cost of following Jesus that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day.
readPsalm 119:97

Pray that the lost will have access to God's Word in their language and treasure it deeply, meditating on God's promises and precepts.

Sanctify them in the truth, your word is truth.
readJohn 17:17

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will experience freedom from sin as God sanctifies them in the truth of His Word.

He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him.
readJohn 1:7

Pray that God will raise up witnesses to testify about Jesus so that all might believe, knowing that He is light and in Him there is no darkness at all.

Namakura Across Countries (ROP3 - 107052) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

1 people group

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

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