Konkani Kunbi in India

The Konkani Kunbi 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

The Kunbi (alternate names of Reddi and Desai) are a prominent community of Gujarat. Traditionally the Reddy belong to the fourth of the Hindu Varnas, Sudra. One section of the Kunbi are the Konkani speakers.


What Are Their Lives Like?

The majority of the Kunbi communities are non-vegetarian, and all the communities take rice as their staple cereal. Jowar, wheat, bajra and ragi are the other cereals they eat. Both men and women smoke a homemade cheroot (chutta) which results in a high incidence of mouth and throat cancer.
The Kunbi community have social divisions such as clans, lineage, subcastes and sects. These social divisions regulate marital alliances. The Kunbi allow for cross-cousin marriages. They allow widows to remarry. Being a dominant community, they are often landlords and landholders. Those less fortunate are paid laborers. Social control is regulated through traditional caste and village councils.


What Are Their Beliefs?

They are Hindus who worship many deities. Their main festivals are Ugadi, Akshade and Dussehra. They play bhajans and kirtans at these festivals.


What Are Their Needs?

The Kunbi fear Christianity as an invading religious system to their families and communities. They need hearts that do not fear coming close to the King of kings.


Prayer Points

Pray that God may send several Christian workers to work among them and meet their spiritual and physical needs.
Pray for the Kunbi Christians to reach out to their own people.
Pray for them to have the spiritual hunger it takes to stand for Jesus even in the face of community pressure.


Scripture Prayers for the Kunbi Konkani in India.


References

India Missions Association - Edited by Philipose Vaidyar, Copyrighted © Used with permission


Profile Source:   Joshua Project  

People Name General Kunbi Konkani
People Name in Country Kunbi Konkani
Natural Name Konkani Kunbi
Pronunciation kohn-kuh-NEE KOON-bee
Alternate Names कुंबी कोंकनी
Population this Country 753,000
Population all Countries 753,000
Total Countries 1
Indigenous Yes
Progress Scale 1
Unreached Yes
Frontier People Group Yes
Pioneer Workers Needed 15
PeopleID3 21337
ROP3 Code 118164
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 3
Largest States
Maharashtra
680,000
Goa
68,000
Karnataka
4,700
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 3
  Maharashtra 680,000
  Goa 68,000
  Karnataka 4,700
Website South Asia Peoples
Primary Religion: Hinduism
Major Religion Percent *
Buddhism
3.81 %
Christianity  (Evangelical 0.00 %)
0.00 %
Ethnic Religions
0.00 %
Hinduism
96.15 %
Islam
0.00 %
Non-Religious
0.00 %
Other / Small
0.04 %
Unknown
0.00 %
* From latest India census data.
Current Christian values may substantially differ.
Primary Language Konkani, Goan (323,000 speakers)
Language Code gom   Ethnologue Listing
Language Written Yes   ScriptSource Listing
Total Languages 5
Secondary Languages
Marathi
261,000
Konkani
83,000
Hindi
4,200
Kannada
1,700
Primary Language Konkani, Goan (323,000 speakers)
Language Code gom   Ethnologue Listing
Total Languages 5
Secondary Languages
  Marathi 261,000
  Konkani 83,000
  Hindi 4,200
  Kannada 1,700
People Groups Speaking Konkani, Goan
Photo Source Thanuja Mummidi - Flickr  Creative Commons 
Map Source People Group Location: Omid. Other geography / data: GMI. Map Design: Joshua Project  
Profile Source Joshua Project 
Data Sources Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more.


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