The Eastern Cham people are a Malayo-Polynesian ethnic group, one of two branches of the Cham minority group in Vietnam and Cambodia.
As one of the most ancient ethnic groups in Southeast Asia, the Eastern Cham people have a very deep and interesting history.
They are now overrun with poverty and persecution, but at one time the Eastern Cham people had a powerful kingdom in Southeast Asia. "The ancient Cham were known for their seafaring skills, agricultural inventiveness, and construction of temples and religious monuments. The culture of the Cham in more recent periods has had little of the flavor of its ancient progenitor, relative poverty having replaced the grandeur of its ancient past" (World Culture Encyclopedia).
Both Cham groups have had serious difficulties with being persecuted by nation states, so they try to remain unknown. Most likely they are blending in with other ethnic groups like the Vietnamese, the Cambodians, or the Indians. There is no information about where the Eastern Cham live in the US.
Because the Eastern and the Western Cham peoples have different religions, they are unlikely to have much social contact. Since they are Hindu, the Eastern Cham are likely to relate to South Asians in the US.
Most of the Eastern Cham are Hindu. Hinduism was brought to them hundreds of years ago when a Hindu kingdom controlled much of SE Asia. Many follow Brahmanism, a sect of Hinduism. Brahmanism is practiced in the home, in temples, and at sacred festivals. The Eastern Cham are also highly influenced by traditional ancestor worship and animism. For example, they are known to dedicate their babies to the spirits at the local Hindu temples.
Their religious beliefs contribute to their history and identity as a people group. This makes it difficult for Cham individuals to embrace Christianity, as doing so would result in expulsion from the community.
The Cham people have been in the US for decades, so the window of opportunity to reach them when they are unsettled and spiritually open is over. Yet believers needs to befriend them and introduce them to Jesus Christ.
Pray for the Eastern Cham to be open to hearing the gospel and let go of their traditions that hold them to idol worship, animism, and other religions.
Pray for Vietnamese believers to see their opportunity to evangelize to the Eastern Cham people in the US.
Pray for God to raise up Cham believers who will begin a disciple making movement in the US.
Scripture Prayers for the Cham, Eastern in United States.
https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/11688/VM
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chams
http://escholarship.org/uc/item/7p87z4wh
Profile Source: Keith Carey |
People Name General | Cham, Eastern |
People Name in Country | Cham, Eastern |
Natural Name | Eastern Cham |
Pronunciation |
CHA-am
|
Alternate Names | Chăm (Chàm); Eastern Cham |
Population this Country | 900 |
Population all Countries | 135,000 |
Total Countries | 2 |
Indigenous | No |
Progress Scale | 1 ● |
Unreached | Yes |
Frontier People Group | No |
Pioneer Workers Needed | 1 |
People ID | 11688 |
ROP3 Code | 102836 |
Country | United States | ||
Region | America, North and Caribbean | ||
Continent | North America | ||
10/40 Window | No | ||
National Bible Society | Website | ||
Persecution Rank | Not ranked |
Country | United States |
Region | America, North and Caribbean |
Continent | North America |
10/40 Window | No |
National Bible Society | Website |
Persecution Rank | Not ranked |
Primary Religion: | Hinduism |
Major Religion ▲ | Percent |
---|---|
Buddhism |
0.00 %
|
Christianity (Evangelical 1.50 %) |
5.00 %
|
Ethnic Religions |
30.00 %
|
Hinduism |
55.00 %
|
Islam |
10.00 %
|
Non-Religious |
0.00 %
|
Other / Small |
0.00 %
|
Unknown |
0.00 %
|
Primary Language | Cham, Eastern (900 speakers) |
Language Code | cjm Ethnologue Listing |
Language Written | Yes ScriptSource Listing |
Total Languages | 1 |
Primary Language | Cham, Eastern (900 speakers) |
Language Code | cjm Ethnologue Listing |
Total Languages | 1 |
People Groups | Speaking Cham, Eastern |
Primary Language: Cham, Eastern
Bible Translation ▲ | Status (Years) |
---|---|
Bible-Portions | Yes (1968-1998) |
Bible-New Testament | Yes (1968-1998) |
Bible-Complete | No |
Possible Print Bibles | |
---|---|
Amazon | |
World Bibles | |
Forum Bible Agencies | |
National Bible Societies | |
World Bible Finder | |
Virtual Storehouse |
Resource Type ▲ | Resource Name | Source |
---|---|---|
Audio Recordings | Audio Bible teaching | Global Recordings Network |
Audio Recordings | Story of Jesus audio | Jesus Film Project |
Film / Video | Jesus Film: view in Cham, Eastern | Jesus Film Project |
Film / Video | World Christian Videos | World Christian Videos |
General | Gospel resources links | Scripture Earth |
Photo Source | Anonymous |
Profile Source | Keith Carey |
Data Sources | Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more. |