Halleer in India

The Halleer have only been reported in India
Population
Main Language
Largest Religion
Christian
Evangelical
Progress
Progress Gauge
* Data can be from various sources including official census, agencies, and local research. Data from these sources can sometimes differ even by orders of magnitude. Joshua Project attempts to present a conservative, balanced estimate.

Introduction / History

Almost all of the members of the Halleer community live in rural parts of Maharashtra and Karnataka.


What Are Their Lives Like?

They were once hunters and gatherers, but now most of them are musicians who play at social functions like weddings. They are also engaged with many forms of farm work. During lean times they do basket weaving and honey gathering. In two separate Hindu temples in Maharashtra some of their women have become Devadasis, or Hindu temple prostitutes.


What Are Their Beliefs?

The Halleer people practice Hinduism, the ancient religion of India. Hinduism is a catch-all phrase for the local religions of South Asia, so it is very diverse. At the popular level, Hindus worship and serve the gods of the Hindu pantheon. They visit Hindu temples and offer prayers, food, flowers, and incense to their gods in hopes of gaining protection and benefits. They do not have a personal or familial relationship with their gods like Christians or Jews. There are other Hindus who are much more philosophical, especially among the Brahmins.

Almost all Hindus participate in yearly celebrations like Holi, the festival of colors and the start of spring / Diwali, the festival of lights / Navratri, the celebration of autumn / and Rama Navami, Rama's birthday.


What Are Their Needs?

This Hindu community has not been exposed to the gospel. They do not have their own language. Instead, they use the main language of whatever state they live in; Marathi in Maharashtra, and Kannada in Karnataka. Both languages have many Christian materials including New Testaments and the JESUS Film.


Prayer Points

Pray for evangelistic materials to find their way into every Halleer home.

Pray for spiritual hunger that will lead Haleer people to seek and find the only savior.

Pray for a disciple making movement to flourish among the Halleer people.

Pray for workers, sent and equipped by the Holy Spirit.


Scripture Prayers for the Halleer in India.


Profile Source:   Joshua Project  

People Name General Halleer
People Name in Country Halleer
Alternate Names Bajantri; Sahanai; हाल्लीर
Population this Country 5,000
Population all Countries 5,000
Total Countries 1
Indigenous Yes
Progress Scale 1
Unreached Yes
Frontier People Group Yes
GSEC 1  (per PeopleGroups.org)
Pioneer Workers Needed 1
PeopleID3 16934
ROP3 Code 112236
Country India
Region Asia, South
Continent Asia
10/40 Window Yes
National Bible Society Website
Persecution Rank 11  (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking)
Total States on file 6
Largest States
Karnataka
4,000
Goa
800
Maharashtra
100
Gujarat
100
Rajasthan
50
Tamil Nadu
20
Districts Interactive map, listing and data download
Specialized Website South Asia Peoples
Country India
Region Asia, South
Continent Asia
10/40 Window Yes
National Bible Society Website
Persecution Rank 11  (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking)
Total States 6
  Karnataka 4,000
  Goa 800
  Maharashtra 100
  Gujarat 100
  Rajasthan 50
  Tamil Nadu 20
Website South Asia Peoples
Primary Religion: Hinduism
Major Religion Percent *
Buddhism
2.96 %
Christianity  (Evangelical 0.00 %)
0.00 %
Ethnic Religions
0.00 %
Hinduism
96.24 %
Islam
0.00 %
Non-Religious
0.00 %
Other / Small
0.80 %
Unknown
0.00 %
* From latest India census data.
Current Christian values may substantially differ.
Primary Language Konkani, Goan (2,300 speakers)
Language Code gom   Ethnologue Listing
Language Written Yes   ScriptSource Listing
Total Languages 4
Secondary Languages
Kannada
1,900
Marathi
200
Gujarati
70
Primary Language Konkani, Goan (2,300 speakers)
Language Code gom   Ethnologue Listing
Total Languages 4
Secondary Languages
  Kannada 1,900
  Marathi 200
  Gujarati 70
People Groups Speaking Konkani, Goan
Map Source People Group data: Omid. Map geography: UNESCO / GMI. Map Design: Joshua Project  
Profile Source Joshua Project 
Data Sources Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more.


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