Introduction / History

The 2,500 Bauti people are dealing with changes in their families, but in other areas life continues the same way it has for hundreds of years. People get married later than they once did, marriage rules are liberalized, and divorce is more common than it has been in centuries past. The Bauti family is becoming more nuclear than it used to be. Their traditional occupation was preparing lime from shells, but now most of them are either mat-makers or landless wage-laborers.
However, they are still having many children just as they always have done. And their religious views have not changed. Just about all of them are Hindus who worship family, village, and regional deities such as Laxmi, the goddess of wealth and good fortune.

What Are Their Needs?

It will be difficult to get the gospel to these people, despite the fact most of them speak Oriya, one of eastern India's main languages. Though the Bautis have access to radio and movies, they seldom use these resources, which could otherwise provide them with a gospel message. There is a high illiteracy rate among them, so the Oriya Bible will also have limited use.

Prayer Points

Pray for evangelists to take gospel recordings and audio Bibles to the Bauti people. Pray that Bauti hearts will be open to the words of the One True God, and His Son, Jesus Christ.

References

Some information from "The Scheduled Castes" K. S. Singh, ed. Oxford University Press, USA (1994)