Alternate Names: Erawa, Erewa, Raua
Dialects: Karo, Rawa.
Genealogy:
Demographics: 11,500 (1998 SIL), increasing. 7,000 Rawa and 4,500 Karo.
Language Use: Due to migration, use of Tok Pisin [tpi] increasing. All domains with same dialect speaker. All ages. Very positive attitudes. 15% also use English [eng]. Almost all also use Tok Pisin [tpi]. Traditionally women who married into the group learned Rawa; now they use more Tok Pisin. Slowly shifting to Tok Pisin.
Language Development: Literacy rate in L1: 20% (Rawa), below 10% (Karo). Literacy rate in L2: 10%–20% can read Tok Pisin [tpi]. Taught in primary schools. Poetry. Dictionary. NT: 1992–2001.
Typology: SOV.
Writing System: Latin
Nation of Origin: Papua New Guinea
Other Comments: People report Rawa and Karo dialects seem to be drifting apart. Christian (Protestant), traditional religion.