Speakers of the Chaari language live in four villages in Plateau and Bauchi States. Chaari is the predominant language of the home, but the Chaari are multilingual, also speaking Hausa, and English. All age groups can use Chaari, but the children are more proficient in Hausa. Children and young adults also have limited proficiency in English. Hausa is used in health clinics and markets.
The language area is remote. The only access to Danshe village is by a barely motorable road through rough terrain, which becomes virtually impassable during the rainy season.
Agriculture is the main occupation of the Chaari people. They raise cattle and other stock and grow crops, including cotton, ground nuts, millet, tomatoes, and yams. The government has introduced advance irrigation schemes to increase production.
Festivals are held in Danshe, their most populated village, which is also where the paramount ruler lives. Hausa and Chaari are used during festivities. Government educational policy states that: “Every child shall be taught in their own mother tongue or in the language of the immediate community for the first four years of basic education.” But little progress has been made in implementing this policy. Children are allowed to use their heritage language on the playground but not in the classroom.
The majority of the Chaari are Muslim. A few Chaari practice African traditional religion and believe that natural physical entities such as animals, plants, and even inanimate objects possess a spiritual essence.
Some Chaari are Christians. Local denominations include Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA), the Apostolic Church, and the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG). Hausa is used in church for preaching, singing, prayers, and youth services. At the close of church, the young adults often explain the sermon in Chaari to the elderly who may not have understood it well enough.
A recent sociolinguistic survey conducted by SIL classified Chaari as a threatened language, meaning it is used for face-to-face communication within all generations, but is losing users. Many are switching to the use of Hausa and English. The survey report recommended that leaders from the different religions in the Chaari community conduct activities that would help them to see if a unity of purpose can be achieved for language development. If there is interest expressed in language development, then leaders might consider attending an event called the Community-Based Language and Identity Development (CBLID) planning workshop, which is hosted jointly by SIL Nigeria and the Conference of Autochthonous Ethnic Community Development Associations.
Pray that community leaders from different religious backgrounds will willingly meet and discuss whether they desire to pursue language development.
Pray Chaari speakers will engage with Scripture that is available in other languages and assess their level of understanding of those Scriptures to determine their translation needs.
Pray that every obstacle to understanding and obeying Christ will be removed.
Scripture Prayers for the Chaari in Nigeria.
A Sociolinguistic Profile of the Zeem Cluster [zua] Languages of Bauchi and Plateau State, Nigeria (JLSR2022_013.pdf)
Profile Source: Joshua Project |
People Name General | Cha'ari |
People Name in Country | Chaari |
Alternate Names | |
Population this Country | 1,000 |
Population all Countries | 1,000 |
Total Countries | 1 |
Indigenous | Yes |
Progress Scale | 4 ● |
Unreached | No |
Frontier People Group | No |
Pioneer Workers Needed | |
People ID | 22358 |
ROP3 Code | 119364 |
ROP25 Code | 309281 |
ROP25 Name | Chaari |
Country | Nigeria | ||
Region | Africa, West and Central | ||
Continent | Africa | ||
10/40 Window | Yes | ||
National Bible Society | Website | ||
Persecution Rank | 6 (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking) | ||
Location in Country | Bauchi state: Dass LGA, Lukshi district; Plateau state: Jos East LGA, Mai Gemu district. Source: Ethnologue 2023 |
Country | Nigeria |
Region | Africa, West and Central |
Continent | Africa |
10/40 Window | Yes |
National Bible Society | Website |
Persecution Rank | 6 (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking) |
Location in Country | Bauchi state: Dass LGA, Lukshi district; Plateau state: Jos East LGA, Mai Gemu district.. Source: Ethnologue 2023 |
No people group map currently available. Use the above button to submit a map.
Primary Religion: | Islam |
Major Religion ▲ | Percent |
---|---|
Buddhism |
0.00 %
|
Christianity (Evangelical 10.00 %) |
20.00 %
|
Ethnic Religions |
10.00 %
|
Hinduism |
0.00 %
|
Islam |
70.00 %
|
Non-Religious |
0.00 %
|
Other / Small |
0.00 %
|
Unknown |
0.00 %
|
Primary Language | Cha'ari (1,000 speakers) |
Language Code | cxh Ethnologue Listing |
Language Written | Unknown |
Total Languages | 1 |
Primary Language | Cha'ari (1,000 speakers) |
Language Code | cxh Ethnologue Listing |
Total Languages | 1 |
People Groups | Speaking Cha'ari |
Primary Language: Cha'ari
Bible Translation Status: Translation Needed
Resource Type ▲ | Resource Name | Source |
---|---|---|
None reported |
Profile Source | Joshua Project |
Data Sources | Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more. |