Bernard Wilhelm "B. W." Lapian (30 June 1892 – 5 April 1977) was a nationalist involved in the struggle for Indonesian independence.

[1] He was also part a group who established a separate Christian denomination from the official Dutch East-Indies church institution.

[2]: 434  After Indonesia gained its independence, Lapian served as head of the district (or mayor) of Manado[3] and acting governor of Sulawesi.

[5]: 2  He would continue to take courses up to the level of junior secondary school (MULO or Meer Uitgebreid Lager Onderwijs).

[5]: 80  During his time in Batavia, he published articles in a newspaper called Pangkal Kemadjoean that focused on fighting Dutch colonialism.

Lapian served as a representative of the people in two capacities, one regional and another for the entire Dutch East Indies.

In 1938, Lapian also became a member of People's Council for the Dutch East Indies (Volksraad) in Batavia and aligned himself with the nationalist caucus that was led by Mohammad Husni Thamrin.

During his tenure as acting governor, Lapian opened and developed the area around Dumoga, Bolaang Mongondow for settlement and farming.

[7] He was declared a National Hero by President Joko Widodo in a ceremony at the State Palace on 5 November 2015.