The Uranw people of Nepal, whose native language is Kurux, live in the jungle plains of southeastern Nepal. They associate themselves with the greater Oraon/Uranw community, who live primarily in India and Bangladesh. The Uranw of Nepal migrated to their current homeland from India in the mid-1800s, but they have retained a strong connection to their Uranw culture and religion, and still speak their Kurux language. Although southern Nepal is an ethnically diverse area, Uranw people tend to live in homogenous neighborhoods and maintain a strong community connection.
Uranw home styles vary by area within Nepal, but are typically made of bamboo, mud, and cow dung, with thatched roofs.
Most Uranw people in Nepal are farmers by occupation, but many do not own their own land. Despite living in rural areas, even the most remote Uranw settlements have easy access to major roads, larger towns, and cities. This allows for families to supplement farming income with other means of employment such as tailoring, metalworking, carpentry, technical jobs, office work, and entrepreneurship.
Because they have maintained their culture and a strong family structure, Uranw people have a strong internal support network. Many, however, do not own their own land or have the financial means to access higher education, healthcare, and other amenities.
Uranw tend to live in homogenous neighborhoods within diverse areas, and therefore are highly multilingual meaning that most of the population speaks 3 or more languages such as Maithili, Tharu, Bhojpuri, Sadri, and Tamang in addition to Nepali. Although school is taught in Nepali children still speak Kurux with friends and in their homes.
There are few Uranw Christians in Nepal and only one known Uranw church. Most people are very dedicated to their own Uranw religion.
The Uranw people practice a unique nature-based religion which is centered around the Karam Festival, in which they worship the branches of the Karam tree. The festival lasts two days and consists of fasting, song and dance, and food offerings which are then eaten at the end of the day to break the fast. The Uranw religion has other festivals throughout the year. Many Uranw people also celebrate Hindu festivals, showing influence from Hinduism, the dominant religion in Nepal. There is also a very small population of Uranw who are Christians.
There is at least one church with Uranw members in Nepal, and possibly one or two Indian Oraon/Uranw missionaries working in Nepal, but this is not yet confirmed.
There is one existing Bible in the Kurux language which is from a dialect in India. This version has been banned in India, but two other translations were in progress as of 2018. Sadly, many of the speakers in Nepal may have some difficulty understanding the vocabulary, as the Nepali dialect has some lexical differences from the Indian dialect. Kurux speakers in Nepal do not seem to be aware of the vast amounts of written literature available in the Kurux language (all based out of India). Kurux speakers in Nepal would benefit from learning to read their own language in an alphabet they already know. There are many Kurux resources available from India including hymn books, literature, sound recordings and the Jesus film, although some are outdated.
The Uranw community in India has a large Christian population and has made some efforts to connect with Kurux speakers in Nepal and northern Bihar. Cross-border connection and collaboration has the potential to reach many people with the gospel.
Scripture Prayers for the Oraon, Dhangar in Nepal.
Profile Source: Anonymous |
People Name General | Oraon |
People Name in Country | Oraon, Dhangar |
Natural Name | Dhangar Oraon |
Alternate Names | Dhagar; Dhanka; Jhagad; Jhagar; Kurka; Orang; Ranchi; Ranchiwalla; Saathi; Sadri; Uraon; ओराओं |
Population this Country | 46,000 |
Population all Countries | 5,477,000 |
Total Countries | 4 |
Indigenous | Yes |
Progress Scale | 1 ● |
Unreached | Yes |
Frontier People Group | No |
GSEC | 1 (per PeopleGroups.org) |
Pioneer Workers Needed | 1 |
People ID | 14210 |
ROP3 Code | 107674 |
ROP25 Code | 306347 |
ROP25 Name | Orao |
Country | Nepal | ||||||||||||
Region | Asia, South | ||||||||||||
Continent | Asia | ||||||||||||
10/40 Window | Yes | ||||||||||||
National Bible Society | Website | ||||||||||||
Persecution Rank | Not ranked | ||||||||||||
Total States on file | 10 | ||||||||||||
Largest States |
|
Country | Nepal |
Region | Asia, South |
Continent | Asia |
10/40 Window | Yes |
National Bible Society | Website |
Persecution Rank | Not ranked |
Total States | 10 |
Kosi 35,000 | |
Sagarmatha 3,700 | |
Narayani 3,500 | |
Mechi 2,100 | |
Janakpur 1,100 | |
Lumbini 300 | |
Bagmati 200 | |
Mahakali 200 | |
Gandaki 20 | |
Bheri 20 | |
Website | South Asia Peoples |
Primary Religion: | Hinduism |
Major Religion ▲ | Percent * |
---|---|
Buddhism |
0.56 %
|
Christianity (Evangelical Unknown) |
2.94 %
|
Ethnic Religions |
1.86 %
|
Hinduism |
94.60 %
|
Islam |
0.00 %
|
Non-Religious |
0.00 %
|
Other / Small |
0.00 %
|
Unknown |
0.04 %
|
* From latest Nepal census data. Current Christian values may substantially differ. |
Primary Language | Kurux (34,000 speakers) | |||||||||
Language Code | kru Ethnologue Listing | |||||||||
Language Written | Yes ScriptSource Listing | |||||||||
Total Languages | 10 | |||||||||
Secondary Languages |
|
Primary Language | Kurux (34,000 speakers) |
Language Code | kru Ethnologue Listing |
Total Languages | 10 |
Secondary Languages | |
Maithili 4,500 | |
Rangpuri 300 | |
Rawat 100 | |
Santhali 100 | |
Bengali 100 | |
Bhojpuri 70 | |
Odia 40 | |
Kharia 40 | |
Angika 30 | |
People Groups | Speaking Kurux |
Primary Language: Kurux
Bible Translation ▲ | Status (Years) |
---|---|
Bible-Portions | Yes (1895-1989) |
Bible-New Testament | Yes (1950-1997) |
Bible-Complete | Yes (2000) |
FCBH NT (www.bible.is) | Online |
YouVersion NT (www.bible.com) | Online |
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 | God's Story video | God's Story |
Film / Video | Jesus Film: view in Kurux | Jesus Film Project |
Film / Video | LUMO film of Gospels | Bible Media Group/LUMO |
Film / Video | World Christian Videos | World Christian Videos |
General | Bible for Children | Bible for Children |
General | Faith Comes By Hearing - Bible in text or audio or video | Faith Comes by Hearing |
General | Faith Comes By Hearing - Bible in text or audio or video | Faith Comes by Hearing |
General | Gospel resources links | Scripture Earth |
General | Gospel website in this language | General / Other |
General | Gospel website in this language | General / Other |
General | YouVersion Bible versions in text and/or audio | YouVersion Bibles |
Mobile App | Android Bible app: Kurux | YouVersion Bibles |
Mobile App | iOS Bible app: Kurux | YouVersion Bibles |
Text / Printed Matter | Jesus Messiah comic book | General / Other |
Photo Source | Gerald Roberts |
Map Source | People Group data: Omid. Map geography: UNESCO / GMI. Map Design: Joshua Project. |
Profile Source | Anonymous |
Data Sources | Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more. |